Patient needs and expectations are changing as we transition into a post-COVID era. Here are several ways you can elevate the patient experience..
The consumerism of healthcare has been underway for many years in our industry but since the onset of the pandemic, this trend has accelerated significantly. With the widespread adoption of telehealth and other virtual care solutions, patients have never been more connected to their healthcare providers than they are now — and this trend isn’t slowing down.
However, patient needs and expectations continue to change, especially as the industry transitions into a post-COVID era. Continue reading for several ways you can continue to improve not only the patient experience, but staff satisfaction as well.
How Your Practice Can Improve the Patient Experience
Convenience and communication are key in optimizing the patient experience. In fact, 55% of Americans stated that convenient communications, like secure text and patient reminders, are most important when rating their patient experience.
With the right technology, patients will not only feel more connected to your practice, but integrated solutions can also reduce the burden on your staff by decreasing the time needed on administrative tasks.
Here are several examples of how implementing technology can help:
- From scheduling an appointment, to the day of, all the way to the follow up, patients want to be connected with their providers at every step of the care process. Technology solutions can help your practice achieve this level of communication while also ensuring your staff isn’t constantly on the phone — which frees up your staff for more important tasks like caring for patients.
- Half of patients cited secure information sharing as a key factor in building a good experience. By opting for technology solutions over paper processes, your practice can not only reduce human error, but also be more efficient while spending less on paper options.
- Beyond the era of COVID-19, 41% of patients expect their healthcare provider to offer telehealth appointment options. So, you can keep patients happy by doing what you’re already doing — continue offering telehealth now and in the future.
- During the height of the pandemic, many patients cancelled their care appointments in order to avoid contracting the virus in busy halls and crowded waiting rooms. There’s no going back. Patients are not interested in reverting to unsanitary processes like the passing of pens and clipboards. Providers need technology in place to design a better, virtual waiting room option.
Over half of consumer respondents stated online payment options as an important technology solution for healthcare providers to offer. By adopting online payment solutions you’ll not only be able to improve the patient experience, but also create better revenue collection streams as consumers are more likely to utilize online payment options vs. paper processes.
