How Healthcare Practices Can Enhance Patient Retention - Dr. Dalton-Smith - I Choose My Best Life

Healthcare is big business, but that doesn’t mean that healthcare practices can automatically expect to get their slice of the pie. Patients not only have higher expectations than ever before, but they also have more options than ever before. If they don’t receive the level of care they expect from a healthcare facility, then it won’t take them much to look elsewhere. In a highly competitive field, patients simply have no reason to stay with underperforming medical practices.

Working to improve the patient’s experience offers a safeguard against increased competition. In this post, we’ll run through some effective strategies for keeping your patients onside. 

A Welcoming Atmosphere

A welcoming atmosphere helps to set the tone for the patient’s overall experience. In many cases, patients will be nervous to attend their appointment, and being greeted by a friendly, smiling face can help to relax their nerves. There are a couple of tried and tested, effective strategies for improving the welcome that patients get when they walk through your front door. The first is to hire good people, and make sure they’re well-trained on how to greet patients. The other is to put yourself in your patient’s shoes and ask yourself: what would they want to see when they arrive?

Gather Feedback

It’s possible to spend a long time thinking about your patients’ needs, but even then, there’s no guarantee that you’ll end up with the right answer. A simpler method for improving the service you provide is to ask them directly. Gathering feedback can not only give you the answers you need to make improvements, but it also just more broadly shows that you care about their experience. 

Patient satisfaction surveys won’t just tell you where you’re going wrong; they’ll also tell you where you’re going right, too. If there’s something that gets two thumbs up from your patients, then you’ll know it’s worth offering more of whatever it is in the future. 

Minimize Admin Tasks

Patients care only about their experience. Healthcare practices don’t always have that luxury — while they’d like to give every patient the care and attention they expect, there are also other tasks to take care of. A healthcare worker, like all workers, is less likely to bring the required energy and enthusiasm to their patient interactions if they’re exhausted from dealing with admin tasks. Hiring a medical virtual assistant to take care of billing, appointment scheduling, insurance verification, and data entry can free up time and energy that can then be directed toward the patient. Ultimately, less time spent in front of a computer means more time ensuring that every patient has a positive, memorable experience. 

Ongoing Training

While patients care about their overall experience, what matters to them most is ensuring that they receive the best possible healthcare. In fact, many patients are willing to overlook other, less-than-impressive elements if they receive an outstanding level of healthcare. Having a policy on continued training and development can ensure that you and your team are always able to deliver the best healthcare. And this won’t just lead to an improved patient experience; it will also be good for business in the long run. If you’re the best in town, then your patients will never have a reason to go elsewhere. 

Utilize Technology 

As well as improving the healthcare team’s capabilities, it’s also recommended to upgrade the practice’s technological infrastructure. Telehealth appointments have become increasingly popular in recent years. Even if you’re already offering this service, it’s recommended to check that your software is in line with leading standards — it’s a field that has improved significantly in the past couple of years. Upgrading your patient portal can also elevate the patient’s experience, allowing them to take greater control of their healthcare. 

Clear Communication

Clear communication is important for all industries, but it’s especially important in the healthcare sector, where there’s often a disconnect. Patients want as much information as they can get, yet healthcare practices are often slow to act — and when they do, often present the information using difficult-to-understand, jargon-laden language. Simplifying your communications can help to remove one of the modern patient’s biggest pain points. 

Upgrade the Practice

Finally, look at making a few improvements to your facility. There’s nothing that’ll quickly dampen the enthusiasm of a patient than seeing a tired facility that’s showing far too many signs of wear and tear. Upgrading the practice can mean undertaking a full remodel or something as simple as a fresh lick of paint. Whatever it is, the goal should be to ensure that the patient is happy to be there. 

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