Emotionally Speaking

We have many things wrong with our healthcare system. But, one thing we do right is give Americans (or at least those with insurance) plenty of choices in healthcare. Large cities often have many hospitals for patients to choose from, and even smaller areas offer competition among hospitals for patients. So, what can hospitals do to attract patients? Answer number one is: improve the customer’s experience. Here are 5 things hospitals can do to accomplish this.

1.    Staff appropriately. Many hospitals have cut staff to reduce costs. But, what this leads to is tired, overworked doctors and nurses who are rude to patients and make mistakes. Staffing appropriately means that patients will have a better customer experience because their doctors and nurses will be rested and pleasant and will have the appropriate amount of time to devote to the patient’s diagnosis and his care.

2.    Be upfront about pricing. Elective procedures are a good source of revenue for hospitals. But since they are elective, patients often have to pay out of pocket for them. Therefore, they have the time, and the inclination, to shop around. But, many patients report that they can’t get a straight answer on what a procedure will cost. Making it easy for a patient to get answers about prices on elective procedures will increase the chances that the patient will have the procedure done at your hospital.

3.    Offer alternatives to the ER. Emergency rooms doctors and nurses don’t like it when people come to the ER for something that could have been taken care of at a doctor’s office. And, patients don’t like sitting in the ER for hours because it’s over-crowded. When hospitals have clinics and urgent care offices, they encourage patients with minor illnesses and injuries to avoid the emergency room. This means a better customer experience for both the clinic patient and the patient who truly needed to be in the ER.

4.  Focus on anxiety reduction. Hospital patients are anxious. Hospital experiences, therefore, are not prone to being happy ones. If you want patients to remember their visit to your hospital as a positive experience, your staff must be trained to lessen their anxiety and the anxiety of their families. Train your staff on ways to improve their communication skills with their patients and on ways to exhibit an attitude of caring along with an attitude of competence.

5.    Avoid the red tape. Take a look at processes in your hospital that take the focus off patient care and increase red tape. Is your admitting experience quick and easy? Are doctors and nurses easy to find? If a patient needs something out of the ordinary, is it easy for your staff to meet the request? Little things that cause frustration to the staff and the patient should be streamlined so that the focus is back on the patient and his experience at the facility.

Healthcare in the US is about to change. And, while we don’t yet know exactly what changes we’ll see, it’s certain that the hospitals that survive will be those that know how to manage the things that are most important to the patients.

This guest post is by Mary E. Ward  who writes about how to obtain an MHA degree.