“One patient who gave the hospital low satisfaction scores, particularly on room cleanliness, was contacted to explain why, [Jim] McManus [vice president of finance at St. Joseph’s Health system in Southern California]
said. It wasn’t that the room was dirty, the patient replied. He wanted the cleaning schedule to mirror a hotel experience—cleaned in one visit versus a parade of people coming in and out cleaning the bathroom on one visit, taking the meal tray away on another and then changing the sheets yet another time.”
Why do hospitals spend so much on amenities? Because patients (a.k.a. consumers) value these amenities.