TrendSource Buys Health Care Firm

In the US, mystery shopping evaluation firm TrendSource has acquired health care mystery shopping specialist Examine Your Practice. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Las Vegas, Nevada-based Examine Your Practice was founded by former dental sales specialist Jodi Manfredi, to provide evaluations of healthcare facilities across the US. The firm sends its mystery patients to the private offices of fee-for-service providers, such as plastic surgeons, ophthalmologists and dentists, to evaluate everything from the first phone call to set up an appointment to the actual visit itself.

The company offers a range of services from the complete patient experience, the walk-in visit and patient interviews, to telephone mystery shopping.

TrendSource was established in 1989, under the name Mystery Shoppers, Inc. to offer customer experience evaluations, market research, and compliance audits. The company is a founding member of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA).

'Examine Your Practice has developed what is considered as the 'Gold Standard' for healthcare mystery shopping services,' explained TrendSource President/CEO Robert Post. 'Part of our long term growth strategy is to acquire companies that are proven industry leaders, are a good cultural fit, and share a unique commitment to provide complimentary services that bring measurable benefit to our customers.'

The firms are online at www.trendsource.com and www.examineyourpractice.com .