Online Reviews Gauge Patient Satisfaction

Tips to help medical practices get positive online reviews

In this edition of “The Wired Practice,” Ron Harman King of Vanguard Communications discusses why patient satisfaction is much more important than bedside manner, and the three steps to address online complaints.
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Video transcript

Everyone in healthcare is talking about patient satisfaction these days, often for two reasons: For hospitals especially, patient satisfaction has become a significant factor in reimbursements. And the rise of online reviews has us all paying attention to patient opinions on the internet.

My most important point today is that patient satisfaction is about much, much more than bedside manner. In a study of nearly 35,000 online reviews of healthcare providers, my firm, Vanguard Communications, found that the unhappiest patients are surprisingly pleased overall with the QUALITY of care from doctors. Instead, patients are most dissatisfied with communications with caregivers and their staffs. In a whopping 96 percent of cases, a lack of clear information was the fundamental cause of one- and two-star reviews on the internet. Amazingly, online reviewers complained about clinical care and outcomes less than four percent of the time.

Hey, great news here: this is an easy problem to fix. In fact, our research shows that three simple things can reduce patient complaints and online criticisms by one-third or more.

To understand those three easy steps, let’s look at the patient experience in four stages. For most patients in the 21st century, stage one is a visit to a hospital’s or practice’s website or a doctor’s profile in an online directory. Sometimes patients are only looking for a phone number or address or directions. Other times patients study reviews of a doctor and read carefully about providers, procedures and a variety of healthcare information. Either way, I call this first stage iContact.

Stage two of the patient experience is the First Touch, when a patient calls a practice or electronically requests an appointment through a website.

Stage three is the Warm Welcome during the patient’s arrival at a clinic or hospital. And stage four is the Continuing Journey of Care, which includes patient experiences past the reception area, from exam rooms to operating rooms to post-operative visits and so on.

The three steps to reduce online patient complaints

The three easy steps occur in stages two and three, the First Touch and the Warm Welcome. The first step is to adopt live telephone answering, ideally within four rings, and never ever putting anyone on hold. My experience is that the phone attendant in a hospital or clinic is often the lowest paid and most distracted employee. Honestly, this is a shameful reality. Healthcare is a service, after all. And it seems every healthcare professional boasts of excellence in care. But how much do you really care when a patient’s first impression comes from a hurried receptionist answering multiple phone calls while also greeting patients, making photocopies of insurance cards, and signing for delivery of a package?

The second easy step to patient satisfaction occurs at stage three, the Warm Welcome. A receptionist should greet each patient with The Amiable Trio: a friendly hello, a sincere smile, and direct eye contact – the three elements of a truly warm welcome. And no patient should have to wait at reception for more than one – or at most, two – patients ahead of him or her. Additionally, the greeter should also inquire if the patient needs something to drink or directions to the restroom.

The third easy step is to provide an estimate of how long the patient’s wait will be, and then – pay close attention here, please, this is crucial – to update that estimate as needed. Our research has found that patients are routinely quite content to wait 15 to 20 minutes to see a nurse or doctor. And surprisingly, data demonstrates CLEARLY that patients don’t mind waiting much longer – even up to an hour or more – if a staffer apologies for a provider running behind schedule due to an unexpected clinical complication or emergency. Remember, patients are generally compassionate and understand that someday THEY may be the ones needing extra time with the doc. Even so, the greeter should update each waiting patient every 15 minutes at minimum and also offer to reschedule the appointment. Finally, if you really want to earn patient satisfaction, do what some five-star doctors do – hand out five-dollar gift certificates to a local coffee shop to every patient waiting more than 15 minutes.

Okay, one more easy step – a bonus – is a small change that can make all the difference: Don’t call it a waiting room. Call it the Greeting Room or The Reception Area. The nomenclature change signals your dedication to prompt service. Overall, these simple actions may seem painfully obvious, but I must tell you that in my experience, only a small fraction of provider groups have implemented them. And those are usually the ones with above-average patient satisfaction, terrific online reviews, and undying patient loyalty.