Botsford Offers Extras for Very Important Patients

These days, everybody's got a VIP customer card—restaurants, grocery stores, gas stations and, now, in Farmington Hills. 

"We're not a big hospital, we don't have multiple campuses, but what we do have is good patient services," said Lynn Anderson, the hospital's director of marketing. "We've got a lot of very loyal families."

The idea of recognizing and rewarding those people was the impetus behind the VIP (Very Important Patient) card. Launched in April, the program now has more than 580 registered users who are eligible for discounts at the hospital gift shop and pharmacy, valet parking and other benefits.

Anyone can register for a card at botsford.org/VIP or at the hospital's front desk. Once the card is registered online, patients are sent coupons for pharmacy and gift shop discounts. But Anderson said the most important program benefit is fast access to doctor appointments, in many cases the same day. 

"We'll try to expedite the process," she said. "We have a number of doctors who've agreed to see people on an emergency basis. That's a real benefit if you have a sick child. There are some things you don't want to go to urgent care or the emergency room for."

People new to the area have been using the concierge benefit of the VIP program, Anderson said, to find a doctor in their new hometown.

The fun part of the program has been using the life-size cutouts of hospital personnel that promote the program inside the hospital. Dr. Paul LaCasse, hospital president and CEO, smiles out from a main-floor location; others are placed in the cafeteria and close to hospital entrances.

"They've been great fun," Anderson said.

They also lighten up the atmosphere a little and hopefully make patients feel more comfortable, she said. The hospital's staff also aims for that goal; staff members have volunteered to be "VIP ambassadors" and hand out VIP cards.

"The benefit to the hospital is keeping patients, and keeping patients happy," Anderson said. "All hospitals are in competition, and we want patients to return to Botsford. If we can make their visit easier and make them feel special, that's the point. The whole culture of the hospital is patient satisfaction."