A study of nearly 35,000 online reviews of physicians nationwide has found that customer service from the medical staff and doctor is the chief frustration of patients, not physicians’ medical expertise and clinical skill.
“The nearly unanimous consensus is that in terms of impact on patient satisfaction, the waiting room trumps the exam room,” said Ron Harman King, co-author of the study and CEO of Vanguard Communications, a marketing and public relations firm for specialty medical practices.
“Our study uncovered a torrent of patient allegations of doctors running behind schedule, excessive waiting time to see a provider, billing problems, indifferent staff and doctors’ bedside manners. Yet hardly anyone had a beef with the quality of healthcare received.”
King noted that the absence of dissatisfaction with physician skills per se means practices should be able to improve online reviews with relative easily.
Read about the findings on Becker’s Hospital Review
About Vanguard Communications
We provide education-focused healthcare marketing with a strategy guaranteed to bring in new patients. Through our MedMarketLink program, Vanguard combines the disciplines of online and offline PR, strategic marketing and information technology for healthcare providers.