By taking proactive measures to improve patient retention, you can inspire long-term relationships with each and every patient. Here are our tips to increase patient retention rates in your practice:
Patient Retention Strategies: Find a Compatible Communication Style
As with any relationship, trust is the foundation of a successful physician-patient relationship, positioning the physician as a key healthcare provider. However, there are many layers to trust; and it doesn’t happen overnight.
“Trust has many components,” says Dr. Shirie Leng, an anesthesiologist and former nurse. “It is based partly on compatible communication styles.”
To build trust with your patients, you must make sure your method of communication meshes with their communication style. For example, some patients want their doctor to choose the best treatment path while others would prefer to share the decision-making.
Exercise Patience
It’s easy to become frustrated or disgruntled by patients who object to your recommendations. But it’s imperative you keep your emotions in check and consider their motivations. For example, if a pre-diabetic patient refuses to give up processed food and sweets, it could be due to a lack of nutritional education. By patiently taking time to explain how you arrived at your conclusion, you’re likely to achieve better patient buy-in, leading to better health outcomes through more personalized and effective care.
Healthcare Providers: Create a Concern Resolution Process
In the customer service industry, concern resolution is integral to brand reputation and company success. Understanding and managing patient expectations is just as crucial, as it directly impacts patient satisfaction. By setting clear expectations and communicating effectively, healthcare providers can ensure a smoother concern resolution process. While some standard business practices don’t apply to the healthcare industry, concern resolution, coupled with meeting and exceeding patient expectations, is critical to success. Draft a plan for handling customer complaints, including an escalation and documentation process. Ensure each member of your team is well-trained on this process, emphasizing the importance of honesty and the use of technology in keeping patients informed about what to expect during their healthcare appointments.
Address Negative Online Reviews to Enhance Patient Satisfaction
When a patient posts a negative review about your practice, your first instinct might be to defend your business. Instead, take time to consider what may have caused your patient to feel negatively and how you can resolve the situation. Responding to negative online reviews presents a unique opportunity to enhance the overall patient experience by demonstrating a commitment to understanding patient feedback and preferences, and showing how much you value concern resolution and patient satisfaction. If you’re going to respond to online patient reviews, do so in a way that will show the patient — as well as other prospective patients — your dedication to improving their experience through effective communication, personalized treatment plans, and patient engagement strategies.
Patient reviews provide doctors with honest and feedback about what they are doing right with their practice and where they can improve.
Take Patient Feedback Seriously
If you hear multiple complaints about a member of your staff, it’s probably not a coincidence. A receptionist using a clipped tone during the appointment-making process may seem insignificant, but this behavior can drive patients away. The care you provide may be top quality, but the rest of your office needs to follow suit. Take time to review patient feedback, and address any issues or staff behaviors before they cause additional problems.
A solid physician-patient relationship is more important than ever in healthcare today. By following these practices, you can increase retention rates, regain old patients and maintain a positive reputation. Addressing patient feedback effectively is a crucial step in implementing strategies to improve patient retention, ensuring patients remain engaged, satisfied, and loyal to your healthcare facility.
Patient satisfaction is key to retention, and patient comfort is key to satisfaction. Learn how Gebauer’s Pain Ease® can help your practice improve satisfaction.
