Principles to Improve the Patient Experience
Patients are the lifeblood of any hospital or healthcare organization. When patients have a positive experience, they will return to their facility for future care. However, if some aspect of their care was not up to the standard they were expecting, which could lead them to seek treatment elsewhere. As such, they must provide them with an exceptional patient experience every time. To do so, Dr. Jordan Sudberg suggests that there are certain principles that they should follow.
1. Respect the patient’s time
It is important to be respectful of the patient’s time. This means being on time for appointments, not making them wait unnecessarily, and providing information in a timely manner.
2. Be compassionate and caring
It is important to show compassion and care for the patient. This includes listening to them, addressing their concerns, and providing emotional support when needed.
3. Be knowledgeable and informative
Be sure to understand the patient’s condition and what they are doing to treat it. In addition, make sure to communicate with the patient in terms that they can understand.
4. Coordinate care effectively
Coordinate care with other healthcare team members so that the patient receives seamless care from start to finish.
5. Communicate effectively
This includes being honest with the patient, keeping them informed about how their condition is progressing, and providing clear instructions or referrals if they are leaving their care.
6. Empower patients to take responsibility
Empowering the patient to be responsible for their healthcare decisions will lead to a more positive experience. If they give them resources that they can refer to when making important decisions regarding their treatment, this will help ensure that they give them what they need. By focusing on these principles at all times, it will make it much easier to provide an exceptional experience every time.
7. Recognize patients for going the extra mile
Patients already go through a lot when they are trying to recover from their illness or injury. If they want them to have a better experience, thank them for going the extra mile and doing whatever they can to recover as quickly as possible.
8. Reward their patients
Give out rewards to show their patients that they appreciate their efforts. These can include certificates, gift cards, or free ice cream. Following these principles will be much easier to provide a positive patient experience.
9. Improve their service delivery platform
Ensure that their service delivery platform is up-to-date and accessible for the patient to understand so that they have no trouble getting the information they need when they come in for treatment.
10. Continuously measure and improve patient experience
According to Dr. Sudberg, it is important to measure and improve the patient experience continuously. This means taking steps to ensure that they are meeting their needs and addressing any concerns they may have.
11. Advocate for their patients
If there are policies or procedures that are preventing the patient from having a positive experience, be sure to speak up on their behalf. They are in the best position to know what they need in order to have a good experience, so make sure their voice is heard.
Dr. Jordan Sudberg says that providing an exceptional patient experience is the key to success in any business. If they can provide outstanding care while ensuring that each patient has a positive experience, then it will be much easier to grow their practice over time.