Get Ready for Shift from Patient to Healthcare Consumer

"When I am in the hospital it is things like how many times to they clean my room every day or how many times do they come in and bother me. Oftentimes we show that is more important than the amount of time the doctor spends with me," D'Alessandro says.

"Providers are focusing on the wrong things now and amazingly there are opportunities to focus on things that are less expensive but more meaningful." Consumer interaction with clinical staff, for example, should stress quality over quantity.

"There are specific clinical environments that are pursuing things like more interaction with the clinician – how can we increase the frequency of the floor nurse visit to the room or the doctor coming in the morning and evening?  We find that is not what the consumer is looking for," D'Alessandro says.

"They want one interaction that is meaningful with two-way conversations and then for the rest of the day it is more like a hotel room. Have the maids visit once a day and do a nice job. Have the trays taken away at a consistent time. Meet my dietary needs and don't frustrate me with crazy stuff that was meant for another patient."

D'Alessandro concedes that much of this is commonsensical.