ABSTRACT
While new payment schemes, price transparencies, and increasing competition are driving many healthcare organizations to hack and trim in desperate e¢orts to survive, the executives at increasing numbers of organizations are taking a di¢erent tack. Facing a risk-based world in which the end customers increasingly are making informed choices about where to get their healthcare needs taken care of, these organizations are attempting to build healthcare centers with the customer-friendliness of Nordstrom, the reliability of FedEx, and the transactional accuracy and simplicity of American Express. ‚ey believe that making medical encounters more pleasant will pump up market share and revenues, boost the quality of clinical care, create less stress for the sta¢, and generally turn their business around. ‚ey are remaking themselves to better serve the wants and needs of the consumer.
