Ernest Hemmingway once said, “When people tell you who they are – listen.” Essentially what this means is that people, or in the case of Concentra, patients, will tell you exactly who they are and what they want. At Concentra we’re using this philosophy to improve the way we deliver health care services.

Since early 2007, we’ve been collecting information from patients regarding their experiences in and out of our urgent care centers. Through medical center surveys, online questionnaires, and patient/customer forums, our patients provide us detailed information about what works and what doesn’t. More than the typical ‘satisfied’ or ‘not satisfied’ responses, our patient comments provide a critical eye and a snapshot of typical patient encounters within our organization. This information is analyzed and measured against various other factors, helping us create a roadmap to enhancing our services.

In the short time Concentra has been collecting customer feedback, we’ve used patient comments to make improvement plans in the areas of reduced wait times, interior upgrades, new center planning, marketing and sales collateral, clinician-patient interactions, and more. As many of these improvements and enhancements are being rolled out to all Concentra Medical Centers, we continue to collect customer comments on what other areas need improvement.

Within the past few years, as the cost of health insurance has risen and coverage for patients has dwindled, more choices have emerged for episodic medical treatment. These days patients needing urgent care for an illness or injury can choose from the emergency room, primary care physician, retail stores with medical facilities, and various other urgent care clinics. By establishing relationships, collecting patient and customer feedback, and utilizing that information to enhance our services, Concentra is committed to be more than a traditional health care company.

By collecting feedback from our patients, Concentra is creating a health care setting that is designed for patients, by patients. We’re committed to providing a health care experience that’s efficient, effective, and above all else, welcoming. And although this approach to redefining health care is relatively new, we will continue to examine all of our processes and services in an effort to provide the best experience for our customers.