Prescription for Excellence: Leadership Lessons for Creating a World-Class Customer Experience from UCLA Health System

by Joseph A. Michelli

Dr. Michelli is one of the world’s top authorities on the principles of creating an organizational culture dedicated to service excellence. In Prescription for Excellence, he provides an inside look at an organization that has become the envy of its industry—and explains how you can dominate your own service area by using the same approach. In this book, Michelli shares UCLA Health System’s secret—organization-wide collaboration driven by leaders with a shared vision of unyielding excellence. This is a how-to book with five simple steps to achieve the development of a top-tier patient/customer care program. The adherence to five principles, which Michelli has broken down in the book, has guided UCLA to financial strength, social significance and sustainability. They 1. Commit to Care 2. Leave no Room for Error 3. Make the Best Better 4. Create the Future 5. Service Serves Us “The profits from this book will be donated to the UCLA Operation Mend program, “an extraordinary collaboration between the surgeons and staff of UCLA Health System and Brooke Army Medical Center.” This program offers reconstructive and aesthetic surgery for Marines and soldiers who have been injured in Iraq and Afghanistan with severe burns and disfiguring injuries. For many of the patients in the Operation Mend program, the care they receive at UCLA restores hope and a sense of normalcy to their lives.“ - Joseph Michelli, Ph.D.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Leadership, Health Care

304 pages, Paperback

First published April 20, 2011

About the author

Joseph Michelli is an American psychologist, speaker, and author. He started his career as a psychologist in 1988 and began writing business books in 2004.

Reviews

[Kathleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was excited to read this book because I have experienced the UCLA Health System firsthand as a patient/consumer. I gave birth at a UCLA hospital. I used many doctors who were part of the system.

I knew the CEO had come up with some interesting ideas of how medical care should work. It was interesting to see what they actually were.

Reading this book, I could pick out the kinds of things that doctors and nurses were expected to do: Knock before entering, let the patient see you wash your hands, always introduce yourself, etc.

When I was a patient, those things would sometimes irritate me in my desire to get things moving. At the same time, now that I no longer live near UCLA, I have had trouble developing the same good feelings about my health-care providers. So many of the habits the CEO has tried (quite successfully) to encourage in his employees seem like basic politeness -- particularly now since I'm no longer experiencing that politeness.

That said, this book paints a picture that's a bit rosier than what I actually experienced. There's also very little how-to info; it's more in the theoretical ideas.

[Bethwoodhall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this in preparation for a tour of the UCLA Medical Center with Dr. Feinberg and I wasn't quite sure how it would relate to my business. It did and it does. Many many ideas and lessons, parallels for my industry - real estate - and actionable items to implement immediately. I can only imagine that by nature doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals would be people and service oriented. And yet, in this era of technology and driving more patients through the system with seemingly less money, the lessons of care and humanity ring true. Very much enjoyed the book...looking forward to the tour this afternoon!

[Josh Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book read like an endorsement for the UCLA medical complex. It could have provided more value by going deeper into what makes UCLA a world class medical facility. I felt like it jumped from concept to concept and never went very deep into any of them. All in all, a good laundry list, but not a great book.

There could have been great lessons for other medical organizations to follow. Instead it was teaser after teaser. I suppose other medical organizations could decide to follow through themselves.

In retrospect, the book would have been better covering fewer parts of the organization, but digging deeper into what makes UCLA a world class organization.

[Melsene G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book by this author. I've now read all of his customer experience books, and my favorite is probably The New Gold Standard about The Ritz Carlton hotels. But, since I'm in healthcare, this book resonated with me directly and I hope to make this required reading for my colleagues. Although this is about UCLA, which is on the other side of the country, and in a very large metro area, the five principles can be carried over and applied in our smaller town setting.

The 5 principles are Commit to Care, Leave No Room for Error, Make the Best Better, Create the Future, and Service Serves Us. I recently heard both Michelli and former CEO of UCLA Dr. Feinberg speak together at a medical conference. I very much enjoyed learning about their experiences and knowledge. My goal is to bring this to the attention of folks at my hospital, and compare notes so that we can continue to lead our community to outstanding health and Make the Best Better.

[Amber Griffith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book through good reads and I am really glad that I did. I am considering starting my own business and this book has offered much needed guidance in this area!

[Gordon Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read a lot of books in the "Business" genre. Prescription for Excellence stands out. I may be biased since I work and UCLA, but I am Liking this one a lot.

[Denise Stokes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book changed the way I think and act to drive business results! Everyone should read it.

[BigHeadWalt · Rating 4 out of 5]

inspirational tales about the growth of UCLA and the leadership of Dr Feinberg.
Not really into these leadership books, but informational for our new CEO at Geisinger

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to work there.

[Jason Tudor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read and insight.

[Julia Wood]

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