NR/01/2010 

Thomson Medical Centre tops the Private Hospitals category in national customer satisfaction index

1. A year after embarking on the Customer-Centric Initiative (CCI) in 2008, Thomson Medical Centre has beaten other private hospitals in the Customer Satisfaction Index for Singapore (CSISG) to gain the top position in the private hospitals category. Thomson scored 73.3, significantly higher than the healthcare sector average score of 68.9. This is an improvement of 4.4 points under Thomson in 2009 as compared to 2008.

2. Through the CCI, Thomson has taken steps to increase its product and service quality, patient expectations and perceived value. Last year saw a record high of 8.907 babies delivered at Thomson, as compared to 8,567 in 2008- the highest across all private hospitals. Their efforts in cultivating long-term relationships have led to an increase in patient loyalty. The number of repeat patients grew from 26.8% in 2008 to 32.2% in 2009.

3. At the Thomson Medical Centre Learning Journey today, Minister of State for Trade and Industry and Manpower, Mr Lee Yi Shan commended the hospital for raising the bar in patient care and service within the healthcare sector. He said, “Thomson Medical Centre was dedicated to understanding patient needs and getting feedback on their stay in the hospital and their expectations at key hospital touchpoints.” As a result, patient satisfaction level at Thomson Medical Centre has improved from 84% in 2007 to 93% in 2009.

4. The medical centre has leveraged on technology to improve hospital inpatient, outpatient and administrative processes. For example, it introduced touch screen billing to replace the traditional keying-in method for the delivery suite, operating theatres and wards. Time spent on billing has been reduced by 50%, with estimated cost savings of $2000 per month.

5. Waiting time for admission and discharges has also been reduced. Thomson introduced direct admissions to the patient room, express check-outs and courtesy and in-room discharges so that patients do not have to wait long or even leave the comfort of their room to settle the hospital bill.

6. To raise service quality, Thomson had redesigned its entire workflow around the patient. From the point of admission, the customer is provided with concierge service from the door step; she is welcomed by ward staff who would escort the patient and family to the room where a welcome drink, warm towel and fruit basket await them. The hospital ambience has been taken a notch up to resort-style to create a more positive patient experience.

7. For an exclusive customer segment, the VIP rooms and premier wards are complete with luxurious interior finishing and relaxing spa music. They are also equipped with a patient bedside terminal which boasts of an interactive nurse call that allows for visual contact and communication with nurses resulting in greater efficiency and speedier service. Patients can also surf the internet, play games, watch movies and shop on-line for a host of mother and baby products available in the hospital.

8. Besides looking into process improvements and innovations, service training is also a key priority in Thomson. The training programmes conducted at Thomson are aimed at inculcating the right service mindset and providing participants with the knowledge and application skills to proactively offer and promote service to customers. Staff at supervisory levels are introduced to competencies in leadership and teamwork to provide high levels of service. More than 50% of Thomson’s frontline staff have attended these training programmes. The improvement in compliment to complaint ratio from 4.9:1 to the current 9.2:1 is testimony to the effectiveness of the training.

9. Other value-added services include its recently launched ThomsonBaby.com and Thomson Baby Planner. ThomsonBaby.com is the first interactive and personalized pregnancy and baby website developed by a hospital in Singapore and was supported by SPRING Singapore under the Technology Innovation Programme. Both the website and the Planner provide educational content and acts as a one-stop shop for expectant mothers and their families, aimed at saving time and money for busy parents.

10. Mr Allan Yeo, Group Chief Executive of Thomson Medical Centre said, “Participating in the CCI programme has helped us take on a more systematic approach to further improve systems and processes to support the delivery of quality services. With clear definitions of service attributes and through systematic training, we aim to give customers a memorable service experience when they visit our hospital. Our patients can be assured of our unwavering commitment to our brand promise which is to deliver our best with the Thomson Touch.”

11. Mr Yeo Guat Kwang, Co-Chairperson of the CCI Committee said, “It is commendable that Thomson Medical Centre adopted a holistic approach to increase its quality and customer satisfaction levels. They have shown a deep understanding of what their patients want and have met their expectations. Ultimately, patients see value in their product and service offerings.”

12. SPRING Assistant Chief Executive Ms Choy Sauw Kook said, “Thomson Medical Centre has shown that by designing its business strategy around the idea of creating an excellent customer experience, it has reaped benefits through increased revenue, productivity and higher customer retention ratio. We hope to see more organisations adopt a customer-centric approach and embark on a service excellence journey.”

13. The CCI is a multi-agency initiative spearheaded by SPRING Singapore and the NTUC with representatives from WDA, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) and the unions (SMMWU, SISEU, and FDAWU). The CCI is part of the Go-the-Extra-Mile for Service (GEMS) movement to transform Singapore’s service quality in the retail, food & beverage, hospitality, healthcare and transport sectors.