Making hospitals more like hotels

Medical researchers say such amenities can improve health outcomes by reducing stress and anxiety among patients, while private rooms can cut down on the transfer of disease.

“It’s a way for hospitals to compete with each other,” said Zig Wu, a senior program manager at Stanford Health Care and one of the authors of an article on hospitality in the medical field for the Journal of Healthcare Management.

Robert G. Riney, chief operating officer of the Henry Ford Health System, said the hospitality features help patients feel a little more control over their environment and “focus on getting better.”

[...] patients at the more than 50 Henry Ford Medical outpatient centers in the region can choose the time and location of many tests, procedures and appointments using an online system modeled on airline reservation portals.

The hospitality approach has been a primary feature outside the United States at clinical centers that use hotel-like services to attract “medical tourists” to countries offering procedures like Lasik eye surgery at lower prices than back home.

At Henry Ford West Bloomfield, scores from federally mandated surveys show that the evolving features at the hospital have helped to improve its customer satisfaction ratings and make patients more likely to recommend the hospital to others.

Some are being created with curved hallway walls and sound-absorbing materials to reduce noise, cupboards in patient rooms where instruments can be tucked out of sight and gathering spaces designed to feel more welcoming and less clinical.

Charges for optional extras like VIP rooms or spa services will generally be paid out of pocket.