To Paul Spiegelman and Britt Berrett, there's a problem.
They attest that in any business, you can't take care of customers if you don't take care of employees.
Healthcare is no different.
In "PATIENTS COME SECOND: Leading Change by Changing the Way You Lead" Spiegelman and Berrett explain the connection between employee engagement and patient loyalty, sharing stories of how this has worked in a range of organizations to give readers practical tools and tips to implement immediate change in their organization.
Paul Spiegelman says, "Let's face it: Employees in most companies get treated as second-class citizens. If that's the case, how can we expect them to treat customers well? The same is true for employees in the healthcare field.
In healthcare, we need a model for the delivery of a great experience for each patient. It is not a question of ranking what in more important, but a question of leading and lagging indicators of success. In that regard, I firmly believe that the most successful organizations with the most loyal customers (or patients) have focused first on an internal culture of engagement where leadership shows a genuine interest in the growth and development of its people. If you do that, accountability will only increase, not create excuses for lack of execution.
Our industry needs to be shaken up a bit. My hope is that our book will stir healthy conversation and action to improve internal cultures in healthcare. It is sorely needed."
Source: Paul Spiegelman: Patients Come Second: Leading Change by Changing the Way You Lead