Did you know Uber drivers rate YOU after every ride? They rate you with 1-5 stars. Right after the driver dumps you off at your destination, he or she enters a rating for you. If you use Uber and are not familiar with this, simply tap the top left corner of the App. Under your name is a 1-5 star score. Mine is a 4.90. I have worked really hard for it. For example, I always insist on carefully loading any luggage into the trunk for the driver. I tell them to play whatever type of music they like. I apologize to them if I need to take a call. At the end of the ride, I always tell them to ‘be safe out there’. I could go on, but the minute I found out that in addition to immediately evaluating them, they were assessing me, I began to really put on the charm. Every time we request an Uber, we see their rating and they see ours.

Now just imagine if your organization and more importantly your team functioned the exact same way. What if, after every interaction, your team evaluated the patient or person they were dealing with and that person did the same for your staff? Envision the number rolling up and each member of your team having a rating based on a five point scale? When someone approached that person, they could see their individual score? My bet is that would significantly change how people engage one another. You see, Uber gets it. They are training their employees to expect instant feedback and they are also (to a lesser extent) training their customers. Now I know this may sound impossible in the healthcare world, but really why should it be? Look for ways to seek feedback from your patients and their families in close to real time. Individualize it whenever possible. Make the results transparent and visible … you will be surprised the impact it will have on your team, your patients and their families.