Shaping patient perceptions with healthcare supply chain transparency

Abstract

Healthcare professionals continually face pressure for increased transparency in their supply chains (SCs). This research examines how healthcare SC information disclosures and physician operations influence patient perceptions (i.e., satisfaction with physicians and attitude toward healthcare service providers). Evidence from prior research might not be applicable in the healthcare context because of intense regulations and safety concerns. Moreover, previous studies have mostly adopted an internal, operational perspective. By contrast, we provide healthcare professionals with guidance on how to maximize patient perceptions. Anchoring on signaling theory and construal level theory of psychological distance, we examine whether and how the disclosed information in a healthcare context influences patients' perceptions with two vignette‐based studies. In contrast with literature on SC transparency, we do not find a main effect of SC disclosures in healthcare. Instead, the effects depend on the content disclosed. We find that spatial and temporal distances of the healthcare SC significantly influence patients' perceptions. Furthermore, a three‐way interaction shows that by strategically disclosing manufacturing and distribution information, especially when these occur close to the patient's home country, and incorporating service recovery actions, such as closer follow‐ups, professionals can maximize patient perception outcomes.