Today is an ideal time to improve services and relationships with patients.
You can begin the process by walking through your facility just as if you were a patient. Take the time to observe the procedures from your clients perspective as they enter into your services.
Facilities have made a lot of claims about going paperless these days but have they? Really? Notice that we still have to fill out the same 4 – 5 pages of forms when visiting our doctors. These forms are handed to us with barely a hello. Not much different than the days before computers, while receptionists continue sitting behind windows and walls.
The idea behind CEO’s and other managers doing personal walk-throughs should be to identify the barriers and practices that are failing to make use of modern technology and also fail to live up to the message you want to give patients about your services. But you need to go further than the waiting room.
This is not so much about how staff treat your customers as it is about the kinds of processes and barriers Facilities put customers through. While you may not ordinarily think about these processes they quickly add up to a negative experience for patients. Often we recommend the use of mystery shoppers programs with professional people contacting your organization as prospective patients. Safeguards are built-in, to let you and your staff know how they’re doing with communication and courtesy skills.
Many programs providing healthcare find a host of negatives needing attention. How often are pillows replaced? In several instances, towels are so small, our grandchildren would find it hard to dry themselves. Staff seldom even see these kinds of issues or pay little attention to such details.
Experiencing your organization the way a Family member does or through the eyes of patients can be an eye-opening experience.
