The best brands have a loyal fan-base. What makes a brand powerful and stand out are the raving fans in the background, telling everyone about a service or product that is absolutely amazing and has changed their lives for the better.

We believe it’s the same for urgent care centers. The healthcare industry as a whole is moving towards a model of care that is formed and shaped by the patient experience, as patients are able to be more selective about who their provider is. It is no longer about simply providing a service, but about creating a space where the patient feels cared for and valued. Urgent care centers are viewed as the retail of healthcare, where smart consumers pick and choose as needed. Grasping what it is that patients want should be a top priority.

Putting time and resources into improving the patient experience at your center can seem like tedious work, but surveys and polls have shown that there is great value in enhancing the patient experience. Many are touting the financial benefits of improving patient experience, as centers that focus heavily on the patient experience are likely to see patients return to their center and refer their friends and family.

In addition to helping bring in more revenue, positive patient experiences also benefit physicians. Physicians who prioritize listening to patient needs and showing empathy tend to result in fewer malpractice lawsuits against them. Patients are also more likely to follow instructions after their visit and heal at a quicker rate when they feel supported by their physician.  

So What Can You Do?

You don’t have to sacrifice quality of care in order to provide patients with an excellent experience. Here are three practical ways your center can start prioritizing patients.

Invest in a Culture Focused on the Patient Experience

In order to really make sure your center is gaining traction in improving the patient experience, you have to devote time to make it a part of your culture. Making small tactical changes can help, but big strides come when everything your center does is focused on the patient experience. In order to accomplish this, all staff members need to be on board and have adequate training on what a positive experience looks like. From the moment a patient walks in the door until their bill is paid in full, their experience should be positive and uplifting. Accomplishing this can seem like a huge mountain to climb, but by implementing this attitude into your center’s culture, you will be able to see everything from this perspective.

Provide Avenues for Feedback

This is one of the biggest steps you can take to help actively improve the patient experience. By providing avenues for communication, you will be able to see what people want and what they did not like about their experience. By having this available, you will be able to actively work on stated problems and begin improving.

Some practical ways to do this are surveys sent at the end of patient visits, business pages that offer reviews, and verbal feedback from patients.

Study Your Center

To provide a patient with an experience that is top notch and unmatched, your center should be doing everything possible to make sure it is working efficiently. Your workflows may seem hum-drum, but in reality, they can have a huge impact on a patient’s experience at your center. By studying the workflows in your center you will be able to see the gaps and know where you can improve. Every center has its own strengths and struggles, and the practice of knowing what your center is doing right and what it could improve on will help you in the long run.

Your center is important to us. As you continue to provide excellent care to your patients, we want to help you along the way. To hear more about how Practice Velocity can help you improve the patient experience in your center, schedule a demo today!