Respond to 2 students DQ 275 words and 1 reference each Original DQ... DUE 6-15-2016 7:00 p.m EST  Explain the difference between  pre -service, point-of-service, and after-service. What elements are central to each? Provide an example of how an organization might create a competitive advantage in each of these areas... (REMINDER) IN HEALTHCARE Additional Topics (Team Meetings in a clinic) (Quality Improvement in Health Care) (National Health care Quality) Student 1 he elements of p re-service, point of service, and after service are  crucial elements  in all lines of business. It is important for a business to  continuously  create an  experience  for the client in all stages of service. These stages are essential in not only  ensuring  organizational success but also ensuring that customer satisfaction is upheld. The largest factor In how successful an organization is depend on how happy their consumer base is with the experience received, prior to, during, and after the services were  comple ted . According an article in  Forbes  Magazine , Customer  experience  has reached a level in which it is now more important than the products being sold and can even be a key factor in the marketing of a brand. (Newman, n.d.) Pre  service care pertains to all planning stages of the organization.  This encompasses all aspects from marketing, products and services provided, market research, understanding the client base as well as the area in which the products are to be provided. This is one of, if not, the most important  aspect of these elements. It is not only important to ensure that the products and or services provided are of the highest quality, but also that there is a need for them. This idea of a  competitive  advantage is a key  factor in the success of an organization and this is when the  pre  service planning come into play. According to the article  Startup Location Is Still A Critical Success Factor:  " Even in this age of  globalization  and  virtualization , the geographic area where you choose to live and work can still make or break your startup business."( Zwilling , n.d.)  Meaning that it is important for a company to understand the market in which they  w ish  to serve in order to assure that they are serving the correct client base and remain  competitive  in their market .      P oint  of service could translate to p ost  service care which pertains to the care received at the time the patient is seen. This is reflected in the customers satisfaction with the experience received, a direct reflection of the customer service as well as the  techniques  that are used. Quality of care  provided by  healthcare professionals, a nd  thus  received  by patients, can be a make or break factor in the success of a firm. According to  Quality of Care Information Makes a  Difference,   "Quality  report cards are becoming increasingly more common and receive much publicity. They can have significant impact on competition among prov.

1. Respond to 2 students DQ 275 words and 1 reference each
Original DQ... DUE 6-15-2016 7:00 p.m EST
Explain the difference between
pre
-service, point-of-service, and after-service. What elements are
central to each? Provide an example of how an organization
might create a competitive advantage in each of these areas...
(REMINDER) IN HEALTHCARE
Additional Topics (Team Meetings in a clinic) (Quality
Improvement in Health Care) (National Health care Quality)
Student 1
he elements of p
re-service, point of service, and after service are
crucial
elements
in all lines of business. It is important for a business to
continuously
create an
experience
for the client in all stages of service. These stages are essential
in not only
ensuring
organizational success but also ensuring that customer
satisfaction is upheld. The largest factor In how successful an
organization is depend on how happy their consumer base is
with the experience received, prior to, during, and after the
services were
comple
ted
. According an article in

2. Forbes
Magazine
, Customer
experience
has reached a level in which it is now more important than the
products being sold and can even be a key factor in the
marketing of a brand. (Newman, n.d.)
Pre
service care pertains to all planning stages of the organization.
This encompasses all aspects from
marketing, products and services provided, market research,
understanding the client base as well as the area in which the
products are to be provided. This is one of, if not, the most
important
aspect of these elements. It is not only important to ensure that
the products and or services provided are of the highest quality,
but also that there is a need for them. This idea of a
competitive
advantage is a key
factor in the success of an organization and this is when the
pre
service planning come into play. According to the article
Startup Location Is Still A Critical Success Factor:
"
Even in this age of
globalization
and
virtualization
, the geographic area where you choose to live and work can
still make or break your startup business."(
Zwilling
,

3. n.d.)
Meaning that it is important for a company to understand the
market in which they
w
ish
to serve in order to assure that they are serving the correct
client base and remain
competitive
in their market
.
P
oint
of service could translate to p
ost
service care which pertains to the care received at the time the
patient is seen. This is reflected in the customers satisfaction
with the experience received, a direct reflection of the customer
service as well as the
techniques
that are used. Quality of care
provided by
healthcare
professionals, a
nd
thus
received
by patients, can be a make or break factor in the success of a
firm. According to
Quality of Care Information Makes a
Difference,
"Quality
report cards are becoming increasingly more common and
receive much publicity. They can have significant impact on
competition among providers, costs, and quality of health
care."(

4. Mukamel
&
Mushlin
,
1998)
Further exemplifying the idea set forth in the
Forbes
article that customer
experience
is an important determining factor in the success of a firm.
After-service in any line of business is the
follow
up procedures which take place. With
re
spect
to
healthcare
companies this encompasses follow up calls and scheduling as
well as the
billing
for services. Following up with patients shows a sense of care
for the wellbeing of the patient and helps to solidify the bond
that the client has to the organization. What sets the medical
field apart from others is that it
tag
s
on the added factor of billing. An i
mportant
factor of any business is making sure that the services are paid
for but the medical field works differently because the services
are often paid by insurance providers. Integrity of a practice
take an important role in this portion of the
experience

5. of the patient. It happens often that some practices bill for
services that were not provided. This oversight on the practices
part could
affect
the way the office's ethics are
viewed
and even tarnish the reputation of the doctor and the office
if
taken advantage of.
There are often practices located within the same
vacinity
of one another, and
often
provide the same services. What keeps the practices
competitive is the care received when
being seen by the
healthcare
professional. Personally speaking, I been seeing a chiropractor
latley
. Her out of pocket pricing and services are similar to others in
the area, and do not accept my insurance plan
.
The
practice is five minutes further than a competing office who
does accept my health insurance. After meeting with both
offices, it was clear that while the office I chose did not accept
my insurance and
ended
up costing a bit more money, the quality of care and the
relationship the office I chose had with their existing clients
was worth it. That was their competitive advantage.
Student 2
There are different service delivery methods that health care
organizations can utilize in order to gain an advantage over

6. their competitors. The three delivery systems are: pre-service
activities, point-of-service activities, and post-service
activities. Pre-service activities are a way to establish rapport
between the service provider and the customer or patient.
Before the patient receives care from a provider, it helps to
establish a level of trust prior to the initial interaction. Point-of-
service activities are ways to create “value” for the customer
once the patient arrives to receive their treatment. After-service
activities involve the interactions with the patient after their
visit at the facility. All three methods of service delivery can
give any health care organization an advantage over their
competitors if there is patient satisfaction in those areas.
Pre-service activities involve the patient-provider contact prior
to receiving any form of care that creates value. One-way health
care organizations often build this area is to create an open line
of contact with their patients. This is done by making phone
calls to confirm appointment times and being available to
answer certain question a patient may have beforehand. Another
pre-service activity that may serve as a way to create value with
the patient prior to an official visit is to provide information on
health related issues either at schools or the workplace. This
could be done through school assemblies, special classes, or
work seminars. Additionally, another pre-service activity that
can build value is financial counseling before any service is
provided (“Patient Access”, 2009).
Point-of-service activities are those that create value while the
patient is at the facility. An organization may create a
competitive advantage in this area by delivering high quality
and unique services. My sister, who recently had a baby,
delivered her child at what is considered a boutique hospital. It
is a hospital that resembles a hotel to a certain extent. It is well
decorated and it has a homey feel, unlike the traditional
hospital. The hospital rooms are single occupancy and if the
medical equipment was not visible, then you would think you
were at a hotel. The atmosphere alone is one that is unlike a
traditional hospital and I believe that would give the facility an

7. advantage over their competitors since it provides a high level
of comfort. Boutique hospitals tend to be more profitable than
other hospitals (Halstead, 2008)
Finally, the after-service activities involve the value created
through post-visit interactions between the patient and the
provider. I believe that greater provider availability can create a
competitive advantage for any health care organization that is
strong in this area. The University of Pennsylvania Hospital has
instituted a system called MyPennMedicine. It’s an online
health record system that enables each patient in their system to
track all of their information (“Penn Medicine”, 2011). This is
inclusive of prescriptions, physician’s notes, lab results, and
patient status. Patients are able to track physician messages to
each other if they are working with multiple physicians. They
are even able to contact the physician him or herself through the
portal. It is a way to remain plugged in after the patient visit.
Although U Penn is the only health care system utilizing this
program in the area, I believe the system will be adopted by
more organizations in the future because it keeps the patient
informed and more involved. Currently, Penn is at a great
advantage because no other health care organizations have this
system implemented.