Transcript
Hospital Hospitality
Ravi KumudeshMSc(SMgt)/BSc/Dip(MLT)
Sri Lanka Society for Medical Laboratory Scienceslsmls.org
How Delight your Patient ??
Times are changing !
Who’s the most important
person in the clinic?
• Doctors ?• Nurses ?• MLT ?• Receptionist ?• Accountant ?
Put Patients First !
Medical Practice
Traditional model
• Patient comes to doctor
• Doctor makes diagnosis
• Doctor treats• Patient gets better• Doctor is God
“ We are the best !”Why we continue to fool ourselves
• Only 1 of 20 unhappy patients bother to complain.
• Others walk out of your clinic and tell ten others about their bad experience.
Today’s Health Care Today’s Health Care SystemSystem
Patient
Health Insurance
GovernmentMedia
Doctor
The problem
• Unfortunately, while doctors are quite eager to discuss medicine, most are unwilling to talk about the nuts and bolts of practise management
• Don’t want to enrich the competition by giving away their “trade secrets” !
• We can learn together and help each other
Can you afford not to put your patient first ?
Marketing• Marketing is NOT a dirty word• Professional servicers have always marketed
themselves• Traditionally, it has been “word of mouth”
marketing• This is still the best type, but it takes time. This
is most worthwhile investment of your time !
Happy patients
• Happy patients are loyal• Refer other patients to your clinic • Help your medical staff perform
better by providing professional satisfaction• Improve your income !
Build a Patient Service Culture in your DNA
• Need to ensure your staff treats your patients well
• Create magic with–Right people–Right processes –Right environment
Staff – Our most valuable investment• Employ the right people and pay
them well . Losing patients can be expensive !• Train them. Respect them.
Appreciate them • Make sure your staff works well as a
team• Do not shout at them• Working in a hospital is
difficult. Help them to do their best
Staff – your most valuable investment
• How well does your staff treat your patients ?
• If we treat your staff well, they will treat our patients well !
Create processes to improve work flow
• Follow flowcharts for improving work flow!• Need processes which the staff can follow
How to answer the phone
How to greet a new patient
How to help them fill up a form
Doctors Need more time and usually create bottlenecks !
Clinic ambience
• Would you be happy sitting in your waiting rooms ?• Bathrooms should be spic and span• Play patient education videos while your
patients are waiting• Do not overbook - respect your patient’s
time
Invest in technology– Automate processes• Online appointment booking• Reminder SMSes to reduce “noshows”
–Learn from dentists and vets !–EMRs ( Electronic Medical Records) • Email test results to patients !
Telephone etiquette• How well is the phone answered ?• This is your hospital’s public face !–Answer phone within
3 rings• Emails• Mobile
Simple to do – but not easy !
• Need to understand your patient’s wants, needs and desires• We can learn a lot from 5 star hotels –
they put customers first • Ask your patients for help !
Measure patient satisfaction !“You get what you measure.”
• Comment cards–It was easy to get an appointment.–My doctor answered all my questions.–I would recommend this hospital to friends.
• Telephone calls after their visit.• Internet surveys by email• Mystery patients
Don’t Miss judge Don’t Misused
We are take pride in our
professional competencePatients have no way of
judging this. Some time assume all
are competent ! But ..? Judge by their behavior
Bedside manners
• “The patient will never care how much you know, until they know how much you care !”
The 10 Commandments1. The patient is never an interruption, the
patient is your work. Everything else can wait !
2. Greet every patient with a smile.3. Call patients by their name. 4. For patients, all staff members are as
important as the doctor !5. Never argue with a patient. Be a good
listener.
The 10 Commandments1.Don’t say, "I don't know.” Say “ I will find
out”.2.The patient pays your salary - treat him
like your boss !3.Choose positive words4.Always go the extra mile. Exceeding
patient expectations is the best way of keeping patients happy !
5.Brighten every patient's day. This will make your own life happier.
Dealing with unhappy patients• Dissatisfaction = Mismatch between
Expectation and Reality• Satisfied patients will tell three other people• Dissatisfied patients will tell 20 others. • However, if you can satisfy an unhappy
patient, he will tell at least 50 others, and become your most valuable ally !
How to handle angry patients! RAPSAND
• R = Re-establish rapport ( empathy)• A = Agreement ( get the patient to say Yes)• P = Problem ( define this)• S = Solution• A = Ask Permission ( is the patient happy with
the solution you have offered ?)• N = Next step ( Follow up)• D = Document
Commonest complaints patients have about hospitals• ??
Commonest complaints patients have about hospitals• Doctor did not explain properly• Not enough time with the doctor• Report Delay, Quality ???• Unnecessary long wait time • Billing mistakes• Rude staff• Lack of transparency about
costs
Bedside manner = empathy SOFTEN
S = SmileO = Open postureF = Forward lean T = TouchE = Eye contact N = Nod
Secret• Treat all patients as VIPs. • Respect them !
• The lifetime value of a patient
What are the Action Steps ??
What are the Action Steps ??
Come to your clinic as a patient• “ Mystery shopper”• Helps you to think like a patient !• Seeing things through the patient’s eyes
will make you more empathetic !
« Patient engagement, patient experience and patient centeredness » are no longer just buzzwords !
How does this matter ?• Happy patients have better treatment
outcomes !• More compliant because they are
engaged• Fewer medical errors , because they
keep the medical staff alert• Less likely to sue• Happier patients heal better !
Our mission and purpose
To cure sometimes,
to relieve often,
to comfort always
Patients come first!• Everything else is
paperwork !• Need to delight your
patients • one patient at a time
Happy Patients = Happy Doctors, Happy Nurses, Happy Staff and a Happy CEO !
slsmls.org
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