Boston teaching hospitals — known for their world-class medical care, but sometimes brusque treatment of patients — are responding to increased competition among themselves by trying to make patients feel more like valued customers.
..
Mass. General brought in a consultant from Ritz-Carlton, the global hotel chain known for its luxury service, to stress what may seem obvious: the importance of a warm smile and addressing patients by name.
..
Room-service meals — served at the time of day requested by a patient, and featuring an expanded variety of choices — have become common in smaller community hospitals. The practice has been slower to catch on in urban medical centers, though Children’s Hospital Boston and Tufts-New England Medical Center make it available, as do certain areas of other hospitals, like the maternity ward at Brigham and Women’s.