Importance of Patient Feedback in Healthcare & How to Provide it

Importance of Patient Feedback in Healthcare & How to Provide it

The number of patients reading online reviews before ever setting foot into a doctor’s office is increasing day by day. According to a report in 2013, nearly half of the patients who were surveyed opted to see a doctor who had received positive reviews. This was a really interesting report as it shed light on the mindset of people these days. Earlier, it used to be just word of mouth for the patients to go see a doctor. But now, the game has completely changed and online good will matters as well.

Patient feedback is imperative and reviews are a primitive step in the same direction. It will always be beneficial if there is a well-designed patient feedback software to identify the gaps in the services provided which will, in turn, increase patient engagement as well as the good will of the doctor. A significant increase in the revenue will also be observed by just implementing this thoughtful step towards the needs of the patients.

Here are 5 Reasons Why Patient Feedback is Important: •

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Understanding Reviews Patients leave 5-star ratings and/or positive reviews but it is important to study these reviews as well.

It is crucial to dig deeper to understand what is the motivation behind their reviews. This will help you in gaining additional perspective.

A well-maintained healthcare feedback system will go beyond online reviews and can give you more information about each episode of care. It can also help you understand the reasons behind positive, negative and neutral reviews. This will help you in spotting the trend and also the flaws in the service which will be a great asset for improvement.

Reputation Management In today’s competitive healthcare market, managing your online reputation is necessary to stand out.

Your patients not only leave ratings and online reviews, but they also make referrals on social media and tell others about the service which you provided, how long they had to wait, what treatment did they receive from the doctor and the staff, and lastly and most importantly whether or not they felt their provider was trustworthy and knowledgeable.

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With a patient feedback system in use, you can monitor the online reviews on a regular basis, ask for details related to a specific episode of care and also resolve issues, which may motivate the patients to write a positive, follow up review.

Care Improvement: The best way to understand a patient’s experience is to ask them directly. Requesting for patient feedback on appointment scheduling, waiting time, thoroughness, communication skills, professionalism, and the doctor’s general conduct will help you get a 360-degree view of the quality care your patients are actually receiving versus your perception of what you’re providing.

You will come across some patients who are outspoken, but the majority of them will not speak up and the patient feedback will come in handy in such situations.

To be Ahead in the Competition A patient feedback app can assist you in understanding how you measure up to your competitors with respect to other practices within your health system or even your fellow doctors. This will help you understand your demand in the industry and also the areas on which you need to improve.

To Avoid Patient Leakage Soliciting healthcare feedback is one of the most efficient ways to identify gaps in the services provided and also understand issues which might be affecting patient retention and your revenue.

Instead of simply asking your patients if they’re satisfied by the service, specific questions can help you identify as well as address the issues with office and medical staff, communication, the patient portal, overall care as well as certain processes. Patient feedback can also help you in identifying the trends and understand whether these issues are happening more or less and which patient populations are most affected by these issues.

Now that you are aware of the importance of patient feedback, it is also essential that you know which feedback software to use. piHappiness should be your go-to solution when it comes to having a structured feedback system. We offer the fastest way to know the customer satisfaction level. piHappiness customer feedback form offers feedback-collecting Emoticons, Net Promoter Score® (NPS®), Dynamic Questionnaire and feedback forms to track customers’ opinion and satisfaction level. So go ahead and get your patient feedback from piHappiness now. For more details contact us here.