Imagine for a minute if how much your physician was paid was based on how happy you were with your doctor’s visit. While it sounds odd, the health care organization Emergency Medicine Physicians is just more proof that tying incentive into customer satisfaction makes a difference.
As changes abound in the health care industry, it’s more important than ever to find ways to make the patient experience as positive as possible. However, EMP’s commitment to patient satisfaction isn’t something that’s forced on the organization’s employees, and that’s because EMP employees are actually their own bosses. EMP is 100 percent physician-owned all the way up to CEO Dr. Dominic J. Bagnoli. Operating as owners, the physicians of EMP see the value of maintaining the highest standards of medical care. As business owners and doctors, they possess the know-how and experience of medical practitioners, giving EMP an insider advantage both in recruiting and in adapting successfully to industry changes and standards.
One factor that contributes to EMP’s success is its decision to start paying a percentage of physicians’ compensation based on their individual patient satisfaction scores. Beginning in 2000, EMP authorized that 30 percent of physician pay would be based on individual productivity and patient satisfaction. While many other medical facilities don’t even measure patient satisfaction scores, EMP uniquely rewards physicians with incentive to build trust with patients and optimizing communication between patients and doctors. Today, EMP partners with 60 locations across 12 states, and 60 percent of its physicians rate above the 90th percentile in their patient satisfaction score.
An “owner’s mind” is just one of the four core values that drive EMP, along with servant’s heart, teamwork and integrity. As a values-based organization, EMP extensively trains and educates its physicians to live the service culture through classes in its Physician Satisfaction Academy.
How to reach: Emergency Medicine Physicians, (330) 493-4443 or www.emp.com
