Happy patients are repeat patients. Returning patients are key to a practice’s bottom line, and patient reviews play a large role in the public perception of your practice. It has never been more vital to provide a patient experience. Below, we explore three key areas you can focus on in order to deliver an exemplary patient experience.
Pain Point One: Booking and Billing
Difficulties making an appointment and lack of transparency around billing or payments are major sources of friction for patients. By streamlining these aspects of your practice, you’ll give patient satisfaction a significant boost. Begin by ensuring that your contact details are updated on all major platforms so that patients can easily find you – and confirm that you take their insurance. Offer a simple online booking and onboarding system to make it easy for patients to book their appointments and complete any necessary paperwork. Use text-based alerts to remind them of their upcoming visit and provide directions and address details. This will help reduce no-shows and late arrivals. Additionally, try to find the right staffing balance so that patients don’t have to book their appointment too far out, as often they’ll simply take their business elsewhere.
When it comes to billing, provide clear and transparent itemized invoices that tell patients exactly what services were performed and the extent of their financial responsibility. Provide multiple ways to pay and offer access to an online payment portal rather than requiring patients to mail in a check. Training staff members to understand and explain the different components of a bill and what they mean can help reduce miscommunications around billing.
Pain Point Two: Patient Communication
Communication is at the core of patient satisfaction. From promptly answering calls to communicating complex ideas in a way that patients can understand, good communication pays dividends. Make it a point to explain concepts to patients in different ways to ensure that they understand, provide visit summaries and recommendations for patients to refer to, and follow up post-visit to touch on any questions that patients might have.
In addition to your personal bedside manner, consider the overall communication approach of your practice. Train staff to offer a consistent, cohesive delivery style. Ensure your website, newsletter, and other communications are written in impactful, easily understood language. If your practice is fluent in ASL or languages other than English, make that clear, and if not, offer translation or interpreter services for those who might need assistance. Similarly, explore cross-cultural communication to ensure that you’re sensitively meeting the specific needs of the communities you serve. Finally, offer mechanisms for feedback so that patients can let you know if there’s anything they’d like to see improved.
Pain Point Three: Practice Design
An appealing practice designed with patient needs in mind is a surefire way to elevate the patient experience. Location and accessibility are key, as are factors including signage, comfortable waiting areas, and soothing consult rooms. Clear directional signs and color coding can help patients find their way. Hospitality style waiting rooms with art installations offer opportunities for engagement. Consultation rooms that ensure privacy and consider patient mix can provide comfort and relaxation – for example, a pediatric dentistry consultation room may incorporate bright murals or ceiling decorations. When designing your practice, consider your brand guidelines and goals, and ensure that every aspect of your design speaks to the experience your brand mission promises to convey.
Looking to Improve Patient Satisfaction? Talk to GZ
Your practice location is a powerful opportunity to drive patient satisfaction. Whether you’re exploring the possibilities of a new space, looking to renew your lease, or need insight into how different practice features can shape patient satisfaction, talk to the medical real estate experts at GZ. We can help match you with your ideal space – or give you the leverage you need to make your current space its best.