The global healthcare industry is rapidly shifting into one where patients and their families take a more active role regarding the choices that are being made. The expectations that patients have about their healthcare journey have changed wildly over the past few years, with patients having an increased luxury of choice. Along with the fact, that patients are now armed with more information than ever before, healthcare providers need to realize that just providing optimal care is not enough to ensure patient retention.

In the modern healthcare landscape, where COVID-19 has turned tables and made healthcare even more accessible to the masses through digital means, the experience of the patient matter quite a lot.

What is patient experience?

Patient experience is the entire experience of the patient in their healthcare journey. It can also be defined as the amalgamation of all their interactions with a healthcare provider or facility during their healthcare journey.

Patient experience is what determines the satisfaction of a patient during a healthcare journey. A patient with a bad experience may not likely choose the same healthcare provider again even if they receive optimal care from that particular provider.

This line of thinking is indicative of the fact that healthcare is quickly becoming a service-oriented industry from the noble profession that it has long been considered. Patients have a plethora of service providers to choose from, and healthcare providers who are not actively enhancing patient experiences are going to be losing out to their competition.

This change in mindset is why many healthcare providers are now beginning to think of their patients as customers as well. The hospital industry, in particular, has been one of the early adopters of this line of thinking in their business practices. Employing HR graduates and management professionals to increase patient experience improvement has become an increasingly common practice in the industry.

Why is patient experience important?

Patient experience is an important metric that healthcare providers should keep a keen eye on. Good patient experiences lead to higher levels of reported patient satisfaction. Through decades of research, it has been seen that higher levels of patient satisfaction are one of the most commonly used indicators for measuring the quality of care provided.

Patient satisfaction levels have a direct correlation with important factors like clinical outcomes, patient retention, and the likelihood of medical malpractice claims. Thus, it can be easy to see that patient satisfaction is a proxy to easily measure the success of a healthcare
provider or facility.

It is for this reason that third-party payers have begun to measure patient satisfaction rates to judge the success of various healthcare providers.

Patient satisfaction levels have also been linked to various other benefits for the health industry. Good patient experiences lead to increased levels of patient loyalty, which in turn results in continuing care with the provider, compliance with medical direction, and the use of preventive measures by patients.

Good patient experiences also directly impact patient retention and acquisition. Additionally, as seen by research individuals are most likely to listen to the recommendations of their friends and families for healthcare providers. A single satisfied patient will evangelize the healthcare practice to at least four other individuals. But on the flip side, a single dissatisfaction can influence ten other patients or potential patients. By keeping patients satisfied, healthcare providers are not only improving the likelihood of retaining that customer but also increasing the likelihood of more patients approaching them.

Patient satisfaction has also become an important metric taken into consideration for the accreditation of healthcare facilities. Agencies and organizations like the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), National Accreditation Board for Hospitals (NABH), and Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) all consider patient satisfaction levels in their metrics.

Some of the other benefits of enhancing patient experiences are:

● Insulation from price change – patients are more willing to pay higher prices for their healthcare providers if they have good patient experiences
● Profitability – patient satisfaction can directly impact the bottom line as a single lost patient due to dissatisfaction can cost over $200,000 over the life of a practice
● Fewer chances of malpractice suits – higher patient satisfaction rates have been correlated to fewer malpractice suits and claims for legal damages
● Increased morale – patients who are happier with their care make both their healthcare provider and entire healthcare facility staff have higher morale

How to improve patient experiences?

So while patient experience is extremely important, how can healthcare providers actually improve their patients’ satisfaction? The answer is through a holistic multi-pronged approach that keeps the patients’ needs and wants at the center. Here are some strategies to improve patient satisfaction.

Engagement

One of the most important things to keep in mind is to ensure that engagement with the patient should begin even before the start of the care journey in many cases. Outreach programs and educational campaigns for preventive care and early diagnosing methods are one example of such methods. Additionally, engagement with patients should also be extended to their caregivers and families by reaching out to them.

Optimizing the healthcare journey

Healthcare journeys can often be anxiety-inducing for most, and very few individuals would be happy to be inside a healthcare facility. It is for these reasons that healthcare professionals should try to ensure that the healthcare journey is quick, convenient, and comfortable for their patients. Reducing waiting times, introducing calming colors, and using patient-friendly technology are some of the measures that can be taken.

Delivering on patient goals

Oftentimes patients can have a different idea of what their healthcare journey will result in than their provider. By setting outpatient goals, expectations, and even anxieties on the table at the very forefront, healthcare professionals can align treatments with what the outcomes that the patient desires.

@BraveLabs

BraveLabs is helping healthcare professionals with patient experience improvement through various services like Patient Journey Mapping, early patient engagement with curated medical content, and more.