Business Insight presented by Arlington Dermatology What is quality of care? The word 'quality' has been hugely overused these days. Everyone claims to deliver quality services, quality products and more. But how is that quality measured and who actually measures it is another story. The quality of medical care is very specific and related not only to delivery of medical services but the outcomes of care as well. When you visit a medical facility, you expect all components of your services to meet quality standards. This means the reception, appointment scheduling, ability to communicate with administrative staff, polite and respectful approach of all staff members, empathy of clinicians, and knowledge and education from medical providers. You do not want to be rushed with the paperwork or unable to communicate due to long- lasting voice mail greetings, putting you through many prompts and not allowing you to speak to a human. You do want a human voice and an opportunity to ask questions before you decide to visit a clinic. Conducting our clinical research and medical care for over 20 years taught our team a lesson of quality: When you deliver quality service in all aspects, patients will come to seek your help. So, how do we make sure that all aspects of quality are delivered? We work 6 days a week, with flexible hours to allow patients access. We always respond to calls 'live' or return the calls within a couple of hours. We provide comfortable space, with large private rooms, access to wi-fi, drinks and snacks. We allow patients to take as much time for consenting as they wish. And finally, we maintain very close connections with our community by providing a lot of pro bono educational services to local employers and organizations. Our Dama weekly column in a local paper (on- line and print) has a different topic every Friday and we gained readers from the community and even from out of state. I cannot overstate the community connections. We simply are neighbors to most of our patients. Accessing us is simple and easy, both on the phone and in-person. We seek comments and feedback from our patients, and we do follow up on all of them. There is no way we can meet the expectations of every single person, but we definitely listen to every single person visiting us and we acknowledge that. When you want to truly know what your patients want, you must maintain an open communication with them and listen more than talk. And when you talk, you need to make sure you educate your patients. They need to know everything you know just in a non-medical language. In short, our patients are our customers and partners in medical care delivery, and we treat them as true partners. Michael Bukhalo, MD Arlington Dermatology 5301 Keystone Court Rolling Meadows, IL 60008 Tel. 847 392 5440 | www.arlingtondermatology.net Business Insight presented by Arlington Dermatology What is quality of care ? The word ' quality ' has been hugely overused these days . Everyone claims to deliver quality services , quality products and more . But how is that quality measured and who actually measures it is another story . The quality of medical care is very specific and related not only to delivery of medical services but the outcomes of care as well . When you visit a medical facility , you expect all components of your services to meet quality standards . This means the reception , appointment scheduling , ability to communicate with administrative staff , polite and respectful approach of all staff members , empathy of clinicians , and knowledge and education from medical providers . You do not want to be rushed with the paperwork or unable to communicate due to long- lasting voice mail greetings , putting you through many prompts and not allowing you to speak to a human . You do want a human voice and an opportunity to ask questions before you decide to visit a clinic . Conducting our clinical research and medical care for over 20 years taught our team a lesson of quality : When you deliver quality service in all aspects , patients will come to seek your help . So , how do we make sure that all aspects of quality are delivered ? We work 6 days a week , with flexible hours to allow patients access . We always respond to calls ' live ' or return the calls within a couple of hours . We provide comfortable space , with large private rooms , access to wi - fi , drinks and snacks . We allow patients to take as much time for consenting as they wish . And finally , we maintain very close connections with our community by providing a lot of pro bono educational services to local employers and organizations . Our Dama weekly column in a local paper ( on- line and print ) has a different topic every Friday and we gained readers from the community and even from out of state . I cannot overstate the community connections . We simply are neighbors to most of our patients . Accessing us is simple and easy , both on the phone and in - person . We seek comments and feedback from our patients , and we do follow up on all of them . There is no way we can meet the expectations of every single person , but we definitely listen to every single person visiting us and we acknowledge that . When you want to truly know what your patients want , you must maintain an open communication with them and listen more than talk . And when you talk , you need to make sure you educate your patients . They need to know everything you know just in a non - medical language . In short , our patients are our customers and partners in medical care delivery , and we treat them as true partners . Michael Bukhalo , MD Arlington Dermatology 5301 Keystone Court Rolling Meadows , IL 60008 Tel . 847 392 5440 | www.arlingtondermatology.net