A Positive Patient Experience Will Improve Your Practice

The concept of patient experience is an extremely important measurement of your practice’s success. Patient satisfaction aspects from scheduling appointments on time, minimizing waiting hours, patient education and follow up care are critical, but if improved and worked upon can not only contribute to better clinical outcomes but also reduce costs. Communication is especially important when it comes to patient caring. Having an open line of communication leads to better engagement, reduces risk exposure and gives a greater feeling of trust and satisfaction among patients.

Apart from the use of intelligent data and analytics can ensure patient satisfaction scores, here are 5 key steps you can take to make that change in your practice:

1. Treat Patients with Care and Attention- Patients often get an impression that medical practitioners are impolite and straight forward in their interactions making them feel unimportant. The result of this approach has negative consequences to your practice’s growth. Everyone likes to be acknowledged, so do patients. Personal connections, care and courtesy from providers go a long way in building healthy doctor-patient relationships.
2. Make your website patient friendly and engaging- Today’s information savvy patients judge you even before they meet you. Employing an online appointment scheduling system, specifically through patient portals can have financial benefits for the organization while making the experience more patient-friendly. A well designed website that is interactive with patient engagement tools, like appointment links, chat box and informative articles creates a positive impression about your practice.
3. Clear, effective and Timely Communication- Honing your and your staff’s communication skills from introduction to post consultation stage makes them feel re-assured, comfortable and confident. Accurate communication that leaves no ambiguity or room for doubt,maximizes your practice’s performance and patient results.
4. Commit to Timeliness- Create a system that promptly answers and returns phone calls and emails on time.  Communication within established time frames reinforces accountability and is an important measure to track performance. Avoid long waiting hours by establishing a system that tracks patient’s check-in. By doing so you demonstrate hospitality, positive attitude and respect for your patients.
5. Customize Patient Experience- There is no one approach that fits all. Your patients belong to different age groups, culture and interests. While some will flock on to technology to access information, others may prefer a face-to-face interaction. Personalize your communication to all levels of your patient interactions to ensure your uniformity in communication and patient satisfaction.

Go the extra mile to make your patients feel as comfortable as possible — that can really have a huge positive effect on your practice.