The external quality assurance of hospitals and also the next milestone the cross-sectoral quality assurance procedure (QA procedure) with patient surveys provide important insights into the quality of treatment now and in the future. So to speak, "levels of quality" that we read about in publications, or that will influence the remuneration of services in the future through, for example, pay-for-performance. But how can providers track and evaluate the quality they deliver over the longer term, and improve their processes such as treatment procedures on it? Or even achieve patient loyalty?

BQS has many years of experience in the field of indication-based patient surveys; including telephone interviews. More than 100,000 patients have been interviewed in recent years, thus making a valuable contribution to the evaluation of treatment methods. Sometimes this service was used in the field of scientific registers as a "follow up". Now the BQS also offers this service on a regular basis for individual hospitals.

Especially in the area of centers, the Hospital Structure Act (KHSG) makes it relevant for hospitals to map their quality of results in the long term and to strengthen the relationship with patients in the long term.

This makes it all the more clear that care is not only medical, but also depends on a lasting relationship with the patient. Approaches such as the automotive "Volvo for Life" or healthcare via various fitness apps show us comparable paths that not only demonstrate a sustainable quality improvement through customer loyalty, but also depict economic success models.

So if you want to win new patients and retain existing ones in the increasingly tough market of center-based medicine, you have to deal more intensively with the perception of the patients you care for and make them a valuable partner in a sustainable as well as indication-oriented quality management.

Of course, this requires building relationships over many years through personal surveys, if possible. And it is precisely the personal survey that enables empathetic interaction with patients; an assessment factor that ranks highly in terms of willingness to recommend the company to others.