Consumer trends show that patients are increasingly expecting convenience from their healthcare providers. And in today’s highly competitive healthcare market, if patients aren’t satisfied with their experience at your medical practice, they will simply go somewhere else.
The challenge for medical practices is to continually meet changing expectations without sacrificing revenue & adding additional admin burdens to an already full plate. Challenges aside, the opportunity to boost patient satisfaction & make your practice more efficient is too good to pass up. The key? Investing in the right technologies.
Here are three ways to increase patient satisfaction & the tools you will need to ensure you reduce & streamline admin.
1. Connect with your patients…online
Patients are accustomed to reaching for their phones for everything – from booking appointments to paying for purchases to accessing customer support. The catch is that they’re not using their phones to make calls to do any of those things – in fact, voice calls are almost exclusively reserved for emergencies.
Providing options like an online appointment booking platform with automated appointment reminders will not only help increase patient satisfaction, but it will also reduce admin, as staff no longer need to manage phones for patient appointments. Furthermore, SMS reminders will help cut down on no-shows, which will improve revenue flow while improving your patient communications.
Technology you should consider investing in:
2. Continue to offer telehealth
Pre-COVID, telehealth was a perk that was rarely offered by practices. However, for the most part, patients have spent the last couple of years working from home &/or limiting their time in public. That means at least two things for your practice: 1. Patients have come to expect the option of virtual appointments, 2. Medical practices that offer a mix of telehealth & in-person visits are more likely to meet patient needs & open additional revenue streams. The key is using a telehealth solution that is simple, secure & doesn’t require an app download.
Technology you should consider investing in:
- Telehealth – Learn more here.
3. Make paying easy
Cash is like an endangered species, much like manual billing. If you want to meet patient expectations, you need to offer streamlined, online billing & cardless payment options. Not only is online billing more efficient & cost-effective for your practice, but your patients can also get their invoice directly after their consult. Plus, if you can offer patients convenient, cashless ways to pay, you will boost their experience & will be more likely to get paid on time & in full.
Technology you should consider investing in:
- Automated benefit checks – Learn more here.
- Real-time claims – Learn more here.
- Digital payment options – Learn more here.
It’s no secret that medical practices have relied on outdated methods of practice management for decades. While this might have kept practices functioning pre-COVID, it became clear that having the right technology offers a better, more convenient & patient-centric way to operate.
Patient expectations will continue to evolve. Healthcare professionals need to look to technology partners who continue to innovate & remain relevant.
Over 5 000 healthcare professionals have chosen Healthbridge as their trusted technology partner, before & after COVID. If you want to take your medical practice to the next level of success, click here for an obligation-free practice health assessment.
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