On target

Sure, I'd like to see an organized, efficient operation and friendly staff whenever I walk into a business, but the one place where such an experience is most important, for me, is a hospital. While I am checking in or sitting in the waiting area, it's important to me that everything looks like it's running smoothly and that everyone knows what they're doing. If they can't find my appointment or if they lose a 24-hour urine sample (yup, this happened to me once), then I seriously start to worry about whether the facility can be trusted to evaluate and remedy my health situation.

There is a Boston.com story today on a "mystery shopper" program at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. Employees of that hospital pose as patients over the phone or in waiting rooms to monitor the way the public is treated. Since the program began two years ago, the story says, service has improved, and other hospitals are using similar programs as well. I feel much better already.