ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Healthcare providers are competitive, owing to heightened customers' awareness and expectations of health care services. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between customer value creation and loyalty with mediator trust and customer satisfaction. METHODS: This is a cross sectional survey study. Participants were 196 patients referred to private hospitals in Sari city, Iran from May to June 2014 which were selected by convenience sampling method. Data were collected using questionnaires. Data were analyzed using the structural equation modeling software Smart PLS. RESULTS: The results revealed a relationship between customer value creation and customer loyalty in a Sari city private hospital, and customer satisfaction and trust, mediate the relationship between customer value creation and customer loyalty. The results also revealed significant positive relationship between customer satisfaction and trust (p=0.000 r=0.585). CONCLUSION: customer satisfaction and trust mediate the relationship between customer value creation and customer loyalty.
