When it comes to improving your business, there is more to focus on than just improving your employees.
For most businesses, the customer experience and their satisfaction is the key to staying in business long-term. For healthcare businesses, this translates to being patient-centric.
When it comes to healthcare, every interaction matters. From the first phone call to the follow-up after a visit, you have many chances to improve the quality of care. Equally important is making the entire experience as smooth and comforting as possible for your patients!
Just as the customer journey matters in just about every business when it comes to anything healthcare-oriented (and that includes therapists who are freelancing), they still need to think about the patient journey, too.
It can be overwhelming figuring out where to get started when it comes to updating your patient processes. In this post, I’ve compiled some tips on how your health business can focus more on the patient journey.
Get to Really Know Your Patients
Alright, this might seem obvious! It is still surprising how many healthcare businesses (mental health included), really mess this up.
Even in general wellness and health (like personal trainers), this is something that’s easily overlooked! Part of this is because we tend to rely heavily on templates or a “one size fits all” approach. It can be easy to overlook those personal touches.
One great way to start getting personal is by connecting with your patients on an individual level. This can be as simple as a survey that collects details (like birthdays) to send a special message! Even timed reminders based on their visit history can be well received.
Another option is collecting the information gathered during quick chats and feedback forms into a client portfolio. Just a few minutes of reviewing these can make the difference in your patient feeling like you are paying attention.. and that’s because you are!
You can use what you learn to anticipate their needs better and maybe even surprise them with how well you know them. For example, if you’re a therapist, whether it be in person or online, there’s that questionnaire right from the beginning, but why not deep dive into it so you know you can really help them out?
Stay Up to Date on Your Registrations and Certifications
Health businesses tend to have more requirements than other types of businesses. These can be crucial for ensuring you are operating at a high standard and following regulations in your area.
If you are providing care via NHS or the social care sector, you will want to make sure that you are registered with the CQC prior to offering your services. The CQC safeguards the quality of healthcare services, making registration a critical step for any organization in this sector. However, there can be a lot of complications in this process, as there are many legal complexities to navigate. New healthcare providers can find this incredibly daunting. Many cqc services can provide you with expert guidance in navigating this process. More importantly, this is a crucial step for ensuring that you’re providing top-tier care for your patients!
In addition to registrations, you might look into core certifications such as Basic Life Support (aka BLS or CPR). These types of certificates are a great asset for most health businesses, including fitness studios! When I was at one of my recent cycling classes, I learned that there was always someone on site who knew how to give CPR and use an AED. It wasn’t something I had considered before, but I was happy to know that the studio had taken action to protect my health and well-being before it even occurred to me (or I needed it!).
Simplify Scheduling
If you think about it, the journey begins way before patients walk through your doors. That is why you’ll want to make booking an appointment as hassle-free as possible. Whether it’s a user-friendly online booking system or offering a real person to talk to for booking over the phone, remember convenience is key. And for those who can’t make it in person?
Having a telehealth option shows you’re flexible and considerate of their circumstances. Again, it doesn’t matter what your healthcare business is or even if you’re a freelancer, but you’ll want to simplify what you can.
Have a Team? Empower Them!
A great example of an organization that knows how to empower its teams is royalambulance.com. They focus on empowering their team because they know this impacts the patient journey- so that’s what you have to do!
Every member of your team plays a part in the patient experience. While it all varies per business and sector, if you have a team, they all play a part in the customer journey. These days, your staff can even provide an amazing experience remotely. Utilizing a virtual assistant for healthcare can be the difference between an average and an amazing experience for your customers. One of the biggest perks of using a virtual assistant is being able to respond to your customer’s inquiries at all hours.
Each interaction shapes how your patients feel about their visit. Make sure you put the right team in place, give them confidence, empower them, and make them remember why they’re doing this job: it’s for the patients.
Never Stop Improving
It’s not just your team, but you also need to improve forever in this role. Just keep asking for feedback and really listen to the responses. Blocking out special meetings each quarter can be a great way to stay on top of this and engage with your staff at the same time.
Like many industries, healthcare is ever-evolving. And the needs of your patients will evolve too! So, you’ll need to be willing to make changes, keep improving, and adapt in ways that truly matter to those you serve.
I hope this post has helped you understand how your health business can focus more on the patient journey!
How have you improved the patient journey at your business? I’d love to hear some additional tips below!
