Innovative Ways to Improve The Patient Experience

A national study conducted by Catalyst Healthcare Research finds new ways to improve the patient experience in the doctor’s office.

Here are the 10 Do’s and Don’ts

do…

(% of respondents who said that this behavior would make their patient experience better)

88% Hand a patient a printed summary of their visit as they leave the office, including
the diagnosis and recommended plan of action

86% Talk to a patient about changing their behavior rather than immediately
prescribing a drug for their situation

82% Provide a patient with a reliable estimate of their charges for a specific surgical
procedure that they need

66% Offer an app that allows a patient to log in securely to see their test results,
send private messages to the doctor, etc.

64% Send a patient a text message about thirty minutes before their scheduled
appointment to tell them if the doctor is running on schedule

60% Use a mobile device (smart phone or tablet) to look up information about a drug
before telling a patient about it

35% Offer free WiFi so that a patient can connect to the Internet while they are
waiting to see the doctor

(% of respondents who said that this behavior would make their patient experience worse)

84% Spend most of your time typing on a computer, not making eye contact with
a patient

67% Schedule a patient to see their doctor but then have a nurse practitioner visit with
them

59% Avoid confronting or encouraging a patient to change their personal behaviors
that are affecting their health (like smoking or obesity)