Last Updated | November 12, 2021
The technology might only have been around for few decades (okay, maybe a few centuries), but it has certainly revolutionized every industry that we know of. That being said, the advent of telemedicine technology is fast evolving the face of patient healthcare, vastly improving the patient experience in the healthcare sector. Ranging from virtual visits to connected devices and imaging transfers, with telemedicine technology the sky is the limit for the healthcare industry. In this blog, we will be looking at creative ways to increase patient satisfaction through telemedicine technology. So, let’s just cut the chase and dig in to find out the ways to improve customer satisfaction scores in hospitals, shall we?
Why Is Patient Experience Important In Healthcare Organizations?
Patient satisfaction has become an essential consideration for the healthcare organization since insurance premiums are rising and medical costs have spiked up. Similarly, the consumers are struggling with financial risks. The patients have become extremely comparative/relative when it comes down to healthcare decisions, so as to gain maximum value from the healthcare investment.
Today, patients are actively comparing the quality of services provided by different healthcare facilities since they want to choose the best healthcare service experience offering the best value for money and smooth/flexible healthcare facilities (why not?). That being said, the top-notch healthcare facilities are improving patient satisfaction and experience to keep up with the profitability. That’s understandable since the patient experience will define how the patients are attracted and retained.
By offering patients with customized, fast, and flexible healthcare services, healthcare service providers are able to gain the patients’ loyalty. This subsequently leads to higher profitability for the healthcare facility. Also, better patient experience improves patient engagement in terms of health outcomes, such as early diagnosis, effective treatment, emotional health recovery, and pain control.
In addition to better health outcomes, the positive patient experience helps improve organizational revenue. On top of everything, the healthcare facility’s reputation is improved since patients have the choice of comparing different organizations. In addition, the positive online reviews will ensure the development of patient retention and capturing.
Using Telemedicine To Improve Patient Satisfaction In Healthcare
How to improve patient satisfaction scores in hospitals is one of the most prevailing questions queried upon by the healthcare facility owners. In the section below, we are sharing how patient satisfaction can be improved in the healthcare facility through the implementation of telemedicine technology, such as;
- Quick Care Delivery
To begin with, quick delivery of the healthcare treatment results in a better value of the treatment. This is because when patients have to wait for the treatment, it can worsen their healthcare condition, which makes it difficult to diagnose, treat, and recover the health condition of patients. With the implementation of telemedicine, the patients are highly likely to receive quicker healthcare service, with multiple options including virtual appointments with doctors, structured scheduling, timely alerts, and minimum no-shows.
- Affordable Treatment
Forget about receiving affordable treatment if you don’t have medical insurance. That being said, telemedicine does significantly lowers the overall cost of receiving healthcare services by virtualizing the entire process of healthcare services. Also, it greatly cuts down on hospital visits, saving time and money for patients. Telemedicine not only reduces the treatment costs at the individual level but with downstream costs as well. For the hospitals, a lower cost of services means more patients and consistent growth of revenue.
- Patients’ Feelings of Prioritization
The last thing you want the patients to feel is ignored when they visit the healthcare facility. The traditional healthcare system is so overwhelmed that it’s often that patients have to wait for weeks, and even for months to see a specialist doctor. With telemedicine, the healthcare facilities will be able to bypass the long waiting room experience. This means that the patients can quickly get in touch with the doctors without compromising on the satisfaction level.
How to Improve Patient Satisfaction in Hospitals Vs. Clinics
Be it hospitals or clinics; every healthcare facility needs to ensure higher patient satisfaction. However, they are unaware of how patient satisfaction can be improved. With this section, we are sharing how you can improve patient satisfaction in hospitals, such as;
- The hospitals must use the patient’s name because it helps individualize everyone. In addition, you can start wearing nametags to ensure patients can call you by name, promising an engaging experience
- Whenever you engage with the patients, make sure that you keep eye contact because it shows them that you care. In addition, always speak to your patients in a tailored manner
- In-person patient visits are generally rushed, which makes patients confused. That being said, always spend some time with patients, educate them about their condition, and tell them how treatments will help
- Patient satisfaction will also be improved when hospitals are clean because cleanliness shows off the hospital quality
- Always create a warm lighted environment in hospitals and make sure there is no extra noise in hospitals
Improving Patient Experience in Clinics
- Make sure you communicate with patients effectively because it says a lot about your ability to treat their conditions. In addition, make sure to aware patients of the treatment information (the clinician should provide the information)
- Clinics need to implement shared decision-making experience, which includes using the patient’s input
- Always try to make patients comfortable so that they can open up to you
- Implementing the value stream mapping to optimize the patient flow because it shows how the patients movies within the clinic
How Can Hospitals Improve Patient Satisfaction Factors?
With each passing day, the number of patients coming into hospitals keeps increasing. For this reason, keeping up patient satisfaction has become challenging, but there are various ways to improve patient satisfaction, such as improving the appearance of hospitals, spending time with patients to make a positive connection, and ensuring clear communication. However, certain factors can influence the patient satisfaction standards, such as;
- Patient’s demographics, such as educational level, gender, and age
- Number of visits they’ve to make to the hospitals
- Waiting time at hospitals
- Communication behavior of healthcare staff, including doctors and nurses
Telemedicine to improve patient satisfaction in emergency department
Just like telemedicine technology can assist in improving the patient satisfaction scores in hospitals, the technology is also worth its value to improve patient satisfaction in the emergency department. The recent covid-19 pandemic has already established the efficacy of telemedicine technology in relieving the limited healthcare resources of the excessive patient load.
It is thus safe to predict that in the coming years, the load in emergency departments will increase, and healthcare facilities will need to implement telemedicine technology to cope up with the massive demand for healthcare services. The healthcare facilities can apply telemedicine solutions according to the end goals of the healthcare organization. Telemedicine can help with the provision of digital care for patients suffering from various diseases, just like it is being excessively used to offer cardiac healthcare.
Within ED, the mental health assessment can also be conducted. Through telemedicine, the patient-centered approach for mental health care can be improved. Even more, the care can be provided according to the diverse preferences and needs of the patients. In addition, it delivers access and informational receipt, so patients can receive well-informed and insightful treatments.
How to Increase Patient Satisfaction in Healthcare Compliance
The healthcare facilities have to consider patient’s satisfaction because it’s an ultimate measure of determining healthcare quality. Keep in mind that patient satisfaction can impact patient retention, healthcare outcomes, and claims regarding medical malpractices. It can affect the efficient and timely delivery of high-quality healthcare. As far as increasing patient satisfaction is concerned, the following points should help;
- Listening to the patients and understanding their concerns. Moreover, if they have concerns or if the medicine isn’t working, you should make changes in treatment
- Create an aesthetic and warm environment in hospitals because sharp lights can hinder their experience
- Make sure the hospital is always clean and isn’t smelling with medicines. So, always keep the hospitals clean and make sure there is enough ventilation
How To Increase Patient Visits In Hospital?
Attracting enough patients to the hospitals is essential because it can directly influence the profitability and revenue earned by the hospitals. In addition, it also impacts the expansion of hospitals. In the section below, we are sharing some tips that will help increase the patient visit in hospitals, such as;
- Always understand your patients and meet their needs to ensure they always come back to you if they struggle with health issues. In addition, providing the right healthcare treatment will ensure that patients refer their acquaintances to your hospital
- The hospital needs work on developing a positive reputation, and it can be done by taking part in positive branding
- Make sure that your hospital has a well-built and intuitive website to capture the patients. In addition, having an online presence will increase your visibility among patients who conduct online research before selecting a hospital
- Open a free clinic in hospital and provide free essential clinical services to needy and deserving patients
Telemedicine Strategies To Reduce Inappropriate ER Visits
- Awareness Campaigns
For every healthcare organization that’s trying to reduce unnecessary ER visits, designing and implementing the awareness campaign for patient information is important. This is because it ensures that patients are refrained from unnecessarily visiting the ER department, and rather are able to rely on self-medication for minor health issues. For the most part, it will ensure that patients only visit the ER in case of severe cases.
- Creating Handouts for the Right Care
The healthcare organizations should work on developing the map of retail clinics, urgent care, telemedicine capacities, and contact information. Also, it’s best to add the common reasons for which the patients should visit the ER. It will ensure that patients only visit ER if they have specific conditions.
- Follow-Ups
Once the patients come to ER in the severe conditions and receive proper treatments, they are sent back home. However, there are higher chances that they will come back to ER even with minor inconvenience. That being said, healthcare organizations can create automated follow-ups, which reduces the chances of inappropriate ER visits.
How to Improve Patient Experience in Hospitals By Telemedicine?
Telemedicine can solve the majority of healthcare issues, such as reducing the costs and improving the outcomes, along with higher accessibility to care services. Telemedicine can improve the patient experience in hospitals by reducing the overburdening of delivery systems in healthcare. In addition, it can assist instructors to optimally utilize the available medical teams, hence enhancing the overall patient experience.
Not to forget, a well-designed user interface design for healthcare applications can help improve the outcomes by making the telemedicine systems easy to use for patients and doctors alike.
How to Improve Patient Experience in Emergency Department?
Patient experience matters a great deal for healthcare facilities, and it has to be considered even more in emergency departments. To improve patient experience in emergency departments, the hospitals need to optimize the patient flow because a crowded emergency department creates nothing but chaos. Even more, the emergency departments are known for emergency visits, so make sure the basic first aid is readily available. On top of everything, the emergency departments should have focused and trained customer service to ensure the patients are being attended to. Last but not least, the emergency departments must be clean for patients.
Increase Patient Satisfaction In Outpatient Clinics With Telemedicine
- Management of Medications
In the case of outpatient clinics, the implementation of telemedicine helps with the management of medications. Doctors/physicians can effectively use telemedicine technology to interact with outpatients without having them visit the hospitals. This not only fastens the provision of qualified healthcare service for patients but also relieve the healthcare system of excessive load.
- Care Management
In case patients are struggling with chronic illnesses, effective and consistent disease management is important. With telemedicine technology, chronic patients are able to get in touch with qualified healthcare practitioners without extensive wait time or without having to visit the hospitals.
- Counseling
Counseling is one of the most important key performance indicators in healthcare organizations, but in-person consultation can be time-consuming. With telemedicine, the healthcare providers can follow up with the patients. In addition, it offers reimbursable counseling sessions on a remote basis.
What Is HL7 In Healthcare & How It Can Improve Patient Satisfaction?
While we are talking about different ways to improve patient satisfaction in hospitals and healthcare facilities, telemedicine is definitely one of the most promising technologies. Today, telemedicine is seen as the new generation of healthcare models, which can vastly improve patient care and increase patient satisfaction.
However, to utilize the full potential of telemedicine technology, it needs to be integrated with HL7. This is because HL7 is the set of standards that guides sharing and transferring data among healthcare providers. It was created by the non-profit organization known as Health Level Seven International.
HL7 standards adoption can improve the evaluation, management, and delivery of health services and clinical practices. The HL7 in healthcare has become essential since healthcare providers are required to access different digital systems for diagnosing patients. However, it can be challenging if the medical services are offered at outpatient clinics that aren’t connected with the digital systems.
For this purpose, HL7 and FHIR interoperability standards come into play as they provide a common language for clinical structures and content. The utilization of HL7 in healthcare can reduce the chances of misinterpretation. It has become the bridge between information technology and advanced healthcare services. In addition, complying with the HL7 standards will increase the contexts and inculcate patient records.
With the implementation of HL7, healthcare providers can gain maximum value from the electronic health record systems by easily sharing and storing the data. In addition, it can ensure proper data integration across different systems, which reduces the chances of administrative errors and burdens. Secondly, HL7 will minimize work duplication, which improves clinical efficiency. Also, HL7 allows healthcare providers to make better health-based decisions.
Telemedicine and ways to Measure Patient Satisfaction In Healthcare
Measuring patient satisfaction is important because it helps outline if the patients are satisfied with the services. The first method for this is accessing the feedback and complaints of the patients. It’s suggested to create a forum that makes sure that patients leave feedback that can be used for improving the already-implemented healthcare services.
Secondly, the online ratings can be used for measuring patient satisfaction. The digital world is expanding, which is the prime reason that patients opt for digital platforms for assessing the effectiveness of healthcare services. Even more, the healthcare facilities can share the patient satisfaction survey to gain insights into the overall experience.
Create an Exceptional Patient Experience By Implementing Telemedicine
- The heart failure patients have managed to keep a tab on blood pressure and weight metrics through the at-home monitoring devices. This is ensured since Boston-based Partners Healthcare has created the support software.
- Veterans Health Administration has launched the four-year program with remotely monitors the patients, check the health informatics, and implement the disease management technology for improved patient care and experience.
- Kaiser Permanente dermatologists are able to treat the patients by reviewing the patient information and images that are set over the server. It also helps refer the physicians.
Examples of Risk Management In Healthcare
- Creating awareness in the workforce about different risk management tactics, inclusive of response and prevention
- Keeping accurate records and documents for reference purposes
- Ensuring proper coordination between different departments streamlines the risk management process
- Teaching proper complaint handling for risk mitigation purposes
- Creating proper incident reporting
FAQs
What affects patient satisfaction?
There are three important factors that can impact patient satisfaction, such as hospital convenience, the service attitude of medical staff, and the technology used to deliver the medical services.
How to improve patient satisfaction with doctors?
Patient satisfaction with the doctors can be improved through better communication and implementing the shared decision-making processes. In addition, patient satisfaction can be improved through the application of value stream mapping.
What are key performance indicators in healthcare?
The key performance indicators in healthcare include the revenue per patient, profit margins, average attendance of the patients, and retention rate.
How to Improve Patient Satisfaction?
When you are running a healthcare facility, providing top-notch services to patients is essential to ensure patient satisfaction. Some ways of improving patient satisfaction include personalized medical treatment, being punctual, educating the patients, developing positive rapport, and keeping the area clean. Also, always listen to what patients have to share because it makes them feel heard, hence a better satisfaction level.
How to Improve Patient Satisfaction Scores In Emergency Department?
Patients who come into ED often struggle with traumas, in addition to injuries. For this reason, enhancing patient satisfaction in the emergency department will improve healthcare outcomes. Some ways of improving the patient satisfaction scores include improving communication, listening to patient’s perceptions, creating a positive culture of service, and improving the overall environment (lighting, cleanliness, and plants). Lastly, the emergency departments should implement hourly ratings to increase the morale of healthcare providers working in the ED.
How To Increase Customer Satisfaction In Healthcare Information Systems?
With the implementation of digital and tech solutions, it’s needless to say that healthcare information systems can help improve patient satisfaction. To begin with, you need to strengthen the system’s capacity and make sure that the health information is readily available for patients and healthcare providers. In addition, healthcare information systems need to be designed according to set standards and a combination of tools to derive effective outcomes.
Why Patient Satisfaction Is Important In the Healthcare Industry?
Patient satisfaction has become a crucial element and indicator of healthcare quality. This is because the standard of patient satisfaction will directly influencer the patient flow, treatment outcome, and claims regarding healthcare malpractices. For this reason, patient satisfaction must be calculated.
How to start a telemedicine company?
A Telemedicine company involves many factors and practices that should be implemented for a successful experience and services. It involves: Licensing, reimbursement, data privacy, third-party applications and programs, limited liability, best services, HIPAA Compliance, Recommended bandwidth, right technology partner are the recommended factors to start a telemedicine company
About the Author
