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The modern age can be called as the “Age of Consumers”. In today’s cut-throat
competition the consumer is considered as the king. Many policies of various
organizations are aimed at keeping the consumer happy and satisfied. It is very
important for every single organization to keep its consumers satisfied in order to
maintain its competitiveness in the market. Not only does this help the organization to
maintain the size of its share in the market, it might even help it to increase the size of
its share. It might also be instrumental in increasing the overall market size. This
helps in increasing the overall profitability of the organization. It also helps the long-
term survival prospects of the organization. Consumers when viewed on the macro
level exhibit similar traits. However, when they take a closer look and come down to
the micro level, we find that the consumers vary as in comparison to one another on
one aspect or the other based on a variety of attributes (Kotler, 2003).
This project covered the brief understanding about the private hospital industry
surrounding the Delhi area, I have collected the primary data from the Fortis
hospital which is one of the best hospital in Delhi and NCR, as the growing
concern about the health in the Delhi and NCR region also to understand
whether the Fortis hospital has targeted the market right or not, I have
concluded this project with the proper recommendation has been made to that,
which help another research to do some research assuming of that.
PRIMARY OBJECTIVE(S)
The present study is based on explorative and descriptive research design with the
objective of
• To study measuring their satisfaction level from the hospital services. For both
the first and second objective of study i.e. the customers’ expectations and
their perceptions of hospital services.
RESEARCH DESIGN
The data collected is Primary data and Secondary data, which is both quantitative and
qualitative data, which was further analyzed in order to draw conclusions and
suggestions.
DATA COLLECTION
• Collection of Data from the foot fall at the OPD in the primary
SAMPLE SIZE AND DESIGN:
A multistage sampling procedure was taken based on convenience. The actual
consumers were contacted based on random sampling.
RESEARCH PERIOD:
Research work is carried for 2 or 3 weeks.
Secondary Data: To suggest solutions to the problems observed during the survey
will be done through secondary data.
Primary Data: Primary data has been collected from the respondents. The
respondents will be either the patients themselves or their relatives. For sample
selection, a multistage sampling procedure will be followed. The information will
collect through a structured questionnaire.
Sampling Method: For sample selection, a multistage sampling procedure has been
followed. At the first stage, sample units consisted of the total number of general
wards and private wards in the hospital.
Sample size: 20 patients & their relatives from General Wards & 15 patients & their
relatives from Private Wards
LIMITATIONS
• This project has been covered Delhi as a region as the duration of the project
only 2 to 3 weeks. So I have to collect and finish this data within the time.
LITRATURE REVIEW
Many studies have been conducted on the customer satisfaction. An attempt has been
made to present in brief, a review of literature on customer satisfaction in general as
well as on the customer satisfaction from hospital services.
Boulding et al (1993) stated that the service quality relates to the retention of
customers at aggregate level. The author has offered a conceptual model of the impact
of service quality on particular behavior that signal whether customers remain with of
defect from a company. The results of the study show strong evidence of their being
influenced by service quality. The findings also reveal difference in the nature of the
service quality.
Aurora and Malhotra (1997) had done a comparative analysis of the satisfaction level
of customer of public and private sector Hospitals, in order to help the Hospital
management to formulate marketing strategies to lure customers towards them and
hence increase customer base.
Grewal et al had expanded and integrated prior price perceived value models within
the context of price comparison advertising. More specifically, the conceptual model
explicates the effects of advertised selling and reference prices on buyers’ internet
reference prices, perceptions of quality, acquisition value, transaction value, and
purchase and search intentions. Two experimental studies test the conceptual model.
The results across these two studies, both individually and combined, support the
hypothesis that buyers’ internal reference prices are influenced by both advertised
selling and reference price as well as buyers’ perception of product quality. The
authors also find that effect of advertised selling price on buyers’ acquisition value
was mediated by their perceptions of transaction value. In addition, effects of
perceived transaction value on buyers, behavioral intentions were mediated by their
acquisition value perceptions.
Voss (1998) had examined the rule of price, performance and expectations to
determine satisfaction in service exchange. When price and performance are
consistent, expectations have an assimilation effect on performance and satisfaction
judgments; when price and performance are inconsistent, expectations have no effect
on performance and satisfaction judgments. To examine these issues authors develop
a contingency model that they estimate using data from a multimedia experimental
design. The results generally support contingency framework and provide empirical
support for normative guidelines that call for creating realistic performance
expectations and offering money-back service guarantees.
Garbarino and Johnson (1999) analyze that the relationships of satisfaction, trust and
commitment to component satisfaction attitudes and future intentions for the
customers of a New York off-Broadway repertory theater company. For the relational
customers ( individual ticket buyers and occasional subscribers), overall satisfaction
is the primary mediating construct between the component attitudes and future
intentions and for the high relational customers (consistent subscribers), trust and
commitment, rather than satisfaction, are the mediators between component attitudes
and future intentions.
Sharma and Chahal (1999) had done a study of patient satisfaction in outdoor services
of private health care facilities. They had done a survey to understand the extent of
patient satisfaction with diagnostic services. They have constructed a special
instrument for measuring patient satisfaction. The instrument captures the behavior of
doctors and medical assistants, quality of administration, and atmospherics. The role
of graphic characters like gender, occupation, education, and income is also
considered. Based on their findings, they also suggested strategic actions for meeting
the needs of the patients of private health care sector more effectively. In their study
provided suggestions like becoming more friendly and understanding to the problems
of patients, maintaining cleanliness in the units, both internally and externally,
providing regular report regarding the patients’ progress without waiting for them to
demand, conducting surveys to know about the attitude of the patients with regard to
the employees and adopting patient-oriented policies and procedures.
Simester et al (2000) have studied that multinational firm uses sophisticated, state-of-
the-art methods to design and implement customer satisfaction improvement
programs in the United States and Spain. Their experiments reveals a complex and
surprising picture that highlights implementation issues, a construct of residual
satisfaction not captured by customer needs and the managerial need for combining
nonequivalent controls and nonequivalent dependent variables.
Ofir and Simonson (2001) in their study found that customer evaluations of quality
and satisfaction are critical inputs in development of marketing strategies. Given the
increasingly common practice of asking such evaluations, buyers of products and
services often know in advance that they subsequently has been asked to provide their
evaluations. In a series of field and laboratory studies, the authors demonstrate that
expecting to evaluate leads to less favorable quality and satisfaction evaluations and
reduces customer’s willingness to purchase and recommend the evaluated services.
The negative bias of expected evaluations is observed when actual quality is either
low or high, and it persist even when buyers are told explicitly to consider both the
positive and negative aspects.
Dholakia and Morwitz (2002) have examined the scope and persistence of the effect
of measuring satisfaction on consumer behavior over time. In an experiment
conducted in a financial services setting, they found that measuring satisfaction
changes one-time purchase behavior, changes relational customer behaviors and
results in effects that increase for months afterward and persist even a year later.
Their results raised questions concerning the design, interpretation and ethics in the
conduct of applied marketing research studies.
Sharma and Chahal (2003) stated that due to increased awareness among the people
patient satisfaction had become very important for the hospitals. The authors
examined the factors related to patient satisfaction in government outpatient services
in India. They said that there are four basic components which had impact on the
patient satisfaction namely, behavior of doctors, behavior of medical assistants,
quality of atmosphere, and quality of administration. They also provided strategic
actions necessary for meeting the needs of the patients of the government health care
sector in developing countries.
Folkes and Patrick (2003) in their study showed converging evidence of a positivity
effect in customers’ perceptions about service providers. When the customer has little
experience with the service, positive information about a single employee leads to
perception that the firm’s other service providers are positive to a greater extent than
negative information leads to perception that the firm’s other service providers are
similarly negative. Four studies were conducted that varied in the amount of
information about the service provider, the firm, and the service. The positivity effect
was supported despite differences across studies in methods as well as measures.
Gruca and Rego (2009) strengthen the chain of effects that link customer satisfaction
to shareholder value by establishing the link between satisfaction and two
characteristics of future cash flows that determine the value of the firm to
shareholders: growth and stability. By using the longitudinal American Customer
Satisfaction index and COMPUSTAT data and hierarchical Bayesian estimation they
found that satisfaction creates shareholder value by increasing future cash flow
growth and reducing its variability. They also test the stability of findings across
several firm and industry characteristics and assess the robustness of the results using
multi-measure and multi-method estimation
Thompson (2009) in his study had shown that consumers often misjudge their
health risks owing to a number of well-documented cognitive biases. These studies
assume that consumers have trust in the expert systems that culturally define safe and
risky behaviors’. Consequently, this research stream does not address choice
situations where consumers have reflexive doubts toward prevailing expert risk
assessments and gravitate toward alternative model of risk reductions. This study
explores how dissident health risk perceptions are culturally constructed in the natural
childbirth community, internalized by consumers as a compelling structure of feeling,
and enacted through choices that intentionally run counter to orthodox medical risk
management norms. Hospital industry is an important component of the value chain
in Indian Hospital industry rendering services and recognized as Hospital delivery
segment of the Hospital industry, which is growing at an annual rate of 14%. The size
of the Indian Hospital industry is estimated at Rs. 1,717 billion in 2007. It is
estimated to grow by 2012 to Rs. 3,163 billion at 13% CAGR. The private sector
accounts for nearly 80% of the Hospital market, while public expenditure accounts
for 20%. The country had 1 5,393 (2009) hospitals, which had 8.75 lakh hospital
beds. According to the WHO report, India needs to add 80,000 hospital beds each
year for the next five years to meet the demands of its growing population. Newfound
prosperity of many Indian households is spurring demand for high-quality medical
care, transforming the Hospital delivery sector into a profitable industry. Medial
tourism is changing the face of traditional Hospital industry in India. India’s
excellence in the field of modern medicine and its ancient methods of physical and
spiritual wellbeing make it the most favorable destination for good health and
peaceful living. India’s cost advantage and explosive growth of private hospitals,
equipped with latest technology and skilled Hospital professionals has made it a
preferred destination for Hospital Services. According to Ministry of Commerce and
Industry, Indian Hospital Services that was valued at US$350 million in 2010, is
estimated to grow into a US$2 billion industry by 2012.
Business opportunities for the international companies are there in Clinical Research,
Pharmaceuticals & Food Supplements, Biotechnology, Hospitals for Tertiary &
Secondary Care, Clinical Laboratories, Imaging, Diagnostic Centers, Pharmacy
Chains, Telemedicine, Mobile and Home Care, Biotechnology, Training & Education
Opportunities, Knowledge & Business Process Outsourcing (Medical Writing,
Pharmacovigilance, Insurance, Hospital Processes and other areas), Hospital
Information Technology, Hospital Services, Medical Equipment, Instrumentation,
Consumables, Specialized Consulting Services, Hospital Administration &
Management, Hospital Placement Services (Nursing and other trained staff), Quality
Accreditations/Certifications, Specialized Marketing & Promotions and Medical
Publications/Medical Writing.
Medians has extensive experience in providing India entry strategy and support
services to the large number of foreign companies, and have experience at the top
management level with both Indian and foreign Hospital companies. Medians offers a
wide range of business strategy, market entry services and on ground support,
developing new business opportunities, competitor strategies, qualitative &
quantitative market research, partner search, arranging visit programs and focused
business missions, working with federal and state governments on developing new
Public Private Partnership opportunities, legal and regulatory affairs, advice, identify
and negotiate a real estate for offices or facilities, providing information on suppliers,
recruitment and training, providing temporary office and secretarial support, booking
of hotels & transport, accompanying to business meetings and several other services
which would be extremely useful and save your time and resources. The rate of
growth of the health care industry in India is moving ahead neck to neck with the
pharmaceutical industry and the software industry of the country. Much has been said
and done in the health care sector for bringing about improvement. Till date,
approximately 12% of the scope offered by the health care industry in India has been
tapped. The health care industry in India is reckoned to be the engine of the economy
in the years to come. Health care industry in India is worth $17 billion and is
anticipated to grow by 13% every year. The health care sector encompasses health
care instruments, health care in the retail market, hospitals enrolled to the hospital
networks etc.
Health care industry in India and the GDP or gross domestic product: Expenses
incurred by the Indian Government on health care is the highest amongst developing
countries. India's expenses on health care sector comprise 5.25% of the GDP.
Chances are that the health care market could experience a hike and attain a figure
ranging $53 to $73 billion five years henceforth. This in turn will reflect an increase
in the gross domestic product to 6.2% GDP. The health care industry in India earns
revenues accounting for 5.2% of gross domestic product. Employment opportunities
are provided to as many as 4 million people in the health care segment or other
related sectors catering to the health care industry in India in some way or the other.
Owing to the vast differences in medical expenses in western countries and that of
India, India has become one of the favorites for health care treatments.
Due to the progressive nature of the health care sector in India, several foreign
companies are intending to invest in the country. Hospital Infrastructure India (HII),
to be held from 7 – 9 December 2010 at the Bombay Exhibition Centre in Mumbai, is
organized by IIR Exhibitions India. It is part of Informal Plc., a leading international
organizer of exhibitions and conferences, with experience in organizing some of the
world’s largest medical events including Arab Health and Hospital Build series. HII
aims to provide exhibitors with a world class professional exhibition experience here
in India.
Leading hospitals such as Fortis, Hinduja, Hiranandani and Lilavati hospitals have
partnered and fully supported the event. HII 2010 has also received strong support
from the key trade associations including Biomedical Engineering Society of India
(BESEI), Federation of Hospital Administrations (FHA), Indian Society of Hospital
Waste Management (ISHWM), Indian Association of Structural Engineers (IASE),
The American Academy of Hospital Interior Designers (AAHID), the Indian Institute
of Architects (IIA), The American Academy of Hospital Interior Designers (AAHID)
and National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Hospital Providers (NABH).
The event has also garnered participation & interest from important Indian and
international companies including Chempharm, L&T, Schneider, GMP India, HKS &
TAHPI covering the entire gamut of hospital infrastructure, design, IT, planning and
equipment. Country representations at this stage include US, UK, Canada, Korea,
Taiwan and Australia.
“Fortis are delighted with the support from key associations, industry players and the
foremost authorities from the Hospital sector from India and abroad. India has urgent
requirements to upgrade its hospital infrastructure as well as build new hospitals to
meet the growing demand. To achieve this, access is needed to a broad range of
products, services and technologies. HII is designed to be a key link in facilitating
that objective,” said Guru Prasad, Group Exhibitions Director of IIR Exhibitions
India. The industry support reinforces the need in India for a platform for Hospital
Infrastructure industry which has been ideal for the convergence of the latest
technology and business opportunities in this realm. Dr. Vivek Desai of one of India’s
leading Hospital consultancy firm HOSMAC confirms the industry feelings towards
this event, “Hospital Infrastructure India has been the perfect platform for all diverse
players in the Hospital industry to showcase their products and services.
Entrepreneurs and health providers has been find this a unique destination to network
and connect for future growth”. HOSMAC has been the knowledge partner for HII
2010. The 3 day exhibition has been complemented by a series of seminars,
workshops and an international technical conference. The conference has been
covered vital issues connected to hospital infrastructure such as design and
construction of green hospitals, latest trends in specialty & facility design as well as
project financing options aimed to provide hospital professionals with an opportunity
to learn about the newest trends and technologies and its applicability in the region.
With our global expertise, support from key associations & industry coupled with
positive industry trends, HII has all the right ingredients to become the industry
platform for India’s Hospital industry. Rising costs, expanding market demand, and
increasing customer dissatisfaction will characterize Hospital in this decade and help
redefine the roles of patients, providers and payers. Simply put, Hospital
organizations face a growing imbalance of supply and demand. On the demand side is
a large population of aging patients in deteriorating health who demand more
services, pharmaceuticals, and medical breakthroughs. The supply side, however, is
hampered by a shrinking pool of investment capital, a shortage of willing caregivers,
and aging physical plants straining under the current volume of patients.
COMPANY PROFILE
Fortis Healthcare was established in 1996 by the promoters of Ranbaxy Laboratories,
among the world's top 10 generic companies, also India's largest Parma Company.
Integral to the objective of creating a world class healthcare system is the need to
educate and train high Quality Medical manpower in institutions that provide a
nurturing and enabling environment. In pursuit of this vision, Fortis Healthcare has
very successfully achieved critical mass and credibility and is now widely recognized
as a Healthcare Institution of excellence in the delivery arena to offer superior
services to the community. Whilst continuing to grow and excel in Healthcare
delivery Fortis Healthcare is now putting additional effort to set up Institutions in
Medical & Healthcare Education which would include Doctors, Nurses, Technicians,
Paramedics and Healthcare Management personnel.
Fortis Hospital Mohali with Super-specialty in Heart was the first flagship hospital
started in 2001. In a short period of last 6 years Fortis with a compliment of 13
hospitals, has achieved a dominant position in the sector especially in north India. It is
today the second largest healthcare provider network in the country amongst the
private sector players. Synonymous with the Fortis hallmark of putting the patient at
the centre of our endeavors in healthcare delivery, Fortis proposes a very similar
approach of putting the student at the centre of our thinking when it comes to setting
up our Medical & Healthcare Educational Institutions. The centricity of patient and
student will prevail at the same time as providing the highest stature to their doctors,
nurses and other manpower who work in our Institutions. With the acquisition of
Escorts Heart Institute & Research Centre in 2009, Fortis has the unique distinction of
being amongst the world’s largest cardiac care providers. With four large projects
currently under execution and dialogue with various state governments for setting up
infrastructure for healthcare delivery and medical & healthcare education, Fortis
Group has emerged as the fastest growing healthcare delivery organization of India.
The foray in the arena of medical & healthcare education will fulfill the quest to be an
integrated healthcare delivery organization which has been contributed to patient care
on one end and out turn of doctors, dentists, nurses, technicians, Para-medics and
healthcare managers.
Fortis Group comprises of a host of other companies, which are primarily in order to
associate and allied with functions of the healthcare sector. Apart from Ranbaxy
Laboratories Limited, the flagship company of the Group, the other companies
2
include: SRL Ranbaxy, India’s largest Laboratory Medicine Company with 18
laboratories and 550 collection centers across the entire country; Religare Enterprises,
amongst India’s largest financial services provider company; Fortis Clinical Research
Limited, Fortis Health world, which has recently launched a string of retail health
stores; Fortis Health staff which trains nurses for overseas placement; and Fortis
Medical University which is envisaged to encompass and roll out the educational
foray in the arena of medical & healthcare education.
Fortis Group over the last 6 years has emerged as the second largest health delivery
company of India with impeccable quality credentials. Synonymous to Fortis Group
has been the patient centricity, the hallmark of its existence which is now broadening
its horizons by making a foray in medical & healthcare education with a similar
commitment to its key stakeholder – ‘the student’. In line with its commitment, Fortis
Group will continue to engage with the State of Rajasthan to strengthen and expand
the healthcare delivery network, improve the quality of health services and augment
medical & healthcare education infrastructure for teaching & training of quality
health manpower.
At Fortis Group it has been felt that a lot is being done for the people, who could
afford healthcare, but the unmet need of the underprivileged community is staring us
in the face. Consequently, each of the unit of Fortis Group embarked upon
engagement with such sections of society in urban slums and rural areas through
various outreach programs to ensure and facilitate delivery of quality health services
at their doorstep. This has resulted in to creation of ‘Centre for Community Initiatives
(CCI)’ at Corporate to facilitate delivery of such endeavors in an organized manner
on one end and discharge an advisory role for various units along with co-ordination
& consolidation of the efforts on the other end.
3.2 Vision
3.3 Mission
“To make quality healthcare services widely available to the community at large.”
3.5 Network
The Fortis hospital network is central to the mission of making quality healthcare
services widely available to the community at large. Within a little over 8 years,
Fortis Healthcare has grown as one of the largest and internationally recognized
healthcare chain. Following the recent acquisition of the Escorts Healthcare system,
the Fortis-Escorts System today ranks among the largest networks in the world. The
Fortis Healthcare network encompasses 27 running hospitals (including 12
satellite/heart command centers) with several more already in the pipeline. Few
places at which Fortis has its Hospital situated are mentioned below
3.6 Logo
Every entity human or corporate has a hallmark, a signature that identifies it. The
Fortis Healthcare logo defines our very persona. Our Endeavour to achieve excellence
in healthcare delivery, equivalent to world standards the human values that govern
every facet of our business. The two hands that fuse seamlessly with a human form,
express our reassuring approach to healthcare. A constant reminder to all that patient-
centric care is fundamental to our ethos. Green is a color of healing and is symbolic
of our steadfast focus: to ensure the health and well-being of those we minister to.
And red, expressive of the dynamic zeal with which we strive to make it a reality.
The Fortis Healthcare logo is the indelible assurance that our expertise will always be
tempered with humanity. They never forget that the wellness of human lives is our
raison d'etre.
FEHJ is the first amongst the proposed multi super specialty hospitals to be set up in
Rajasthan, with the mission to bring quality medical care at doorstep. It is envisaged
that FEHJ will form the integral part of the Medical & Healthcare Education Hub
proposed in Jaipur (land for which is going to be shortly allotted).
FEHJ would position itself as a “Multi Super-Specialty” Hospital with focus on super
specialties of Cardiac Sciences, Neurosciences, Renal Sciences and GI Diseases
besides the complete range of multi-specialty services in all the disciplines.
FEHJ will establish itself as an institution that provides world - class healthcare with
a high focus on medical excellence, compassionate patient care and health education
on preventive measures.
• Anesthesia
• Critical Care
• Dental
• Dermatology
• ENT
• General Surgery
• Internal Medicine
• Ophthalmology
• Psychiatry 5
• Pulmonary Medicine
• Radiology
• Cardiac Sciences
• Neurosciences
• Renal Sciences
• GI Diseases(Gastro-Intestinal)
• Ambulance
• Dialysis
• Emergency
• Laboratory
• Pharmacy
• Radiology
FEHJ also does Community Outreach programmes which are an initiative to fulfill
their corporate social responsibility towards the society.
Whether the buyer is satisfied after purchase depends on the product’s performance in
relation to the buyer’s expectations. In general, satisfaction is a person’s feelings of
pleasure or disappointment resulting from comparing a product’s perceived
performance in relation to his or her expectations. If the performance falls short of
expectations, the customer is dissatisfied. If the performance matches the
expectations, the customer is satisfied. If the performance exceeds expectations, the
customer is highly satisfied or delighted.
The link between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty is not proportional.
Suppose customer satisfaction is rated on a scale from one to five. At a very low level
of customer satisfaction (level one), customers are likely to abandon the company and
even bad mouth it. At levels two to four customers are fairly satisfied but still find it
easy to switch when a better offer comes along. At level five, the customer is very
likely to repurchase and even spread good word out of mouth about the company.
High satisfaction creates an emotional bond with the brand or company, not just a
rational preference.
CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS How do buyers form their expectations? From
past buying experiences, friends’ and associates’ advice, and marketers’ and
competitors’ information and promises. If marketers raise expectations too high, the
buyer is likely to be disappointed. However, if the company sets expectations too low,
it won’t attract enough customers. Some of today’s most successful companies are
raising expectations and delivering performances to match. These companies are
aiming for TCS- total customer satisfaction.
The value proposition consists of the whole cluster of benefits the company
promises to deliver; it is more than the core positioning of the offering. Whether the
promise is kept depends on the company’s ability to manage its value delivery
system. The value delivery system includes all the experiences the customer will
have on the way to obtaining and using the offering.
MEASURING SATISFACTION
Although the customer oriented companies seek to create high customer satisfaction
that is not is main goal. If the company increases customer satisfaction by lowering
its price or increasing its services, the result may be lower profits. The company
might be able to increase its profitability by means other than increased satisfaction.
Also, company has many stakeholders, including employees, dealers, suppliers, and
stockholders. Spending more to increase customer satisfaction might diverts funds
from increasing the satisfaction of other partners. Ultimately, the company must
operate on the philosophy that it is trying to deliver a high level of customer
satisfaction subject to delivering acceptable levels of satisfaction to the other
stakeholders, given its total resources.
Table describes four methods companies use to track and measuring customer
satisfaction:
The measurement of customer satisfaction has become very important for the health
care sector also. The concept of customer satisfaction has encouraged the adoption of
a marketing culture in the health care sector in both developed and developing
countries. As large numbers of hospitals are opening up and the people are becoming
more aware and conscious of health, great competition has emerged in this industry.
So to retain their patients hospitals have to provide better facilities/services to its
customers. Various factors that can affect the patients’ satisfaction include behavior
of doctors, availability of specialized doctors, behavior of medical assistants, quality
of administration, quality of atmosphere, availability of modern facilities etc.
As grew the competition, so grew the trend of providing better facilities to the
customers by the hospitals. In last few years, a plethora of hospitals have
mushroomed in and around the city. These hospitals are advertising heavily about the
specialized treatments provided by these hospitals. There are various hospitals that
provide specialized treatments for various diseases. Because of neck to neck
competition between hospitals customers run to these hospitals for specialized
treatments. Interestingly all hospitals claim to have a high success rate. They claim to
provide the best treatment and other essential facilities at reasonable cost and in easy
way to their customers. But how much of this is true and how many of their claims
are myth is not known to vast majority of customers.
As competition is increasing, the hospitals are making their best efforts to provide
quality health care services to its customers. They have begun practicing a patient
satisfaction strategy comprising consumer-oriented plans, policies and practices to
genuinely meet the needs of customers. Also, with increased awareness and high
expectations of the customers’ hospitals have to provide them better facilities.
Patients have begun to demand high quality of services i.e. a consumer oriented
approach.
These days patients have become more aware about their rights so they want they
should be better facilities like responding to their queries promptly, friendly
environment, understanding their problems, availability of specialized doctors,
maintaining cleanliness, regular repots etc. i.e. providing them every type of essential
facilities. So, if the hospitals want that their customers must be satisfied, they have to
provide not only better treatment but other facilities also. The current study is focused
on examining the various factors related to patient satisfaction with the following
specific objectives:
SOURCE OF DATA
Questionnaire
Journals,
Magazines,
Articles
Books,
Internet,
To study the expectations of patients from the behavior of doctors, patients were
asked to rate their expectations in the scale of 1 to 9 for the various attributes given
below in the table 4.1.1 for this factor. The mean rating for each attribute is given in
this table.
Attributes Expectations
(Mean Value)
Availability 8.98
Knowledge 8.94
Handling of 8.51
Queries
Cooperation 8.53
Politeness 8.71
Empathy 7.31
Experience 8.64
Average 8.46
Form the table4.1.1 it is clear that the mean scores for the attributes availability of
doctors, knowledge of doctors, thorough check-up and examination comfort are 8.98,
8.93, 8.98 and 8.78 which show that patients consider these attributes very important.
So, their expectation level for these attributes is very high. Mean scores for the
attributes politeness, experience, cooperation, handling of queries and impartial
attitude are 8.71, 8.64, 8.54, 8.51 and 8.39 respectively also shows that patients also
consider these attributes very important. So, a doctor must try to fulfill these
expectations in an efficient manner. For the attributes empathy and individual
consideration mean scores are 7.31 and 6.70 respectively which are not very high but
patients still consider these attributes important. So, it is clear that attributes
availability and knowledge have maximum mean score of 8.98 and attribute
individual consideration has minimum mean score of 6.70. The overall mean score
for expectations from the factor ‘Behavior of Doctors’ comes out to be 8.46 which is
very high on the scale of 9. So, it can be concluded here that the expectations of
patients from the doctors are very high
To study the expectations of patients from the behavior of medical assistants, patients
were asked to rate their expectations in the scale of 1 to 9 for the various attributes
given in the table4.1.2 for this factor. The mean rating for each attribute is given in
this table.
Attributes Expectations
(Mean Value)
Availability 9
Knowledge 8.56
Cooperation 8.65
Politeness 8.79
Experience 7.45
Dress 6.9
Average 8.33
Mean score for the attribute availability of medical assistants is 9, which means all
the patients had given rating 9 to this attribute i.e. they consider this factor very
important and their level of expectations for this attributes are very high. Politeness,
maintenance of records and cooperation with patients are given the mean scores as
8.79, 8.71 and 8.65 respectively which means that patients also consider these factors
very important. Attribute experience has the mean score 7.45. So this shows that
patients consider this attribute important but not as much as the above mentioned
attributes and the mean score for the attribute dress of medical assistants is lowest
among all the other attributes which is 6.9. This explains that patients do not consider
this attribute very important but they had not rated this attribute low. So this is also an
important attribute. The overall mean score for the factor Behavior of medical
assistants is 8.33 and this is high.
Attributes Expectations
(Mean Value)
Average 8.17
The overall mean score for all the attributes for this factor is 8.17. So it is true to say
that patients consider the ‘Quality of Administration’ an important aspect of the
hospitals and their level of expectation from this factor is also high. Expectation level
for the attribute behavior of clerical staff is highest among all the other attributes with
the mean score 8.89. Check up procedure, behavior of security staff, check out
procedure, billing procedure was also considered very important by the patients. The
mean scores for these attributes are 8.85, 8.85, 8.78 and 8.78 respectively. Patients
said that these procedures must be simple i.e. they are not very complex. Grievances
handling system i.e. how the complaints of patients are handled was also given high
rating of 8.45. Mean score for the attributes welcome your ideas, which means that
whether the hospitals listen their ideas carefully or not and fee are 7.31 and 7.1
respectively. Convenient office hours had been rated lowest among all the attributes
with the mean score 6.53. This means that patients did not consider this attribute as
important as other attributes.
To study the expectations of patients from the services and facilities provided by the
hospitals, patients were asked to rate their expectations in the scale of 1 to 9 for the
various attributes given in the table4.1.4 for this factor. The mean rating for each
attribute is given in this table.
Table 4.1.4 Expectations of patients from the services and facilities provided by the
hospitals
Attributes Expectations
(Mean Value)
Bedding Arrangements 9
Dust Boxes 9
Parking 8.71
Average 8.37
The table4.1.4 shows that expectation level of patients for the attributes bedding
arrangements, dust boxes and flies and mosquitoes is highest among all the other
attributes as all the three attributes has a mean score of 9. Here it is also clear that all
the patients had rated these attributes with a score 9. Mean score of 8.98 for the
proper sitting arrangements also shows that patients consider this attributes as
important as the above mentioned three attributes. Patients also thought that parking,
eating places, natural light, well equipped units and marking on walls are other
important attributes. Mean scores for these attributes are 8.71, 8.68, 8.36, 8.33 and
8.07 respectively. Outer and inner appearance of the hospital has average score of
7.44 which is quiet lower than other attributes. Attribute staff appearance has got the
lowest mean score of 6.55 among all the attributes.
To study the perceptions of patients from the behavior of doctors, patients were asked
to rate their perceptions in the scale of 1 to 9 for the various attributes given below in
the table 4.2.1 for this factor. The mean rating for each attribute is given in this table.
Attributes Perceptions
(Mean Value)
Availability 7.78
Knowledge 7.11
Handling of 6.60
Queries
Cooperation 6.75
Politeness 6.86
Empathy 5.85
Experience 6.80
Average 6.99
Table 4.2.1 shows that attribute thorough check-up has the maximum mean score
7.88. It is quiet high score which means that patients’ perception about this feature is
good. Then this followed by attributes availability of doctors, examination comfort
and impartial attitude of the doctors. The mean scores for these attributes are 7.78,
7.76 and 7.46 respectively. Knowledge has the average score 7.11 which shows that
patients’ perception about this factor also tends to be quiet good. Mean scores for the
politeness, experience, cooperation with the patients and handling of queries are 6.86,
6.80, 6.75 and 6.60 respectively which means that perception of the patients of the
attributes are not so good. Individual consideration and empathy has moderate scores
6.10 and 5.85 respectively among all the attributes. So it means that perception of the
patients’ regarding these attributes is neither good nor bad. The overall mean score
for all these attributes is 6.99 which means that perception of the patients for the
factor behavior of doctors is not very good but it is mildly good.
To study the perceptions of patients for the behavior of medical assistants, patients
were asked to rate their perceptions in the scale of 1 to 9 for the various attributes
given in the table2.2 for this factor. The mean rating for each attribute is given in this
table.
Attributes Perceptions
(Mean Value)
Availability 7.89
Knowledge 6.46
Cooperation 6.71
Politeness 6.88
Experience 6.35
Dress 9.00
Average 7.16
It is clear from the above table that attribute dress is the highest rated attribute with
mean score 9. From this it is clear that patients’ perception about the dress of medical
assistants is very good i.e. they think medical assistants wear neat and clean dresses.
Mean scores of the attributes maintenance record and availability are 7.99 and 7.89
respectively. These are very good score on a scale of 9 which means that patients’ had
perceived these attributes of medical assistants as good. Impartial attitude has the
average score 7.04 which is not bad. Politeness and cooperation have the scores 6.89
and 6.71 respectively. This means that medical assistants’ dealing with patients is not
very good. Mean scores 6.46 and 6.35 for knowledge and experience shows that
medical assistants are lacking on these attributes. Handling of queries has the least
score among all the other factors and it is quiet less which means that the queries of
patients’ are not properly handled by the medical assistants. Overall average score for
all the attributes comes out to be 7.16. So it can be concluded that patients’ perception
about the behavior of medical assistants is moderately good i.e. there is need for the
medical assistants to improve their behavior.
To study the perceptions of patients for the Quality of Administration, patients were
asked to rate their perceptions in the scale of 1 to 9 for the various attributes given
below in the table4.2.3 for this factor. The mean rating for each attribute is given in
this table.
Attributes Perceptions
(Mean Value)
Fee 5.48
Average 7.14
Average scores for the behavior of clerical staff and convenient office hours are 8.48
and 8.26 respectively, which are very high and so it can be concluded that hospitals
are doing well on these two attributes. Overcrowding and check out procedure have
the scores 7.95, 7.80 and 7.66 which means that patients’ perception about these
attributes are good. 7.15 is the score of attribute Behavior of clerical staff which is
less than the above mentioned factors. So hospitals need to improve on this. Mean
scores for the check up procedure, welcome your ideas and grievances handling
system are 6.35, 6.23 and 6.01 respectively. So we can say that perception of patients’
for these is moderately good. The lowest mean score 5.48 is scored by the attribute
fee which is not good and this shows that patients’ thought the fee of the hospitals are
high. It is clear from the table that overall mean score for all the attributes is 7.14
which shows that perception of the patients’ towards the quality of administration
tends to be good.
4.2.4 Perceptions of Patients for the Services/ Facilities provided by the hospitals
To study the perceptions of patients for the services and facilities provided by the
hospitals, patients were asked to rate their perceptions in the scale of 1 to 9 for the
various attributes given below in the table4.2.4 for this factor. The mean rating for
each attribute is given in this table.
Table4.2.4 Expectations of patients from the services and facilities provided by the
hospitals
Attributes Perceptions
(Mean Value)
Parking 8.05
Average 7.99
Mean scores for the bedding arrangements, dust boxes, proper sitting arrangements,
flies & mosquitoes , eating places and parking are 8.66, 8.55, 8.54, 8.42, 8.42 and
8.05 respectively which means that perception of the patients’ about these attributes
are very good. So we can say that hospitals are providing these facilities to the
patients in a proper way. Marking on walls, staff appearance, outer and inner
appearance and natural light scores are 7.78, 7.66, 7.41 and 7.24 respectively and it
shows that patients’ perception about these attributes are good.
7.09 is the lowest score scored by the attribute well equipped units but this score is
not bad and we can say that perception of the patients’ toward this tends to be good.
7.99 is the overall mean score for perception of patients about the services/facilities
provided by the hospitals.
The table4.3.1 shows that difference between the mean values of expectations and
perceptions for the attributes handling of queries, politeness, experience, knowledge,
cooperation and empathy are 1.91, 1.85, 1.84, 1.82, 1.79 and 1.46 respectively. The t-
values for these attributes at 5% level of significance show that there is significant
difference in the mean values of expectations and perceptions for these attributes. For
the attributes availability, thorough check up and examination comfort differences
between there mean values for expectations and perceptions are 1.21, 1.1 and 1.02
respectively. There corresponding t-values indicates this is a significant difference.
0.93 And 0.88 are the differences for the impartial attitude and individual
consideration respectively and t-values for these attributes also shows that there is
significant difference between the means scores of expectation and perceptions. So, it
is clear that highest difference is for the handling of queries and lowest for the
attribute individual consideration.
4.3.2 Satisfaction Level of the Patients from the Behavior of Medical Assistants
To measure the satisfaction level of patients from the behavior of medical assistants,
the differences between the mean scores of expectations and perceptions for each
attribute is calculated and then t-test is applied to see whether the difference between
the two mean values is significant or not at 5% level of significance. The calculated
values are given in the table4.3.2.
Table 4.3.2 Satisfaction level of patients from the behavior of medical assistants
It is clear from the table4.3.2 that difference between the mean values for
expectations and perceptions are highest for the attribute handling of queries which is
2.34 and its corresponding t-value is very large and it shows that this difference
between the values is significant. This means that patients had not received what they
have expected from this particular attribute. Differences for the knowledge,
cooperation and politeness are 2.1, 1.94 and 1.91 respectively and their respective t-
values indicate that these differences are quiet significant which means that
perceptions of these attributes are less than the expectation of patients’ from these
attributes. 1.45, 1.11 and 1.10 are the differences between the mean scores of
expectations and perceptions for the attributes impartial attitude, availability and
experience respectively and t-values corresponding to these attributes are larger than
the t-critical at 5% level of significance. This means that differences are significant.
The difference for the attribute maintenance of record is 0.73 and t-value for it shows
that difference is quiet significant i.e. patients’ perception about this factor is lower
than their expectations. Dress has the difference -2.1, which shows that patients’
perception for this attribute is higher than their expectations.
To measure the satisfaction level of patients from the quality of administration, the
differences between the mean scores of expectations and perceptions for each
attribute is calculated and then t-test is applied to see whether the difference between
the two mean values is significant or not at 5% level of significance. The calculated
values are given in the table4.3.3.
This table shows that differences between the mean values of expectations and
perceptions for the check up procedure and grievances handling system are 2.50 and
2.44 respectively which are quiet big differences. So we can say that expectations of
patients’ from these attributes are higher than their perceptions. For the attributes
behavior of clerical staff and fee difference between expectations and perceptions are
1.74 and 1.63 respectively which are not small. So it is true to say that expectations
are higher than perceptions of these attributes. 1.11, 1.08 and 0.98 are the differences
for the billing procedure welcome your ideas and check out procedure respectively.
Behavior clerical staff and overcrowding has the difference 0.38 and 0.31 between the
mean values for expectations and perceptions. Attribute convenient office hour has
the negative difference between mean values of expectations and perceptions which
means that patients’ perception about the attributes is higher than their expectations.
4.3.4 Satisfaction Level of the Patients for the Services and Facilities Provided by
the Hospitals
To measure the satisfaction level of patients from the services and facilities provided
by the hospitals, the differences between the mean scores of expectations and
perceptions for each attribute is calculated and then t-test is applied to see whether the
difference between the two mean values is significant or not at 5% level of
significance. The calculated values are given in the table4.3.4.
This table shows that largest differences between expectations and perceptions are
1.24 and 1.12 for the attributes well equipped units and natural light respectively
among all the other attributes. This means that expectations of patients are higher than
their perceptions for these attributes. 0.66, 0.58, 0.45 and 0.44 are the differences for
the parking, flies & mosquitoes, dust boxes and proper sitting arrangements
respectively. The attributes bedding arrangements, marking on walls and eating
places have small differences of 0.34, 0.30 and 0.26 respectively between the mean
values of expectations and perceptions. For inner and outer appearance the difference
is .025 which is very small and it can be concluded that patients’ perception and
expectation for this attribute are approximately same. But attribute staff appearance
has negative value which is -1.11 and it is true to say that patients’ expectations are
lower for this attribute than their perceptions
RECOMMENDATION
1. Expectation level is very high and nearly same for almost all the factors i.e.
for behavior of the doctors, behavior of medical assistants, quality of
administration, service and facilities provided.
2. Mean score for the expectations from all the four factors is 8.30 which is very
high on the scale 9.
3. Under behavior of doctors attribute availability and thorough check up has the
highest score 8.98 and empathy and individual consideration have 7.31 and
6.70 respectively.
4. Attribute convenient office hours has lowest expectation score of 6.53 and
behavior of clerical staff has the highest 8.89 among all the attributes of factor
quality of administration.
5. Bedding arrangements, dust boxes and flies and mosquitoes has score 9 for
expectations for these attributes of factor services provided by the hospitals.
6. Overall mean score for perceptions of patients’ about the four factor is 7.31
which is considered good on the scale of 9.
7. Empathy with score 5.85 has the minimum score and thorough check up with
score 7.89 has highest score among all the attributes of factor behavior of
doctors.
8. Perception about the dress of medical assistant is very good with score 9 and
handling of queries is lowest with score 6.1.
9. Fee has the lowest level of perception and behavior of security staff has the
highest level of perception.
11. The largest difference between expectations and perceptions is 1.91 for
attribute handling of queries and lowest for individual consideration 0.88
under factor behavior of doctors.
12. For behavior of medical assistants the largest difference is for the attribute
handling of queries and lowest for maintenance of record. Also dress has
negative difference which means perceptions are larger than expectations.
Outer & inner appearance has the lowest difference 0.025 and well equipped units
have the highest 1.24.
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CASE STUDY
Fortis believes that they are one of the largest private healthcare companies in India,
based on the number of hospital beds, according to information provided by CRIS-
INFAC's report published in 2009. They currently have a network of 12 hospitals
primarily in north India, 15 satellite and heart command centres in hospitals across
the country and one heart command centre in Afghanistan. They are committed to
delivering quality healthcare services to our patients in modern facilities using
advanced technology and our teams of doctors, nurses and other healthcare
professionals, who follow international protocol. Most of our hospitals are multi-
specialty hospitals, which provide secondary and tertiary healthcare to patients. Some
of our multi-specialty hospitals also include super-specialty “centres of excellence”
providing quaternary healthcare to patients in key specialty areas such as cardiac care,
orthopaedic, neurosciences, oncology, renal care, gastroenterology and mother and
child care. In addition, two of our hospitals, Escorts Heart Institute & Research
Centre at New Delhi (“EHIRC”) and Escorts Heart Centre at Raipur (“EHCR”), focus
primarily on cardiac patients, with EHIRC serving as a super-specialty “centre of
excellence” for cardiac care. They also operate Fortis La Femme, a “boutique” style
hospital that focuses on women’s health and maternity care. Drawing on the
experience of our Promoters as promoters of Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited, a multi-
national pharmaceutical company headquartered in India (“RLL”), and with a vision
of creating an integrated healthcare delivery system, they opened their first hospital in
Mohali in 2001. Since 2001, they have expanded our operations by opening multi-
specialty hospitals (including some with super-specialty “centres of excellence”), a
“boutique” style hospital and various satellite and heart command centres. Their
hospital network consists of multi-specialty “spoke” hospitals, which provide
comprehensive general healthcare to patients in their local communities, and super-
specialty “hub” hospitals, which also provide more advanced care to patients,
including patients from our “spoke” hospitals and other hospitals in the surrounding
area. Six of our hospitals are owned or majority-owned by us, and we operate and
manage EHCR in collaboration with the Government of Chhattisgarh; the remaining
five, together with our satellite and heart command centres, are operated and managed
by us but owned by trusts or societies or other corporate owners, except for Fortis La
Femme, in which we currently own a 5% interest. On September 28, 2009, they
acquired a 90% interest in Escorts Heart Institute & Research Centre Limited
(“EHIRCL”), a provider of private healthcare services that owns and operates three
majority-owned hospitals in north India and operates and manages a fourth hospital in
collaboration with the Government of Chhattisgarh (collectively, the “Escorts
hospitals”) and, at the time of the acquisition, operated and managed 10 satellite and
heart command centres, for total consideration of Rs. 5,850.10 million (the “Escorts
hospitals acquisition”). The Escorts hospitals acquisition more than doubled our gross
income and increased our expertise and prominence, especially in the cardiac care
specialty area, and enhanced our profile among patients.
Fortis believe the following competitive strengths distinguish them from their peers
and provide them with significant opportunities to grow our business:
Skilled doctors dedicated to quality patient care. As of March 31, 2010, they had a
team of 621 doctors at our owned hospitals and EHCR, complemented by 2,359
nurses and 526 other medical personnel. They adhere to be international clinical
protocols in patient handling, operating theatres, intensive care unit management and
emergency care set by leading international hospitals and accreditation bodies. For
example, the internal operational protocols at Fortis Hospital, Noida, EHIRC and
EHRC have been designated as ISO 9001:2000-compliant. In addition, their doctors
are dedicated to clinical research and have published numerous studies on topics
including cardiology, cardiac surgery, diabetes, infectious diseases, oncology,
nephrology and neuro-surgery. Some of their doctors also have a history of
pioneering innovative techniques for patient treatment, such as minimally invasive
cardiac and orthopaedic surgeries, both in India and, in some cases, on a global basis.
Cost-effective business model. The “hub and spoke” model for our hospital network
allows us to serve the comprehensive medical needs of patients in their local
communities at our multi- specialty facilities, while also delivering sophisticated,
advanced procedures and quaternary care at our super specialty “centres of
excellence”. By focusing on super-specialty “centres of excellence” at our “hub”
hospitals, they can serve patients referred from doctors working at a number of
nursing homes and multi-specialty hospitals in a particular region, including hospitals
outside our network. This helps to expand our reach beyond the core catchment areas
of our local, multi-specialty facilities. This model also allows us to efficiently deploy
resources across our network and, as our super-specialty expert clinicians also
provide expertise and support at our multi-specialty hospitals, also serves to increase
the quality of care throughout our network.
Depth of coverage. In the regions in which they operate, they generally have a broad
presence. For example, they have seven hospitals in the National Capital Region (the
“NCR”). they believe that having many hospitals within the same region helps
potential patients gain familiarity with their brand and our network. Having multiple
hospitals in the same area also provides us with depth of coverage, allowing us to
serve all of a patient’s medical needs, including maternity services and open heart
surgeries and transplants.
Proven ability to develop and integrate facilities. Since 2001, they have grown from
one hospital, Fortis Hospital, Mohali, to a network of 12 hospitals and 16 satellite and
heart command centres. They have a history of launching Greenfield hospital projects
quickly and efficiently. For example, we opened Fortis Hospital, Mohali within 18
months of breaking ground. Our management team subsequently opened Fortis
Hospital, Noida, then owned by members of the Promoter Group, within 16 months
of breaking ground. In general, they have been able to generate operating profit at
their Greenfield hospitals within three to five years of their launch. They believe the
experience they have gained from building and operating hospitals over the past five
years has enabled us to improve the rate at which our new hospitals gain acceptance
in their local communities and achieve profitable occupancy rates.
Brand equity. They believe the “Escorts” and “Fortis” healthcare brands are widely
recognized by both healthcare professionals and patients in specialty areas, such as
cardiac care, orthopaedics, neurosciences, renal care, oncology, gastroenterology and
mother and child care. They believe our reputation and affiliation with RLL help us
attract not only patients, but also well-known doctors and other healthcare
professionals to our facilities, who in turn draw additional patients to our facilities.
Furthermore, they believe our name recognition extends beyond the NCR and the
other areas in which they currently operate to all over India and, in some cases, even
internationally. In fiscal 2010, approximately 34% and 23% of the inpatients and
outpatients, respectively, at Fortis Hospital, Mohali came from outside the hospital’s
core region of Punjab, Chandigarh & Panchkula and approximately 50% and 44% of
the inpatients and outpatients, respectively, at EHIRC came from outside the
hospital’s core region of the NCR. They believe this level of name recognition on a
national scale will facilitate the acceptance by both patients and doctors of hospitals
in other regions across India that they intend to add to their network.
Strategy
Expand into new regions. They believe the growing affluence, sophistication and
awareness about healthcare services of patients throughout India will lead to higher
demand for our healthcare services. The Indian healthcare market is highly
fragmented throughout the country, with many small “nursing home” or hospice
facilities run by one or two doctors and some larger facilities run by trusts, societies,
corporate entities and the local, state and central governments. They seek to replicate
the model they have applied in north India to establish a network of super-specialty
“centres of excellence” and multi-specialty hospitals to deliver quality healthcare to
patients across the country and leverage our extensive knowledge of the healthcare
sector and brand recognition to attract both doctors and patients to our future
facilities. They are currently in various stages of negotiations with a number of other
parties to assume O&M contracts and acquire Greenfield sites for hospitals outside
our core regions, including in the state of Maharashtra in west India. In particular, as
they expand into a new region, we intend to roll out in that region quickly to hire
doctors and also establish our network in the community before our competitors do.
Focus on high-growth segments of the healthcare market. The growth in the Indian
economy, together with an increase in purchasing power, an increase in awareness
about health and healthcare and an increase in lifestyle-related diseases such as heart
disease, has created a new and expanding group of patients. This group is
increasingly demanding higher levels of quality medical services, particularly tertiary
and quaternary healthcare services, including cardiac care, orthopaedics,
neurosciences, oncology, renal care, gastroenterology and mother and child care. For
example, according to a joint report of Ernst & Young and the India Brand Equity
Foundation, the number of cardiac disease-related treatments in India is expected to
grow from 1.5 million in 2004 to 1.9 million in 2008, and, according to CII-
McKinsey, the total cardiac care market in 2000-2001 was Rs. 49,000 million,
including Rs. 18,000 million for inpatient acute cardiac care. Due to their complex
nature, these procedures command relatively high prices and these specialties are
among the most profitable for a hospital. During fiscal 2010, we performed over
5,000 open heart surgeries, 5,000 angioplasties and 15,000 angiographies on a pro
forma basis, taking into account the Escorts hospitals acquisition, the IHL acquisition
and the OBPL acquisition. Through our super-specialty “centres of excellence” with
well-known doctors in their fields and our particular focus on high growth areas such
as cardiac care and orthopaedics, we believe we are well-positioned to serve this
increasing demand for sophisticated medical procedures.
Attract and retain prominent, skilled doctors. The skill level of a hospital’s doctors is
key to its success. We believe that hiring surgeons and other physicians who have
established reputations for clinical excellence in their communities is key to the
successful implementation of our strategy to acquire, develop and operate hospitals.
As at March, 31, 2010, 72% of the doctors at our owned hospitals had advanced
medical degrees. For fiscal 2010, on a pro forma basis taking into account the Escorts
hospitals acquisition and the IHL acquisition, their retention rate for consultants and
other senior doctors at our owned hospitals would have been approximately 95%.
They believe that they have been successful in attracting doctors to our hospitals and
retaining them due to the quality and comprehensive capabilities of our facilities, the
reputation of the other doctors at our facilities, our extensive continuing education
program, our community outreach initiatives and the research opportunities available
at our hospitals. In addition, we employ a “staff” model at our hospitals under which
most of our doctors, including all of the doctors practicing within core specialty areas
at our owned hospitals and EHCR are compensated on a salary plus incentives or
retainer ship basis, and practice exclusively at hospitals within the FHL network.
They believe that the guaranteed income, the predictable working hours and, in the
case of senior doctors, the autonomy of heading a department, which characterize the
“staff model”, will continue to help us attract and retain skilled doctors at our
hospitals.
Improve occupancy rates and increase average income per bed in use. For fiscal
2010, the average occupancy rate and average income per bed in use at Fortis
Hospital, Mohali, EHIRC, Fortis Hospital, Noida and EHRC were 78% and Rs. 4.50
million, 84% and Rs. 7.11 million, 64% and Rs. 3.80 million and 81% and Rs. 2.02
million, respectively. They seek to improve occupancy rates by expanding the referral
network for our hospitals and increasing community outreach programs to gain
market share in the regions in which we operate. They also seek to increase our
average income per bed in use by focusing on high-end healthcare services, reducing
the average length of stay of our inpatients and improving utilization rates.
Maximize efficiencies across our hospitals through greater integration and better
supply chain management. They continue to strive to maximize efficiencies across
our hospitals and are in the process of integrating the Escorts hospitals and our
existing network of hospitals. The integration will enable us to adopt the best
practices from the Escorts hospitals across our existing network, as well as install the
best practices from our existing hospitals across the Escorts hospitals. In addition,
their increasing size will enable us to benefit from economies of scale. For example,
they procure equipment and medical consumables on a centralized basis for many of
their owned hospitals and EHCR. They are also integrating the operations of Fortis
Hospital, Noida and Fortis Flt. Lt. Rajan Dhall Hospital, Vasant Kunj through the
sharing of doctors, medical equipment, laboratories and the hosting of joint medical
symposia in order to generate operational synergies at both facilities.
PRIMARY OBJECTIVE(S)
The present study is based on explorative and descriptive research design with the
objective of
• To measuring their satisfaction level from the hospital services. For both the
first and second objective of study i.e.. the customers’ expectations and their
perceptions of hospital services.
HYPOTHESIS
H:0 Customer expectation would be the determining factor for any customer
satisfaction.
RESEARCH DESIGN
The data collected is Primary data and Secondary data, which is both quantitative and
qualitative data, which was further analyzed in order to draw conclusions and
suggestions.
DATA COLLECTION
• Collection of Data from the foot fall at the OPD in the primary
SAMPLE SIZE AND DESIGN:
A multistage sampling procedure was taken based on convenience. The actual
consumers were contacted based on random sampling.
RESEARCH PERIOD:
Research work is carried for 2 or 3 weeks.
Secondary Data: To suggest solutions to the problems observed during the survey
will be done through secondary data.
Primary Data: Primary data will collect from the respondents. The respondents will
be either the patients themselves or their relatives. For sample selection, a multistage
sampling procedure will be followed. The information will collect through a
structured questionnaire.
Sample size: 20 patients & their relatives from General Wards & 15 patients & their
relatives from Private Wards
LIMITATIONS