Everyone in the healthcare field gets into healthcare because they want to help patients. Unfortunately, patients don’t always feel very well taken care of.
It’s the norm for patients to feel frustrated with their doctor’s office for a wide variety of reasons. Because going to the doctor can be so unpleasant, it isn’t uncommon for patients to avoid making important appointments.
You don’t want patients to feel that way about your practice! Here are a few actionable steps you can take to make your physician practice better for all of your patients.
Use Software That’s Made for the Healthcare Industry
Many of the things you can do to make the patient experience better include your patient directly, but there are also things working behind the scenes to make their experience better. That’s definitely the case when it comes to tech management solutions.
Physician practices have unique needs compared to every other type of business. That’s why it’s important to choose a dedicated health services management solution for your office. Not only will it help you monitor the complexities that come with revenue and financial management, but it can also help you with compliance, which will help you keep your patients’ information private and safe. Accessing information is easy when patients have questions, and billing is transparent.
The right software is a must if you want patients to feel better about coming into your office.
Sit Down When Speaking to Every Patient
As the years have gone by, appointments have gotten shorter and shorter. That sounds nice on the surface because most patients don’t want to spend a lot of time in the doctor’s office, and the more patients you see on a daily basis, the more your office can make.
The truth is that your patients want to feel like you’re listening to them, and you got into the healthcare field to take care of patients—not get rich. That means giving them the time to tell you about their symptoms.
An easy way to show your patients that you’re ready to listen is to sit down in the exam room while they are speaking. That way, they don’t feel like you just can’t wait to leave the room.
Help Your Patients Save Money When You Can
There are things your patients can do to save money on healthcare, but the industry doesn’t make it easy. Your patients will appreciate it if you’re always on the lookout for ways to help them save.
For example:
- Only suggest tests and procedures that are absolutely necessary
- Talk about alternatives to taking medication
- Prescribe generic drugs whenever possible
- Consider accepting cash discounts when services are paid upfront
- Refer patients to an expert in your office who can answer insurance questions
Avoid Making Assumptions
When you don’t have a lot of time with a patient, and when you haven’t seen a particular patient many times before, it’s easy to make assumptions about their health. Unfortunately, those assumptions aren’t always correct, which can greatly impact the quality of care you provide.
For example, many doctor’s automatically assume an overweight or obese patient would experience a reduction in their symptoms if they lost weight. However, obesity doesn’t always reflect poor health. There could be a completely different reason for your patient’s symptoms that would be missed by making an assumption about their weight and its impact on their health. Avoid making assumptions so you can help your patient in the best way possible.
Connect With Your Patients After Their Appointment Is Over
Follow-up care is extremely important for serious illnesses, like cancer, as well as mental health issues. It is important for routine care as well. Not only will it help you provide the best care for your patients, it will also make your patients feel like you care about them.
Following up may simply mean making another appointment, but it might also mean sending your patient a quick email or having a nurse in your office give them a call to check in. The more personal the interaction the better. Although automated messages and appointment reminders can be helpful, they should be used in conjunction with direct contact with your patients for the best experience.
Most people don’t like going to the doctor’s office, but you have the ability to make the experience a lot less stressful and irritating. Use the tips on this list to inspire you to provide a higher quality of care for your patients.
Interesting related article: “What is Software?“