Improving Patient Experience

 Patients are more informed than ever before, which means they have higher expectations of your practice no matter what their case is. As the reality of healthcare costs in our country continue to rise, consumers are demanding better experiences in the practices they are interacting with. They want to know they are in good hands and here’s how you can deliver on their demands.

Start with your website

Before your prospects even call you, they visit your website - your online point of contact - to get a first impression. You want your website to be easy to use,  informative, and visually appealing.

Your patients are busy people. They don't want to spend endless hours searching searching the database, looking for your website. If they can’t find your website on the first page, they will move on to your competitor. If they do find it but your website is confusing or hard to navigate, your prospects are likely to give up in the first few seconds.

But if they manage to find their way around your website, make it where they want to spend time there because they feel like they are getting a lot of value for their time.

Additionally, when it comes to successful medical practices, many are moving to online scheduling.  If your practice will largely rely on online bookings, you need to ensure that the process is as seamless as possible. Because if you are losing business on the appointments page, this could be business you are not able to get back. 

Mind your telephone helpdesk (call center)

The helpdesk (call center) was invented as a way to make organizations more efficient. The idea was to provide customers with a special number they could call to get help fast and every single time. Today, many people would rather go through a website than call to get assistance because 75% of people think most representatives are “rude or condescending.”

When patients call your organization, they expect to talk to someone friendly. They need to feel that the representative is glad to help them. Patients also like when the helpdesk (call center) is actually helpful i.e. well-informed about various subjects. 

So, if you want to improve customer service, improve your helpdesk (call center). Make sure your staff is well-trained to address the most common questions your organizations receives. 

Also, ensure that your employees are actually happy with their work. If they don’t enjoy talking to people, no amount of training will help them become better customer service representatives for your organization. 

Design a better communication framework

Organizations thrive when they crack the code to seamless communication with their patients. Better communication is the foundation of a better experience. And sending appointment reminders or confirmations is one such low-cost way of improving communication. 

Patients like to be kept in the loop. Email and text reminders are also a great way to make a place in your patients’ minds and enjoy better visibility. 

Reduce patient wait time

The average wait time in the U.S. is somewhere between 15 to 30 minutes. But it is only rising and patients are becoming increasingly restless about the wait time. From not having enough resources to a lack of automation, practices across the country are struggling to keep up with the high demand for medical care. 

But with a little effort, practices can effectively make the wait worth the patient’s time. Minor changes, such as installing WiFi in the waiting room or keeping track of where each patient is in the appointment process, can help you get the job done. 

You can also consider introducing word search or crossword puzzle books in the waiting rooms to make the wait time less tedious and more active for your patients. 

Focus on cleaning up more

Patient experience means different things in different situations. Inside the exam room, patient experience is usually what the patient thinks of the medical care provided by the doctor. Whereas in the waiting room, the patient experience could be about the physical healthcare facility itself. And hygiene is a major part of the impression that your healthcare facility makes on them. 

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that a dirty practice is associated with bad care when nearly 2 million Americans fall prey to hospital infections every year. Safe to say, if you have patients, you have an obligation to clean. 

End hierarchy in your organization’s internal communications

The biggest problem with hierarchy is that it lets patient voices go unheard. The leaders and upper management of the organization rarely know what’s happening on the floor, which makes it extremely difficult to make important structural changes. 

A quick way to fix this? Make it easier for the entry-level employees and lower management to talk to the leaders. These are the people who interact with your patients and can give you a first-hand account of the experience they have with your practice, which you can use to update your practice’s philosophies and improve the overall patient experience. 

Remember that breaking down hierarchical barriers is one of the most efficient ways to bring out the hidden talent in your team. It is also the key to improving your external communication drastically.