Episode Details

In this episode, Dr. Steve Vargo sits down with Shareef Mahdavi, author of Beyond Bedside Manner and a longtime patient experience strategist, for a conversation about the part of healthcare most practices still treat as optional: how patients feel.

Steve and Shareef unpack why the so-called soft skills aren't soft at all. They talk about why your receptionist is really your director of first impressions, why doctors tend to interrupt patients within seconds, and what changes when the doctor stops playing the hero and starts acting as the patient's guide. They also dig into why price is rarely the real objection, why lowering fees can actually shrink demand, and Shareef's uncomfortable idea that a doctor's fee schedule often reflects their own sense of self-worth.

This conversation goes beyond customer service clichés. Shareef shares what happened when he turned a Silicon Valley laser practice into a living laboratory for the ideas in his book, along with practical advice on recruiting from hospitality and retail, getting the whole team on board, and the one question every practice owner should be able to answer: What are you known for?

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