As a medical provider, you know the importance of having happy patients. And when it comes to measuring their happiness, there are two important metrics to evaluate: patient satisfaction vs. patient experience. What exactly do these terms mean? And how are they different? That’s what we’ll be explaining in this blog post.

What Is Patient Satisfaction?

Patient satisfaction is a quantitative metric that measures the patient’s level of happiness at any given point in time. It asks them to rank their experience from one to five stars, with five being “very satisfied.” During your initial visit with a new patient, you’ll typically document this rating on a form called an HCAHPS survey (Healthcare Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems). This data can then be compared against other providers who see similar patients. This allows for comparison between individual physicians as well as across larger groups, such as hospitals or medical practices. In addition to grading overall satisfaction levels, these surveys also ask specific questions about how long it takes before they were seen by someone, how often they were able to get in touch with someone about their questions, and how comfortable they felt discussing sensitive topics.

What Is Patient Experience?

Patient experience is a qualitative metric that looks at the patient’s actual experiences through a series of surveys, interviews, focus groups, etc. This can be done on an individual level by asking for feedback from every patient who comes into your practice or it could be done via social media sites like Yelp where patients leave reviews without being directly solicited by anyone.

How Patient Satisfaction and Patient Experience Differ

What’s the difference between patient experience vs. patient satisfaction? While satisfaction measures what people think of providers based on preconceived notions (often formed from marketing materials) and past experiences, experience goes beyond opinions to uncover the “why” behind them. For example: A new family doctor might have a perfect HCAHPS rating, but if they can’t listen to patients’ concerns and rush them in and out of the office without spending any time on treatment options or referrals, then their overall happiness won’t last long. Another example: A dermatologist might have a lower patient satisfaction rate because new patients don’t find it easy to book an appointment online so they call repeatedly only to be told there’s no availability for weeks. But if those same people had access via video chat, this would address their underlying concern (which is convenience) while increasing both satisfaction and experience at the same time. As you can see from these examples above, understanding how your metrics differ will help guide better marketing efforts as well as improve patient experience. For more assistance with how to measure patient satisfaction in healthcare, speak with Guideway Care. We offer patient conversion solutions that will work for you.

Chronic care management is the latest buzzword in the medical industry, but what does it mean for your practice? CCM has many benefits for providers and patients alike. This blog post will highlight some of the benefits that a chronic care management program offers for medical practices like yours!

Chronic Care Management Offers New Revenue Streams

Medical practices are focused on patient care. However, no doctor’s office can survive without sufficient income. This is a reason why CCM is so important to implement. Every patient actively engaged in your chronic care management program opens up a new stream of revenue. In most cases, each patient will help you earn an additional $500+ per year. Depending on how many patients you have enrolled in these programs, that is a lot of new revenue for mostly doing things you were already doing.

It Helps Patients Bond With Your Practice

While it isn’t a commercial business, branding and patient perceptions matter a lot. Because CCM means working with them more often and more directly, patients enrolled in your chronic care management program will develop a bond with your practice. This means that they are more likely to come back for additional visits and recommend you to their friends and family members.

You Better Meet Patients’ Needs

The last thing you want as a medical provider is to fall short of meeting the needs of your patients. Those who are actively engaged in a chronic care management program will have physicians and nurses who know their medical history. This means that you can better meet patients’ needs by providing treatment options based on their previous tests, conditions, and treatments.

Your Practice Will Be Valued More Highly

By offering such an innovative service to your patient population, your practice will be valued more highly. This can help you win a larger portion of the market, as well as receive higher ratings from patients and their loved ones.

You Can Improve Your Physician Brand

In order to attract new physicians to your practice, having a chronic care management program in place is an absolute necessity. By deploying such a program, you can better improve your physician brand and attract professionals who are passionate about taking care of patients in a holistic manner. Are you uncertain how to get your chronic care management offerings off the ground? Let Guideway Care help you. We will show you why long-term patient engagement tools are worth it.

The medical field is filled with abbreviations and acronyms, and at times, it gets confusing. Many of these terms are so close in meaning, they seem interchangeable. But even when they are very similar, there are key differences to be aware of. Electronic medical records (EMRs) and electronic health records (EHRs) are two terms that often get confused. They’re both important pieces of technology that have different functions. This blog post will define these two terms, explore the benefits of each, and explain how they are different from one another so you can make an informed decision about which one is right for your practice!

What Is an Electronic Medical Record?

An electronic medical record (EMR) is a system used to store and organize data about patient care. EMRs allow healthcare providers such as physicians, nurses, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, dietitians/nutritionists or therapists to digitize their paper records into an online format and make them more accessible within their practice.

What Is Electronic Health Record?

What’s the difference between EHR and EMR? Electronic health records (EHRs) are a more specific type of record that includes electronic data from patient encounters, administrative information about the practice, and billing. EHR is also different from an EMR in that it goes beyond just the medical aspects to take a more holistic look at the patient. EHRs are also designed to be shared among providers. This allows for collaborative treatment while still being within the bounds of HIPAA laws. As a result, it is easier for doctors to see things that would otherwise be missed and make important connections that aid in a diagnosis.

Which Is Better: EMR or EHR?

Both EMRs and EHRs can improve the quality of care patients receive as well as increase a practice’s efficiency. The difference between the two comes down to how they are best utilized for each individual or group. For example, an emergency room would benefit from using an EHR system because it allows every doctor treating a patient to have access to the same information. However, certain types of private practices might not need that level of access to all their patient records and would benefit more from EMR integration with limited sharing capabilities. No matter which is right for you, Guideway Care offers the platforms that will make your medical records work for you. To learn more, schedule your consultation or read about the benefits of an EHR built for innovation.

Why is patient satisfaction important?

In healthcare, competition for the share of the wallet of patients is increasing, making it even more important to keep patients satisfied with the care they receive. If patients are happy with their experience, they are less likely to switch providers. It is also important to note that patient satisfaction does not equate to the quality of healthcare. While the quality of healthcare your practice provides may be impeccable, patients may not perceive that if the receptionist was rude or they waited a few minutes past their appointment time to be seen and that is the patient satisfaction aspect.

Why Is Measuring Patient Satisfaction Important?

Knowledge is power and in the case of patient satisfaction in healthcare, the knowledge comes from data. By tracking a set of important metrics, you can formulate a plan to improve or maintain patient satisfaction and continue to keep your patients loyal and happy. Click here to learn more about how to improve the patient experience.

What Are the Main Ways to Measure Patient Satisfaction in Healthcare?

Request and Monitor Feedback

A great way to measure patient satisfaction is simply by asking the patients directly about how they view their interaction with your practice. This can be done in the form of a written survey, a follow-up call, a Facebook post, or even a text. Receiving feedback from patients allows your healthcare practice to be held accountable for the patient’s experience while interacting with your organization. Patients who are not happy with their experience, will not necessarily point it out unless they are asked. For best results, allow the patient the option to remain anonymous, this can be achieved by providing a “patient feedback” box in the reception or by sending out an online survey that does not require a name. The results from the survey, follow-up calls, and other forms of feedback should be tracked and monitored for trends. Turn the results into patient experience statistics that can be analyzed. Once analyzed, develop a plan to maintain or improve the metrics.

Follow Your Online Ratings

Our world becomes more and more digitalized every day and more people than ever rely on internet research to make healthcare decisions. Google and yelp reviews are two important places to start following to learn about how your patients view their interaction with your practice. You can also use google to find third-party review sites that may name your practice. Many of these third-party websites calculate patient satisfaction statistics in the form of a score assigned to your practice. These scores can be very helpful but it is important to understand how they are calculated to determine how well they align with your goals. For more nuanced guidance, contact Guideway Care.