7 Ways You Can Improve Patient Satisfaction

A customer’s satisfaction is pivotal in the success of any business. This cannot be any truer in the world of hospitals, where patient satisfaction is often tied to reimbursements. In this age in which technology is king, it is more important than ever that we in the healthcare industry go above and beyond to reach out to patients, form a connection with them, and ensure that they are satisfied and protected.

According to a recent study in the Journal of Family Practice, providers who score the highest on measures of patient-centered communication create lower costs in diagnostic testing all without compromising any health outcomes. The bond that providers form with their patients is critical not only for a patient’s happiness but also for the economic stance of an organization. Not only that, but a stronger provider-patient relationship may more easily sway the patient to make positive healthy decisions daily with the information, motivation, and regular behavior skills advice they receive from their providers.

So how do you go about improving your relationships with patients? There are several ways that you as a provider can facilitate improvements in your relationships with patients. Follow our 7 tips below!

Actively Listen – It’s no secret that we connect better to someone who listens actively to our worries and needs. Do the same for your patients by encouraging them to tell their story about their illnesses. Restate the information they give you in their own words and ask open-ended questions in your discussions. This will allow the patient to feel that you’re truly listening to what’s happening to them, and increase patient satisfaction.

Enhance Your Nonverbal Communication – Did you know that 80% of the messages that we send and receive from others is done through nonverbal communication? If you sit with your arms folded in front of you and make infrequent eye contact, you could be conveying that you’re closed off to the subject or disinterested. Make sure that you cue in to your body language – make frequent eye contact, use a gentle tone of voice, and lean slightly forward to demonstrate that you are approachable, receptive, and friendly. Doing so will help cultivate an environment of support, comfort, and trust.

Be Empathetic – To really build strong relationships and increases patient satisfaction, you will need to try to put yourself in your patients’ shoes and acknowledge the difficulty that they might be experiencing in managing their pain during their everyday lives. Validate their struggles and their feelings without judgment. Being empathetic will help demonstrate an understanding of patients’ pain and frustration while remaining unbiased, observational, and professional.

Educate Your Patients – Don’t just provide a solution to your patients’ problems; educate them on how the body works and why certain problems occur. Education plays an essential part in cultivating a good relationship and involves a dialogue in which the provider taps into patients’ feelings, thoughts, beliefs, and needs. If nothing else, providing patients with a pamphlet on what they’re experiencing after the appointment may prove to be very helpful.

Reassure Them – Identifying and giving credence to patients’ concerns, struggles, and fears without giving them false reassurances can provide great comfort to patients and increase patient satisfaction. When they realize that the provider is truly committed to them and recognizes their feelings as important and their issues as real, patients will feel secure. Give your patients this reassurance to strengthen your provider-patient relationship.

Agree on a Treatment Plan – As soon as you identify what’s happening, it is crucial for you and the patient to agree on a treatment plan. Listen to and take into account the patient’s feelings, personal experiences, and lifestyle to help provide choices that are consistent with these factors. Your patient will definitely appreciate it!

Help Them Take Responsibility – It’s not enough to just treat the problem; you must have your patients acknowledge their role in managing their pain, symptoms, and treatment. Rather than asking, “How is your pain?” try asking, “How are you managing your symptoms?” instead. This will help shift the responsibility for pain management from you to the patient and will also help you assess how the treatment is coming along.

Staying organized and on your A-game also helps in cultivating a solid provider-patient relationship. That’s where MDsyncNET can help! Find out more about what we can do for you at www.mdsyncnet.com or by calling us at 1-888-506-5061.