Do you own or manage a professional medical practice? If so, good for you. The world needs more people working or volunteering in the helping professions. You need to be savvy on how to run a private practice, too. There’s a lot to manage, from maintaining accreditation and relevant insurances to keeping medications stocked and accurate medical records kept in strict compliance with the appropriate legislation. In fact, it can seem like there’s so much work to do just to run the practice that many doctors can forget why they first went into business in the first place – to help people heal and have better health and wellbeing.
One thing that you cannot fall short on during this day and age is your patients’ experience. In the time of Google reviews and social media, just one bad experience can have lasting negative results for your clinic. So read on to discover how you can make practice perfect and create a stellar patient experience each and every time.
Are your systems up to date?
No patient experience is possible without an accurate database of their details. Practice management software can help keep track of all your patient’s details – including personal details, upcoming appointments, referral information, test results and everything you need to manage their care. It also has a range of features designed to help you run your practice, including features that help you track your finances, invoicing, marketing, rosters and team management and even integrations with other software or online platforms.
Friendly receptionists
You’d be surprised at how a frosty welcome at your clinic can ruin the patient experience right off the bat. Put yourself in your patients’ shoes – you’re sick, unwell or worried about your health so you book an appointment with your local doctor. You organise time off work, or school, or uni, or whatever it is that keeps your day full. You get to the clinic and instead of being greeted with a warm smile and a “please take a seat, the doctor will be right with you” you’re met with silence, or a curt greeting or a brusque instruction to sit down. You wouldn’t be hurrying back to that clinic, would you? So, make sure your front-of-house staff are friendly, warm and courteous even if they’re very busy. A little hospitality goes a long way.
Warm reminders and follow-ups
Gone are the days where you’d write your patient a card with their next appointment on it – this is 2019 for goodness sake! Your practice needs to adopt either SMS or email reminders and follow-ups, or both. This is a digital age and a great number of your patients will be plugged in and on their devices, whether they’re phones, tablets or computers. Of course, there may be those who aren’t switched on with this digital age so don’t completely abandon analog reminder notices like cards and letters but it’s important that you cover both bases so you cater to your patients’ preferences.
The check-up conclusion
Invest in a superb patient experience by getting a hold of some practice management software that can help you keep accurate records and patient information. Make sure that your reception staff know to be courteous, kind and professional as they’re often the first impression a patient will get of your practice. Consider switching to some form of digital reminders like text messages or emails – while retaining old school card and letter reminders for those that aren’t as plugged in. If you’re in the process of having a career in medicine, and under-going exams, you can get UCAT practise from Medify. Do all of these and you’ll give your patients the best experience along with the best care.