Are Your
Patients Happy with Your Practice?
Without question, your patients' health is your number one priority. But
their level of satisfaction is important, too. If you don't know how your
patients would rate your practice, a survey can tell you. The most obvious
reason to survey your patients is to provide feedback so you can make
improvements. Satisfaction surveys can also uncover problems that busy
physicians may not be aware of, especially in the front office.
There are other benefits, as well. A survey sends a message that you care
about your patients and are committed to improving their experience when
they come for an office visit. Satisfied patients will spread the word and
help your reputation--and your patient base--grow. The data you collect can
also be used to demonstrate patient satisfaction to hospitals and insurance
companies.
Select a Survey
If you plan to conduct a patient survey, you'll need to make several
decisions. Will you design your own or use one that has already been tested?
(Health care research firms can provide tested questionnaires and handle the
entire survey process.) Will you conduct the survey in the office, by mail,
online, by phone or use a combination of methods? The more responses you
receive, the more information you'll garner, so distribute the survey to as
many patients as possible. One final note: The survey should be completely
anonymous to ensure candid responses.
Plan for Changes
Be sure there is a strong consensus among your staff before you begin the
process. There should also be a firm commitment practice-wide to making
changes once the survey is completed and the results are analyzed. If you
meet resistance, be sure to remind your staff that happy patients can make
everyone's job easier.
Health Care Commentaries is
provided by Somerset’s
Health Care Team
for our clients and other interested persons upon request. Since
technical information is presented in generalized fashion, no final
conclusion on these topics should be made without further review. For
additional information on the issues discussed, please contact a member
of our Health Care Team. This
document is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for
the purpose of avoiding tax penalties that may be imposed on the
taxpayer.
Somerset CPAs,
P.C.
3925 River Crossing Parkway, Third Floor
Indianapolis, Indiana 46240
317.472.2200 • 800.469.7206 • FAX 317.208.1200
www.SomersetHealthCareTeam.com
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