The McKinsey Quarterly: A consumer view of boutique health care

The McKinsey Quarterly: A consumer view of boutique health care: "For US nonprofit hospitals, a new study suggests, the disparity between supply and demand and the attendant decline in service levels have boosted the number of consumers willing to pay more for better service.

Hospitals now have an opportunity to supply target customers with differentiated, 'boutique' services that would offer easier access to and greater integration of health care2 and enhanced comfort and convenience during hospital stays. Some nonprofit hospitals have already begun to promote these services, but others are holding back, principally for two reasons—one philosophical, the other economic. The philosophical concern is that catering to affluent patients will diminish the quality of care for those unable to pay more.3 In reality, the extra revenues are likely to mean better service for all patients. "