One of the smartest ways to improve patient retention is to emphasize your strengths and improve areas of weakness. Getting feedback from previous patients can help you identify ways to make your practice better and pinpoint what your practice does well. Because growing your practice relies on attracting and keeping loyal patients, take advantage of the free information available to you in the form of patient feedback and use it to implement positive change.
Ways to encourage patients to provide constructive feedback
Most patients will not go out of their way to leave feedback. Try these methods to make it as easy as possible for patients to provide you with valuable information.
Use handouts in the office
A simple and effective way to get feedback about your patient experience is to include a questionnaire along with the forms patients fill out prior to an appointment. You can create a separate questionnaire for new patients and returning patients to gain information on what draws patients to your practice as well as what keeps them coming back. Most patients are likely to fill out a questionnaire presented in this way because they are already doing paperwork and are not required to interrupt another activity or set aside a special time to fill it out.
Interact on social media
According to Forbes, many patients provide feedback, both positive and negative, on social media sites. A useful feature of these types of websites is the ability to respond to patients’ comments and show prospective patients you care about the patient experience and want it to be a positive one.
Email surveys
It can be simple to design a survey and send it out to all patients in your database. By having a few open-ended questions or a place set aside for additional comments, you can gain insight into patients’ perception of your practice that may surprise you.
Have a feedback form available on your website
While this is an effective way to collect patient feedback, keep in mind most patients who take the time to leave feedback in this format have either had an unexpectedly positive experience or an unexpectedly negative one. You can still learn from these patients, though, and this method of obtaining feedback provides a way for unhappy patients to express themselves more privately.
Make follow-up phone calls
It is not uncommon for a medical practice to check in with previous patients and make sure the treatment worked and the patient is recovering well. You can tell the patients during these types of phone calls you are trying to improve both your live and online patient experience and ask for suggestions or comments about what the patient liked or disliked.
Improve your patient experience
The team at Doctor Genius understands the importance of both patient feedback and patient retention to your practice. That is why we have developed a unique Patient Experience Package we can customize specifically for your practice. We can also help you develop and maintain your website, social media platforms, and more. Contact a trained team member today to learn more about how we can help you expand your reach and grow your practice.
Doctor Genius, located at 16800 Aston Street, Suite 270, Irvine, CA 92606, provides a range of services for practice success. We seek to meet our clients’ needs by providing a variety of marketing, SEO, practice optimization tools, and coaching to transform the healthcare experience. Though we work to provide the most accurate information, the content found on this website is solely intended for entertainment purposes. Therefore, we cannot guarantee that the information provided is entirely correct. You may not use the information on this site to cure, prevent, or diagnose a perceived medical issue. If you have healthcare-related needs, please speak directly to a healthcare professional. Never self-perform medical treatments discussed on this website. All images displayed are also for entertainment purposes only, and personal experiences may differ. Please note that the business tactics mentioned on this site might not be applicable to your industry or practice.
