by Bob Lucas, BS, MA, MA, CPLP
Showing Your Patients That You Care
Ask most people to describe their experience with their healthcare practitioner(s) or those associated with the profession and you will likely get responses like, "They do not treat me like a customer" or "I have to wait until it is convenient to them before I get seen, even with an appointment." In many cases their perceptions are based on situations that have occurred at numerous medical facilities and doctor offices throughout their lifetime.
Obviously, when a medical emergency occurs and a doctor or other practitioner gets behind in their schedule, most patients will understand and be willing to wait a reasonable amount of time. In such instances, it is crucial for support staff to inform the patient(s) about the reason for the delay and update them periodically (every 15 minutes or so). At those points, the patient can decide to continue to wait or reschedule based on their own schedule. The exception to the above scenario might be when a patient arrives for the first appointment of the day or immediately after lunch and has to sit for extended periods of time because the practitioner is not available or ready. In such instances, there is usually something wrong with the customer service level at that facility. The result of such negligence is that patients (a.k.a. customers) go elsewhere. I personally changed doctor's a number of years ago because after I questioned my doctor about why it took so long to be seen at an appointment and why his staff had not informed me on multiple occasions when conflicts had surfaced. He told me directly, "Bob, the bottom line is that we have more patient's than we can handle." To me, that said, "We just keep taking patients and scheduling appointments as often as possible without concern for the quality of service we deliver." I realized at that point that if that was the attitude at the top of the organization, I did not want them handling my health issues and I have since told many friends and relatives about the incident.
So how do you prevent scenarios described above from occurring? The answer is for everyone in the organization to adopt a customer-centric attitude. Additionally, customer service and communication skills training should be provided to all members of the staff, including the medical practitioners.
The following are some specific steps to take to build strong patient (customer) - provider rapport.
Be on Time. If you schedule appointments at 7:30 or immediately after lunch; make sure that the support staff and practitioner(s) are there in advance and ready to see patients. Do not routinely arrive at the time of the appointment or after and make the patient wait while you get ready to serve them.
Keep Patients Informed. If something changes (e.g. appointment time, the practitioner is running behind schedule, a practitioner who is scheduled to see a patient is not going to be available, or there is paperwork the patient needs to bring/complete) contact the patient as soon as the change or need becomes apparent. The patient's schedule and time is just as important as the practitioner or support staff. In fact, since they are the customer, their time should be viewed as more important. After all, if it were not for the patients, the support staff and practitioner could all pack up and go home.
Speak in Simple Terms. Patients expect that their healthcare professionals have more knowledge about the human body than they do and will use different terminology to describe it and its condition. However, you do not have to try to impress patients with your extensive medical knowledge. Answer their questions and tell them about their condition and treatment in simple lay terms that are easily understood. Keep in mind that when dealing with someone who is not a native language speaker, has a disability (e.g. sight or hearing impairment or learning disability), or is an elderly person, you may have to slow your rate of speech, speak louder or repeat information a couple of times. It is often a good idea to explain and show people the information (e.g. in text or graphic display) that you need to share. This is because some people are visual learners while others are auditory learners. Give them a copy of their test results or other pertinent information so that they can review or share with others later.
Listen Actively. Everyone in the organization should be trained in effective listening skills. Listening is an active process, as opposed to hearing, which is passive physiological one. It takes years for people to become adept at active listening. This includes gathering appropriate verbal and non-verbal messages from customers and analyzing them effectively before responding. In some instances, patients will not be able to adequately verbalize what is wrong or what they need or expect. Staff and practitioners should be trained to probe with open-ended questions to determine the true issue or concern.
Create an Atmosphere of Trust. Without trust you have no relationship and customers often go away. They then tell others when they have a bad service experience. This can result in additional negative word-of-mouth publicity. By showing an interest in your patients (e.g. family, job, and background) you can demonstrate that you value them as individuals and customers. Take a few extra minutes to ask general questions about them and what is happening in their life then really listen to their response.
Do Something Special. Patients expect that you will be on time, be professional and knowledgeable, and help them with their issue or concern. Anything less will disappoint and often frustrate and anger them. The approach of "under-promising and over-delivering" often results in huge dividends when customers are concerned. In addition to delivering quality, timely service and care, think of ways to show customers that you care and value them. Send out birthday or special occasion cards. Have a festive patient appreciation day or event where you invite them to stop by after working hours or on a Saturday for food or refreshments and to get to know the staff and practitioners on a personal level. You might also set up a referral program where a gift is sent to a current patient who refers someone to the practice.
The bottom line in treating patients as customers is to shift your mental perception from viewing them as someone that you are helping or doing something for to your reason for being in business. Without them, you are out of a job.
©Copyright 2009, Robert (Bob) W. Lucas. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
For more information visit www.globalperformancestrategies.com
Posted: 09/29/2009
