Service that delights

Everyone talks about the lack of transparency in health care pricing and the detriment that is to patients shopping around for the best price. Another problem caused by the lack of transparency is that customer service at a doctor's office is usually close to non-existent.

I got a call from American Express today. 3 calls, actually - home, work, cell. Also an email. When I answered the cell, they told me that there had been a $1800 attempt at a charge at Bed, Bath and Beyond. And yesterday, an attempt at a $700 ticket on United. As soon as I confirmed that I had nothing to do with those charges, they canceled my card and are sending a new one to me overnight. No muss, no fuss and no extra liability. They'll even transfer the automatic charges (Netflix, etc.) that have over six month's history to the new card.

I appreciate that their software correctly points out anomalies in my spending pattern and their diligence in contacting me. I will continue to be a loyal customer.

What have my doctors done for me lately? How free do I feel to change doctors based on the ease of getting an appointment, or how pleasant the receptionist is? Our work in improving health care should lead to a system where it matters how the doctor or institution treats the patient personally, in addition to how well they treat them medically.