Why is improving the patient experience important? By focusing on giving your patients a positive experience, you boost the level at which they engage with you, how likely they are to make payments on-time, and how many people they refer to your practice.
Offering a positive patient experience keeps your practice competitive while also offering a more value-based care experience. Below are several ways providers can improve the patient experience at their practice.
Improve the Patient Experience
Simple Scheduling
Providers can eliminate frustrating hold times and confusing scheduling processes by offering patients a streamlined alternative. Through the use of a patient portal that is fully integrated with your practice management software, your patients can schedule appointments much easier than ever before. With this tool, patients can view a comprehensive list of their provider’s availability and choose what works best for their schedule.
Queue Management Solution
In the midst of a pandemic, a quality queue management system can make all the difference in the patient experience. This tool allows patients to remain socially distanced in their own vehicles while an automated system updates them on where they are in line and when their provider is ready for them to come inside. With high-quality simple-to-use technology, providers can decrease frustrating wait times and improve the patient experience.
Price Transparency
Price transparency is important now more than ever as patients seek insight into the cost of their care. Implementing a tool that integrates directly with your practice technology helps your team check eligibility and layout the cost for patients prior to services being rendered. Not only does this help that patient stay informed, but it helps your practice receive more on-time payments.
Increase Communication
Accessible and simple communication is essential to improving patient experience. Without a direct line of communication with their provider, patients are not able to ask important questions regarding their health, easily reach out with concerns, or play an active roll in their care. If the only time a patient has to engage with their provider is during an in-person visit, then they are less likely to adhere to their care plan. A great way to increase communication between patients and providers is to utilize a quality patient portal.
Access to Information
Having access to their personal health data is an important component of keeping patients involved and simplifying their experience. Patients should have access to their care plan so that they can review the information, ask questions if they have any, and easily adhere to it the plan their doctor has for them. They should also have instant access to their test results as their providers analyze them so that they can have a better idea of where they are in their care. By giving them as much access as possible to their own PHI, you can improve the patient experience.
Simplified Payment Processing
Lastly, providers can improve the patient experience by giving patients a simple and accessible way to process payments. Integrated billing technology enables your patients to pay their medical bills in a way that makes sense to them. With nearly every one of their expenses being payable online, patients expect the same from their healthcare providers. Digital payment processes enable patients to pay their bills online 24/7, no matter where they are.
To learn more about tools that can help your practice improve the patient experience, click here.
