Learn how a comprehensive patient experience strategy can enhance patient satisfaction, retention rates, and hospital reputation and put a plan into action.

A high-quality patient experience is a crucial goal for any hospital. Providing compassionate care and ensuring that patients feel comfortable and respected are paramount for healthcare providers. Hospital leadership teams know that not only is this the mission of the organization but it also is important for gaining a positive reputation and increasing patient satisfaction scores.

But, positive patient experiences don’t just happen because of compassionate care of front line workers and good bedside manner. In fact, improving patient experience begins at the top with hospital leadership developing an effective strategy that puts patients first and ensures that their expectations are met throughout their stay, from admissions to follow-up appointments.

Here we’ll explore some ways to maximize your hospital's potential with a comprehensive patient experience strategy that proactively addresses the elements that lead to patients having an exceptional hospital experience.

Understanding Why Patient Experience in Healthcare Matters

Patient expectations play a significant role in satisfaction levels. When hospitals understand the needs and expectations of their patients, they can tailor their services to satisfy those needs and create a positive experience across all touchpoints. Sometimes this is a matter of small, intuitive changes that make a significant difference on the patient experience. Without auditing and examining the hospital’s processes, these opportunities for improvement may never get noticed.

Building trust between patients and healthcare providers is essential for improving patient satisfaction, helping with adherence to treatment plans and ultimately leading to better health outcomes. Hospital leadership has an opportunity to gain a competitive advantage by creating a comprehensive patient experience strategy that differentiates the organization from its competition. This not only fosters trust with patients, but also ensures that every interaction leaves patients feeling heard, respected and valued. Ultimately, this leads to improved patient healthcare experiences, increased satisfaction levels, and improved business outcomes.

Harvard Business Review, in their piece “When Patient Experience and Employee Engagement Both Improve, Hospitals’ Ratings and Profits Climb,” reiterates these benefits, stating “Prior analyses of data collected by Press Ganey have shown that hospitals with better patient experience have better business performance.”  

What are the key benefits of a comprehensive patient experience strategy?

A comprehensive patient experience strategy can be a game-changer for any hospital with a chain of positive ripple effects reverberating down to the hospital’s bottom line. High patient satisfaction not only helps to elevate the quality of care, but such a strategy can also boost patient satisfaction and retention while improving a hospital’s reputation within the community. This all leads to enhanced employee engagement and cost savings for the hospital. Let’s examine these benefits a bit further:

Increased patient satisfaction

Patient satisfaction can be greatly improved by implementing strategies focusing on the following:

More streamlined communication

Enhanced facilities
with a focus on patient
comfort and convenience

Reducing
wait times

More
personalized care

Higher patient retention rates

Patients who are content with their experience at a hospital will be more likely to come back and recommend the establishment, resulting in higher patient retention rates.

Improved reputation

People are more likely to trust and have a better perception of the hospital’s services when they hear positive reviews from their peers. Hospitals are often ranked locally and regionally, and these scores and stats receive attention from the press, making high scores a potential valuable PR opportunity.

Cost savings

There are many ways higher patient satisfaction scores can lead to a reduction of costs, including eliminating unnecessary treatments and saving resources thanks to better communication between providers and patients. This can result in improved patient outcomes, reduced readmissions and increased loyalty.

Enhanced employee engagement

When employees see they can positively impact patient satisfaction, they are more likely to be motivated and engaged in their work.

Of course every hospital’s core mission is to provide the highest level of care to patients. As this list shows however, the benefits of patient satisfaction extend well beyond the individual patient. High patient satisfaction directly contributes to the long-term wellness of the organization, allowing it to not only continue its operations, but thrive and potentially grow.

Higher Patient Experience Ratings Are Associated with Higher Profitability

As noted, positive patient experiences have a direct correlation to higher hospital profitability, as they lead to increased follow-up appointments and referrals as well as savings on operational expenses.

On the other hand, negative experiences can have the opposite effect. Medicare's Value-BasedPurchasing (VBP) Program financially rewards hospitals that have better patient-reported experience scores. Therefore, enhancing patient satisfaction is important for hospitals seeking to reduce waste or service costs and improve their profitability.

What should be included in a patient experience strategy?

As you can see, there are many reasons to implement a comprehensive patient experience strategy. But what steps should be included in this measure? Below is a helpful checklist to follow to initiate and implement a patient experience strategy within a hospital system:

• Assess the patient experience and analyze patient feedback. Reviewing survey results and conducting focus groups to solicit patient satisfaction data.
• Develop a strategy to improve the patient experience with various pillars, including communication, staff training and facility design.
• Build trust and establish a good working relationship between healthcare providers and patients.
• Equip staff with the skills and knowledge to provide excellent patient care.

By taking these steps, hospitals can create a positive patient experience and improve their financial performance.

Relating Patient Experience to Other Quality Measures

• Improving areas identified by feedback from patients
• Demonstrating commitment to providing high-quality care
• Monitoring patient satisfaction
• Optimizing patient flow and wait times
• Taking into account patient safety and comfort

By focusing on these quality measures, hospitals can increase satisfaction among its patients, which leads to better health outcomes and fewer readmissions. Additionally, evaluating the impact of patient experience on financial performance will help hospitals identify opportunities for improvement and maximize profitability. By prioritizing patient experience through these quality measures, hospitals can ensure they are providing the highest level of care while achieving financial success.

Key Steps to Implementing an Effective Patient Experience Strategy

Implementing an effective patient experience strategy is essential for hospitals to improve their services and provide better patient care. There are five key steps to follow:

Define Your Goals

Identify your desired outcome and create a plan to achieve it.

Solicit Patient Input

Gather feedback from patients about what they like and dislike about their experiences at the hospital. Consider obtaining feedback at various stages of the patient journey and use a variety of methods for collecting feedback, such as through online surveys, postcard surveys, and SMS questionnaires.

Train Staff

Equip staff with customer service skills and ensure they understand the patient experience strategy.

Use Technology

Leverage technology such as electronic health records, online appointment scheduling, and text message reminders to make the patient experience more engaging.

Continuously Evaluate Results

Monitor patient feedback and track progress towards goals, making adjustments when necessary in order to keep your strategy on track.

Creating a comprehensive patient experience strategy not only will help to improve the patient experience within your hospital or healthcare system, but it is also a viable option for enhancing the bottom line and improving the financial health of a healthcare organization. By charting and continuously working on improvements to the patient experience, hospitals can gain momentum and empower their teams to take pride in their level of care and satisfaction.