[Marketing potential of the medical practice]

Since the 1970s, market forces and cost containment have stimulated a range of economic changes for health care providers. There is increasing pressure for medical practices and other health care organizations to provide simultaneously excellent clinical, financial and satisfaction outcomes. To fulfill these expectations, two central aspects have been identified: customer focus and involvement of all members of a medical organization. Therefore, it is essential to understand the patient's perspective and, where necessary, increase quality of care from the customer's viewpoint. Generally, quality as defined by the customer and by the medical professionals differ substantially. In this article, we present a check-list to evaluate the essential aspects of a medical practice from a patient's view which, in turn, will help to determine which actions have to be taken. Some of the aspects covered by the checklist include satisfaction with care delivered, service performed, warmth of the employees, office's facilities, and physician's behavior.