ABSTRACT
If the prices, outcomes, and quality of health care become similar, regard less of who the provider is, what will be left to allow consumers to choose between one or another? The answer, in no small part, will reside in consum er satisfaction with the care received and the services provided to them. Getting and keeping customers is a major goal of most health care providers. Understanding and applying consumer-focused practices in health care is management’s prerequisite for knowledge-based decision making.