Your readings direct attention toward mindsets and initiatives that enhance and improve the experience of care recipients (e.g., patients in hospitals, residents in nursing homes). Essentially, such actions thread the vital element of compassion into the delivery of care. These efforts are important for the dignity of care recipients, their satisfaction as customers of given healthcare establishments, and for purposes of marketing in that they help to attract patronage and often represent competitive advantages. As such, it is highly beneficial for healthcare marketers to develop skills in assembling unique features that complement medical service delivery, affording exceptional customer experiences, making for a fitting Practitioner Application.
Assume that you are the Patient Experience Officer for a newly-established freestanding birth center based in the city of your choice. (An actual city must be selected as this assignment calls for formal market research.) This entity will be named Provenance Birth Center and it will offer the usual and customary array of services provided by freestanding birth centers. (If you are unfamiliar with this modality of care, conduct associated research to gain a proper understanding before completing the assignment.) The Administrator is desirous of embedding elements into the care experience that go beyond the mere delivery of excellent birthing services, effectively establishing a Good Samaritan program. She specifically has tasked you with developing a proposal identifying and detailing at least five unique features that can be incorporated to “Wow!” expectant mothers and improve the patient experience. As unique features are requested, you, of course, must conduct market research, investigating what currently is being done by area competitors in order to ensure the development of truly novel enhancements. Out-of-the-box thinking is required.
The Submission Requirement
Your submission in its entirety (i.e., all inclusive) must be at least 1200 words. It is to be typed (or pasted) directly into the Moodle posting window, after which you will submit your work. After submission, students are advised to verify that the assignment was submitted successfully by revisiting the submission link in advance of the assignment deadline. (Warning: After the assignment deadline, do not return to the Practitioner Application to check the status of your submission, as doing so can change the submission date, forcing issuance of penalties for lateness.) Note that attachments of any kind are prohibited and will carry no points value. Given the length of the submission, it is advised that students prepare it in a word processing program, and when finalized, copy and paste the text into the Moodle posting window. Moodle can be very finicky and often will distort formatting, so care must be taken in preparing your submission. It is understood that Moodle formatting is limited; simply make your submission look as nice as possible.
Submissions must incorporate a minimum of ten (10) references, with at least three (3) being from scholarly academic journals. (If you cannot ascertain whether a journal does or does not qualify as scholarly academic, contact the Noel Library and request assistance.) References may be prepared using the style guide of your choice (e.g., APA, MLA); just be sure to consistently use the selected style. As Moodle formatting is limited, style guide requirements apply only to the preparation and presentation of references. In-text citations, of course, must be included. Treat this as a formal report, rather than an informal web post. Note that references consisting merely of web links are unacceptable and will result in a 30-point deduction. Consult an acceptable style manual and assemble your references properly!
In presenting your work, identify the title, your name and student ID number, and submission date at the top of your submission and supply the following headings, exactly as they appear below, placing each in bold text:
Introduction (In this section, supply a brief introduction, helping the reader grasp the intent of the forthcoming work.)
Background
City Profile (In this section, supply a brief overview of the city of focus, noting its name, population, demographic characteristics, and any other helpful background information.)
Service Profile (In this section, supply a general overview of freestanding birth centers and the services they offer. Provide a definition, note major areas of focus, and offer other helpful details, demonstrating your grasp of this particular area of healthcare.)
Competitive Landscape (In this section, describe the state of competition in the marketplace by identifying key establishments dedicated to providing maternity services, discussing their service arrays, and so on to paint a detailed picture of the given environment.)
Enhancements
Recommendation 1 (In this section, provide a detailed description of your first recommended enhancement.)
Recommendation 2 (In this section, provide a detailed description of your second recommended enhancement.)
Recommendation 3 (In this section, provide a detailed description of your third recommended enhancement.)
Recommendation 4 (In this section, provide a detailed description of your fourth recommended enhancement.)
Recommendation 5 (In this section, provide a detailed description of your fifth recommended enhancement.)
NOTE: If you recommend enhancements beyond the five required by the Administrator, simply add headings as needed, numbering them, accordingly (e.g., Recommendation 6, Recommendation 7, etc.)
Conclusions (In this section, summarize the proposal, being sure to express your expectations regarding how the suggested enhancements will collectively impact the patient experience.)
References (In this section, supply a list of references conforming with the instructions listed elsewhere in this communication.)
Elrod JK, Fortenberry JL Jr. Am I Seeing Things Through the Eyes of Patients? An Exercise in Bolstering Patient Attentiveness and Empathy. BMC Health Services Research. 2018;18(Suppl 3):929. (Available via the MEDLINE database at LSU Shreveport’s Noel Memorial Library)
Elrod JK, Fortenberry JL Jr. Establishing Good Samaritan Programs in Healthcare Institutions: A Method for Enhancing Patient Experiences and Increasing Loyalty. BMC Health Services Research. 2018;18(Suppl 3):927. (Available via the MEDLINE database at LSU Shreveport’s Noel Memorial Library)
Elrod JK, Fortenberry JL Jr. Response Hierarchy Models and Their Application in Health and Medicine: Understanding the Hierarchy of Effects. BMC Health Services Research. 2020;20(Suppl 1):824. (Available via the MEDLINE database at LSU Shreveport’s Noel Memorial Library)
Elrod JK, Fortenberry JL Jr. Driving Brand Equity in Health Services Organizations: The Need for an Expanded View of Branding. BMC Health Services Research. 2018;18(Suppl 3):924. (Available via the MEDLINE database at LSU Shreveport’s Noel Memorial Library)
