title: Influence of key variables on the patients' choice of a physician.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Customer orientation is becoming as important in providing health care services as it is in other services. In addition to expecting good health care, patients are also expecting good customer service from their health care providers. Selection of a family physician is a deliberate choice process.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study investigated the variables that influence the choice of a family care physician.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study used an experimental design to investigate the influence of physician's communication style, physician's expertise and role of office staff, appointment availability, etc on the selection of a physician.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results show the significance of physician's expertise and the role of office staff in the choice of a physician.
authors.affiliation: Bloch School of Business and Public Administration, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City 64110, USA. arorar@umkc.edu
authors.forename: Raj
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Arora
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Singer
authors.forename: Alisha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Arora
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002755:Choice Behavior; D005260:Female; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015146:Midwestern United States; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010821:Physicians, Family; D011361:Professional Competence; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires