How To Enhance Your Patient’s Healthcare Experience
As a clinician, your patient’s health is your number one priority. Whether it is preventative services to keep their health on track or addressing a concern that might prove dangerous, their well-being is always at the top of your mind. However, while you may have the best intentions and even maintain excellent relationships with your patients, they might still have a lackluster or even poor experience when it comes to their healthcare. As their doctor, the last thing you want is for them to feel undervalued. Read on to learn some steps you can take to make sure your patients are having an excellent healthcare experience.
Systems
One of the best things you can do for your healthcare payers is to ensure the backend processes are working smoothly and efficiently. One of the primary frustrations payers face is when there are gaps in communication, such as a missed referral or a prescription sent to the wrong pharmacy. In this age of technology, there are many amazing tools for doctors but if they are not utilized or not working improperly, it simply leaves the patient irritated. Do what you can to make sure your computer systems and processes are updated and working as effectively as possible. When errors occur, address them immediately to see what went wrong and how it can be corrected so it does not happen again.
Another system enhancement to consider is an online patient portal. Payers enjoy the ease and often quicker turnaround time of accessing appointment feedback and updates online. A patient portal can include appointment notes, medication record, future appointments and scheduling features. Additionally, make sure your portal can be utilized on a phone platform, as many people check their data on the go.
Customer Service
While your primary focus is your patient’s health, it is important that individuals feel taken care of in all aspects of their healthcare experience with your practice. Therefore, it is vital that your staff treats patients with the highest level of customer service. If you have a potential new patient call your receptionist, only to be greeted by a curt, irritated voice, they are not going to have a good impression of your practice and may even decide to look elsewhere. You cannot expect your staff to be 110 percent chipper and bubbly all the time but ensure they are being friendly and pleasant when interacting with patients. Your front office staff is the first impression of your practice, so you want it to be a good one!
Additionally, make sure any follow-ups are addressed in a timely manner. If you promised lab results in 24 to 48 hours, the patient is going to be irritated if they have to call your office on day three as they have yet to get an update. Similarly, if a person calls in with a question and the staff needs to check and get back to them, make sure the member is given a timeframe and the call is returned within that time frame.
Bedside Manner
While you mean well, a poor bedside manner can leave individuals feeling neglected and depleted. Even with your chaotic schedule, it is important to make each person feel heard and make certain they have no lingering questions when they leave an appointment. Ask them a simple personal question like if they have any plans for the weekend. Take time to explain each step of what you are doing and why you are doing it. Ask if they have any questions at the end of the appointment. It might sound simple but make sure you smile! A smile and calm demeanor can go a long way in putting a nervous patient at ease.
At the end of the day, your patient’s needs come first. As such, you want to ensure they know and feel that in every interaction with your practice. Take time to consider the above recommendations for enhancing your patient’s healthcare experience.
