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Patient Satisfaction

Patient Satisfaction

Patient satisfaction is no longer something that can be taken lightly by any health care provider. The dreaded negative Yelp review or low Healthgrade score is not just insulting, it has a direct impact on potential patients. An Internet search to find a new provider is standard these days, and negative reviews turn people away. Patient satisfaction impacts far more than attracting new patients. Payers are using patient satisfaction surveys to determine reimbursement or penalties if certain levels of satisfaction are not met.

So what is a health provider to do? Take affirmative steps to increase your scores on patient satisfaction reviews.

Here are a few places to start:

Talk with your happy patients. Ask them to post positive reviews on sites like Yelp and Healthgrades and to fill out the payer patient satisfaction surveys when they receive them. Unhappy patients are more likely to post a negative review, so remind your happy patients how much their positive words mean to you and your practice.  

Keep in mind, it is not just the health care practitioner patients are reviewing. Everyone from the person setting appointments to individuals in the billing office impact the patient’s experience. Set a positive example. An upbeat, positive tone where kindness and courtesy are emphasized and patient’s time is valued, will go a long way in overall patient experience.

Set realistic expectations for patients. If you can, provide literature about your office’s policies and procedures and keep your website and patient portal up-to-date. Patients should know ahead of time the time how long it takes to receive a prescription refill and/or test results. Keeping patient expectations in step with their actual experiences will lead to happy patients and positive reviews.

These are a few ways your practice help improve its patient satisfaction survey scores, but there are many more.  If you would like more ideas, please contact Managed Care Partners.