Improving the Patient Experience

7 tips to enhance touchpoints with your patients and keep them returning to your practice

As a healthcare provider, your patient’s experience is the bread and butter of your business. The onus is on you and your practice team to ensure that every you're continually improving the patient experience when possible.

Every touchpoint of the patient journey —from when they find you online to when they leave their first appointment - should result in the patient wanting to return to your practice for continuity of care.

Here are seven tips for improving the patient experience.

1. Create a Great Online First Impression

Most people will first see your practice online, be it by Google My Business or your website. Your website serves as your virtual headquarters. In some cases, they will be searching for a doctor, or they may be searching for medical information or advice. Either way, it is their first impression of your practice.

If they like what they see and find what they’re looking for, they’ll be back. You may even have a new patient. If they don’t feel welcomed by your website, they may not make a return visit. So make sure you have a high-quality website that offers clear, consistent information on all of your pages.

The patient feel of the site when they’re browsing through should give them a sense of who you are before they arrive at your physical location.

2. Simplify Scheduling with Flexibility and Automation

Your patients need options when it comes to scheduling their appointments. Having to go through available times over the phone can be tedious. Sometimes, patients may need to compare schedules and consider everything going on in their busy lives before confirming an appointment.

Online booking offers patients the convenience and freedom to schedule their appointment based on their commitments. Many patients prefer digital options for scheduling, whether it be by web browser or app.

In addition, they can receive an automated confirmation and a reminder prior to and on the day of the appointment. Automated reminders come with links to confirm, cancel, or reschedule. Having these options available to patients reduces same-day cancellations and no-shows by up to 50%. Simplifying your patients’ lives is a guaranteed method for improving the patient experience. Additionally your reception team can be more efficient and provide better face-to-face service if they're not needed on the phone as often.

3. Digitise the Paperwork

There’s nothing exciting about completing a boatload of paperwork. It’s tedious and time-consuming. Make new patient forms available on your website.

The majority of patients prefer a digital method for filling out registration and other forms. A link to the forms can be provided by email or text prior to their visit. This saves patients from having to take additional time from their schedule to get to their appointment just to do paperwork. It’s also a better waiting room experience because the paperwork is already done.

4. Give Out Freebies

Even though an online presence helps encourage people to visit your business, it’s how they feel once they've become a patient that keeps them coming back. Most customers likes freebies, and items like pens, stress balls, magnets or water bottles with your business logo, name, and contact info on it, will not only be a special gift to them. It will benefit you because they will have your contact information close by at all times. These little extra efforts could get you some new patient referrals.

5. Prep Patients for Their Visit

Ensure your patients receive everything they need to know before their visit. Remind patients of any important documents or other information they need to bring to the visit, like a list of medications they are currently using.

Let patients know if parking is onsite. If it’s not, make them aware of parking and transport options. That is especially helpful to first-time patients who may not even be familiar with the area.

6. Show Empathy

As a healthcare provider, you know bad health or chronic conditions aggravate the ‘everyday’ issues people are already dealing with. That’s why it’s important to show empathy whenever you’re talking with patients, whether it’s on the phone or face to face. A patient’s perception of your practice is often influenced by how you communicate. Here are some helpful tips to strengthen patient communication:

• Let them know you understand. Patients may have alot on their plate and sometimes they just need somebody to understand their situation.
• Give them options. No one likes being dictated to, so offer your patient options. Keep them in the loop. When it’s the patient’s quality of life at stake, they should always feel in control and empowered when it comes to their health care.
• Be on their team. As a healthcare professional the patient should always feel that you’re their biggest health advocate. So much of what your team does plays a huge role in improving the patient experience. Patients should know your team are working with them to solve their problem.
• Stay positive. Regardless of how negative or difficult the patient may be, do everything in your power to stay positive. It is a major factor when it comes to patient satisfaction.