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Satisfaction Guaranteed: Geisinger Offers Refunds

MAHONING TOWNSHIP — If patients aren’t happy with their care at Geisinger Health System, they can now get their money back. Geisinger has launched a...
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MAHONING TOWNSHIP -- If patients aren't happy with their care at Geisinger Health System, they can now get their money back.

Geisinger has launched a new program that's the equivalent of satisfaction guaranteed. If patients are not happy with some aspect of their care, they can get their copay refunded.

Geisinger calls it Proven Experience, its new program to make sure patients are pleased with their care.

It looks at patients like customers, and if those patients or customers don't feel satisfied with their care at any of Geisinger's facilities, they can get their copay refunded.

"When you go to a restaurant, the food may be OK, it may not. The service may be good, it may not. It's all included. That's what the patient experience program is about," said Chanin Wendling, Geisinger In Motion team leader.

We talked to part of the team at Geisinger that developed this Proven Experience program. It's about more than just the refunds. It's about every department working to make sure patient experience is the best in every aspect.

"Whether it's with the physician, with the food service worker, with the front desk person, we have to provide the total experience," said chief patient experience officer Susan Robel.

This all started with a patient of Dr. Jonathan Slotkin, director of spinal surgery, asking for a refund due to a billing concern.

"My first reaction was, 'did I do something wrong?' I'm responsible for every aspect of this patient's interaction. What have I done here?" Dr. Slotkin recalled.

It's no secret medical care is expensive and now people have to pay more themselves for what the insurance does not cover.

Geisinger isn't refunding the money it gets from insurance companies, only the money patients have to pay out of pocket, their copay.

And it will be easy, including an app under development that will allow patients to enter what went right and what went wrong, and say how much they want back if they aren't happy.

Then they get the refund. Geisinger calls it an honor system.

The big question for this team: can't this be abused?

"Even if there's a little bit in the background the relationships that this will engender in the overwhelming amount of patients who treat us honestly, the upside in those relationships will far outweigh the exposure we have in risk from a small group of people who might be dishonest," said Dr. Slotkin.

"If you're not happy, I think it's a wonderful program. Health care is very costly and you need a backup."

Debbie Martin of Northumberland County had surgery for thyroid cancer two weeks ago at Geisinger Medical Center near Danville. She noticed that focus on patient, or customer satisfaction.

"They're doing a lot to make you more comfortable, more at ease. If you don't understand anything, they will go over it again with you in layman terms."

We asked some other health systems what they think of this.

Lehigh Valley Health Network said it works to ensure patient satisfaction, but isn't planning this type of program.

Commonwealth Health says it routinely seeks feedback and encourages patients to share their concerns but didn't mention a refund.

Geisinger's Proven Experience refund plan is already getting some national attention.

Right now the app to offer feedback and get refunds is only available to some surgical patients at Geisinger. But the refunds are available throughout the Geisinger system.

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