In making the announcement, Dr. Michael Everett, Avatar Founder and CEO said, "The expectation data has instilled renewed motivation and insight into patient surveys. Hospitals must pause if they are merely monitoring satisfaction. Satisfaction does not give a benchmark into the minds of your patients -- not until satisfaction scores are compared to your patients' expectations can you say: We are meeting and exceeding our patients' expectations. We at Avatar feel very fortunate to help hospitals make such a difference to each and every patient."

Dr. Everett was recently appointed to the National Advisory Council of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). "Understanding the expectations of patients are what drive continuous improvement in healthcare," explained Dr. Everett. "The basic definition of exemplary customer service is consistently meeting and exceeding your patient's expectations. The more you are able to exceed expectations the more loyal your patients and the more they will recommend you to others."

Ralph Gabarro, CEO of Mayo Regional Hospital, said Mayo has contracted with Avatar since 1999 to measure patient satisfaction and expectation levels through patient surveys. Mayo now measures satisfaction for patients admitted for inpatient care at the hospital, for those who use the Emergency Department, and for patients who are seen at Mayo Practice Associates physician offices in Corinna, Dexter, Dover-Foxcroft, Guilford and Milo.

In 2004, Mayo posted an overall patient satisfaction score of 92.72, its highest ever, while exceeding patient expectations on all three surveys: for inpatient care, Emergency Department care and physician office visits.

"Through the patient survey process, we understand patients' expectations for service quality. Our surveys are very important to our hospital to help us understand, monitor, and exceed our patients' expectations. We hope that all of our patients complete a survey when they receive it," said Gabarro.

Avatar, an international research and consulting group based in Orlando, Florida, specializes in Intelligent Surveys to transform information into significant improvement for the healthcare industry. Its mission is to improve the quality and efficiency of care in the nation's hospitals. In addition to conducting surveys, Avatar also actively engages hospitals in process improvement, including training in service quality.