Today’s patients are savvy consumers who know they have numerous options when it comes to choosing a hospital, clinic, or doctor. In a competitive healthcare marketplace fueled by online reviews, social media, and word of mouth, patient experience matters more than ever.

Your practice needs to stand out from the crowd – not just with a slick marketing campaign or a carefully curated Instagram feed, but by consistently providing superior care in a patient-centered environment.

If enhancing patient satisfaction is your goal, improvements in three key areas will net the greatest results: safety, convenience and accessibility.

1. Safety

Vigilance regarding patient safety and a constant quest for ways to improve should be a primary concern of every hospital or practice. From medication mix-ups to patient falls, many of the more common safety concerns can be easily addressed with simple changes:

• Allowing patients / advocates access to electronic records and clinician notes
• Using safety checklists before beginning any procedure or administering medication
• Implementing effective infection control protocols
• Creating a “fall-free” environment by eliminating slip and trip hazards, adding handrails and grab bars to hallways, doorways and washrooms, and designing ergonomic room setups where everything patients need is in easy reach.

2. Convenience

A key factor in improving the patient experience is recognizing that their time is just as important as yours. Requiring patients to wait in a long queue to register, fill out stacks of paper forms, and repeat medical histories to multiple practitioners is a recipe for frustration. From intake to discharge, many processes can be streamlined in a few simple, time-saving steps:

• Using ID scanners to swipe and digitally store patient registration information
• Digitizing intake forms and providing online access to allow patients to register in advance from home or work
• Providing tablets to patients for quick and easy completion of electronic forms
• Incorporating e-signature and digital payment solutions

3. Accessibility

Patient care doesn’t happen only during clinic hours. Ensuring patients can access help and information when and where they need it is an effective way to enhance care, improve outcomes, and boost patient satisfaction. Improving access to care is as easy as incorporating a few tech tools into your medical practice:

• Providing secure online access to patients’ electronic health records
• Facilitating online appointment scheduling and prescription refill requests
• Offering telehealth services in a variety of formats: text, email, live call, and video chat
• Incorporating the use of healthcare apps that allow for remote patient monitoring

If you’re ready to review and improve patient satisfaction at your healthcare facility, we can help.

From ID scanners and easy options for digitizing forms and records, to e-signature software, Ambir is proud to provide our healthcare partners with a variety of technology solutions designed specifically with their needs in mind. Click or call us to learn more.