Mystery Shopping

Deficiencies in the quality of care delivered to patients are an issue that many healthcare organizations constantly develop plans to improve. To identify the deficiencies present “mystery shoppers” have been widely utilized. The idea of mystery shopping is very common in the retail industry; however, it can be used in the healthcare industry. In a study by Doctor Lazarus Arthur titled Improving Psychiatric Service Through Mystery Shopping, tells that “Persons pretending to be patients have found discrepancies between the service promised and the service delivered, leading to positive changes, such as reduced waiting times, increased retention of patients within medical practices, better explanations of procedures and proposed treatments, and improved encounters with office staff, physicians, and other healthcare providers (Lazarus, 2009).” …show more content…
When an area is identified as needing improvement a plan tailored to target the issue can be created. If an organization receives complaints about the attitude of the receptionist that organization can utilize a mystery shopper to assess the situation and point out the areas that need improvement. Some sample questions include: “Is the receptionist friendly?” “Is the waiting room clean and comfortable?” For a mystery shopper to be successful, it is important they stick to a script that assesses the issue at hand. Having a script will enable them to compile a report and provide recommendations once the encounter is