Undercover or fake patients seemingly pose ethical and annoying dilemmas for docs. How are doctors and practices rated? Is it fair for a fake patient to take up the time that could be used for a real patient? Is there a long-range view towards improvement or is this just hastily doled-out criticism?
These "mystery patients", similar to the mystery shoppers of retail clothing, come off as lone mercenaries; experienced patient-actors formerly found in med school classrooms looking to make a little more cash. There's no organization, no national quality board, no clear follow-up on the "dirt" they uncover. They're the symptoms of a larger problem of worsening physician-patient communication, lengthy wait times, and poor service by the administrative staff.
Why not just educate patients to be smarter medical shoppers? Teach them to look out for the same things the undercover types are meant to probe; waiting room ambiance, front-desk rapport, total visit time, total time with doctor, total wait time, bedside manner, clarity of medical explanations, the list goes on.
Why not give doctors the checklist of items they'll be evaluated on? Considering that physicians go into the business of patient care because they're humane and conscientious people, you can assume they seek to improve their health care services. If they were made aware of unmet patient expectations, they'd concentrate their efforts to meet them. How many of us go through life thinking we're doing right by our loved ones, friends and colleagues? In order to find out, all we have to do is ask.
Bottomline: Health care is defined by the relationship between a doctor and a patient. Everything else is either contributory or detrimental to that relationship. The problems may be complex, but the equation is simple. Instead of sprouting more and more side industries to correct the health care "problem", lets focus on the two sides that matter most and redirect all our time, money and energy towards their betterment.