{"id":1485,"date":"2022-11-02T22:32:39","date_gmt":"2022-11-02T14:32:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.digitalpractice.co\/?p=1485"},"modified":"2022-12-16T11:52:37","modified_gmt":"2022-12-16T03:52:37","slug":"positive-patient-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.digitalpractice.co\/articles\/positive-patient-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"How to create a positive patient experience?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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positive patient experience<\/h1>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Simple roadmap to a positive patient experience\n<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Have you ever wondered why certain clinics attract more referrals and leads? The efforts put into a positive patient experience are often not the primary focus of a surgeon and yet\u2026they pay off. In a private health setup, competition and patient choice are key drivers and this is how you can make a difference.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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positive patient experience<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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How to create a positive patient experience?<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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\"Kris<\/figure>

Kris Borgraeve<\/h3>

November 2, 2022<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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What is your take on wait times?<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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wait times<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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When you live your professional life in the bubble that starts at Medical School\u2026there is always a risk that you may not be fully aware of people\u2019s feelings, as they \u2018go to the doctor\u2019.<\/p>

In this day and age, \u2018going\u2019 starts the very moment we take out our phone and start searching for a clinic, an individual specialist or a group practice.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\"Kris<\/figure>
Kris Borgraeve | Co-founder Digital Practice<\/span>

\"Some people have had negative experiences and they now dread going to the doctor. Wait times, paperwork, cost, uncertainty and the general complexities of the healthcare system all add up and this is where you can make a huge difference.\"<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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In a changed private healthcare landscape, it\u2019s no longer just about being an excellent doctor. Better patient experiences are created when a practice manages to reduce wait times, offer great customer service and make bookings easier.<\/p>

Bear in mind that the general feeling of \u2018having to wait\u2019 applies to different areas of your practice management:<\/p>

  • Your wait list: Once a patient needs treatment, having to wait weeks or months adds to the general feeling of stress.<\/li>
  • Your appointments: If patients always spend more time in the waiting room than they anticipated, there is an additional layer of anxiety, stress and inconvenience to deal with.<\/li>
  • Responsiveness: If patients have to wait hours or days to receive a response to a phone or email enquiry, again, it creates a feeling of being disempowered and helpless.<\/li><\/ul>

    If you are just starting out in private practice, or you are planning a reset, why not start here, with a number of positive patient experience tips to create the best possible patient experience.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    #1 Inform, educate and grow your authority<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    digital patient experience<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Paying attention to the digital patient experience<\/i> is a relatively new aspect of running a medical practice. We know that people use online search in many different situations. When they experience a symptom, when the GP mentions a condition, or when they have established that they need a specialist or a surgeon. You will want to make sure that your practice is easy to find in the first place.<\/p>

    And beyond that, you will want to make sure that patients come across your content as they start doing their research.<\/p>

    If your content does not show up when patients are first reading up on a condition, it is very likely that they are already developing a digital relationship with your competitors. The digital patient experience can be summarised as follows:<\/p>

    • The patient googles<\/i> for symptoms and conditions: In this phase, anyone who provides educational content in your catchment area might already be on the patient\u2019s radar as an expert.<\/li>
    • The patient does more online research<\/i> after having learned about surgery types, treatment pathways or solutions. Often after a consultation with the general practitioner. The positive patient experience is enhanced when a patient can find palatable, well-presented information on a medical website of a specialist in their area.<\/li><\/ul>

      So what makes a digital patient experience a positive one? Your capacity to inform, educate and build authority as a specialist doctor is one element. The quality of your web pages is equally pivotal.<\/p>

      Your website should be technically healthy and in line with the current standards. Simple, fast-loading, easy to navigate and responsive so it shows up correctly on phones and tablets. If one of those boxes is not ticked, Google will detect that and might not even rank you for specific searches, even if you think you have written a brilliant web page.<\/p>

      It goes without saying that you want your content to be AHPRA-compliant, relevant and accurate, and in line with web accessibility standards. Here at Digital Practice, we treat content as if it were part of a digital magazine, organising the information in a visually compelling way so the positive patient experience starts from the very second a patient lands on your website.<\/p>

      We notice that the About Page is the second most important page on any medical website, after the homepage. It means you will want to make sure you have a well-designed and well-written About page, so they get a clear indication of what to expect from your private practice and your team.<\/p>

      To make it a first impression that counts, don\u2019t forget to optimise your Contact Page, the essential page that allows patients to get in touch with your team.<\/p>

      In the video below, I demonstrate some of the positive patient experiences that start on the specialist\u2019s website.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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