What is Patient Centric Care? Why it Matters to Every Provider?
The healthcare industry revolves around its patients for it is for them that the medical industry is set up. The pangs of the patients are increasing each day with the diversification of the diseases. The COVID-19 pandemic, for instance, is a big example of how a major disease can wreck people's lives and the world adversely. Not only this, but the outset of the dreaded pandemic also struck a major blow at the heart of the healthcare industry as well, which though was unsettling in the initial stages but finally it sailed through to this day. Here, it is the patient centric approach of the medical sector that made this possible without any doubts.
Patient centricity in healthcare is as important as customer-centricity in the other domains. Whether it is an IT firm or a services company, a physical cosmetics store, a retail pharmaceutical shop, or an eCommerce venture, the customers are ought to be considered as their assets. This is why they should prioritize the customers and their wants and needs before anything else. The same goes for the healthcare industry, which runs for the patients, meaning that the patients should be well provided for by the hospitals and practices.
What is patient centric care in simple terms?
This practice of preferring the patients over anything and anyone else in the medical sector is popularly termed as the patient centric approach. Patient centric care helps practices a lot by improving its reputation and revenues and growing the overall business. The healthcare practices that prioritize the patients directly empower them to stay as active participants along with extending optimum care to them. To bring about patient centric care, the practices need to unitedly consider the benefits of the patients more than anything else. They also need to ensure that all of their medical staff and departments unitedly act for bettering the overall care extended to the patients.
Why is patient centricity important in healthcare?
Patient centricity has always been important in the healthcare industry not only because of the fact that the patients are the center of all things that the sector stands for but because they bring the majority of the revenues that the sector collects annually.
Though earlier the patient centric approach is what most of the practices lacked worldwide, with the growing digitalization and the increasing awareness that is spread among the people and the organizations globally, developing a patient centered approach is what more and more practices are looking for.
The healthcare practices, hospitals, and clinics are multiplying each day, and with this, the competition in the healthcare industry has more than doubled today. The US healthcare industry was last valued at over $700 billion, when reported in September 2021 and this is possible because of the patient centric approach that the sector encourages.
In this digital age that we are living, most of the patients are aware of the healthcare industry and the nearest medical and dental care practice, and the average cost of the doctor visit and the tests. Not only this, but they are also alert and informed about the facilities that practice should provide them with and the expense they need to bear for the same. Besides, it is important to note that in any of these steps, if there is anything that the patients are dissatisfied about, then they can easily switch their healthcare provider without any second thoughts.
Patients switching the healthcare providers need to be avoided at any costs by the practices simply because it is detrimental to them and the whole world of healthcare units. Nearly two-thirds of the US patients would likely switch their healthcare providers if they fail to meet their expectations of treating their patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The patient centric approach, however, can bring in the change for good with some benevolent, patient centric approaches, cutting-edge medical office software, and solutions, and the zeal to extend the best healthcare possible for the patients. Here, GrowPractice, with its innovative, leading-edge medical office software and solutions is rapidly changing the perceptions of the patients and bringing in a patient centered approach to the healthcare industry of now.
A majority of the patients still reveal that they are dissatisfied with the ways they are treated at a healthcare unit and the lack of transparency that they find at the practices. This lack of patient satisfaction is what most providers are concerned about, which is why they are gearing up to establish patient centricity in healthcare and boost their reputation and revenues.
A List of Advantages that Patient Centric Approach brings Practices!
Patient centricity is a crucial element that directly influences patient satisfaction ratings because optimum care is what the patients want along with a decent patient experience. If you are still wondering why you should adopt a patient centric approach, then you don't have to rethink because here we have curated a list of benefits that patient centric care brings the medical/dental practices. So, without further ado, let's delve into the list of advantages of patient centered care:
Enhanced patient satisfaction
Patient satisfaction plays a major part in influencing the satisfaction ratings and reviews of the patients, which in turn, helps the providers earn a good name for themselves. Here, a patient centric approach is something that should be considered right ahead of everything else because patient centricity shown by a practice helps the patients realize that they are a part of the industry.
Improved practice reputation
Patient centricity in healthcare is crucial for the practices. Always remember that one satisfied patient can bring in thousand others, and this depends upon how they are treated by their medical/dental care providers. The medical practices in turn garner quite a reputation if they manage to bring in patient centric approaches and practices.
Better workflow
Be it a practice or any other healthcare unit, workflow is what they want but only some manage to deliver the same. Here, if they bring about patient centric care, they would also be able to tailor their workflow. A defined workflow is not only important for the patients to get the care they want but also helps the practice minimize the expenditure of their money and other resources on a bundle of other unnecessary stuff.
Furthermore, it is discovered as per the latest surveys that around 1 in 5 healthcare workers has left their jobs since the pandemic outbreak. Therefore, limited manpower and resources are evident right from the first impression. This problem can easily be solved along with many other sets of issues with customized workflow from GrowPractice, which will benefit the patient practices more than ever.
Better Retention
A patient centric approach on behalf of the practices would certainly delight the patients and this will foster better patient retention. As learned from the recent statistical data, over 60% of the younger patients might look for a switch in their healthcare providers as a result of poor digital experience and an appalling number of patients leaving their practices due to inexperienced doctors, repelling behaviors of the practice workers and the lack of healthcare equipment and testing facilities for sure.
All of these can be attended to by developing an approach that centers around the patients the practice sees. However, if you want to get rid of all of these worries, then GrowPractice is a one-stop solution that you can put your trust in. The improved patient and practice management software, medical and dental office solutions, and more will greatly change the perceptions of the patients and bring in better retention. GrowPractice already boasts of multiplying the patient retention rate by over 48% to date!
The attraction of more patients
Attracting new patients is a challenging task with a whole range of established chains of hospitals and practices and the emergence of new practices each day. However, it is less of a deal if the practices are reinforced with a patient centered approach and cutting-edge medical software and systems.
Multiplied revenues
Patient centric care means prioritizing the patients, which helps them realize the importance of good practice and rewards the practice instead. The word of the mouth marketing steps in benefit for the practices that encourage patient centric care, leading to more new patients, retention of the old patients, and a major boost of the patient revenues. Going for GrowPractice alongside a patient centric approach has already proven an increase of around 20% in the collection rates of the practices.
Proper utilization of resources
Our resources are as precious as we are, moreover, they need to be preserved for future generations to thrive on this planet without any major obstacles. Here, the usage of paper plays a major role in influencing the overall environment of the Earth. A healthcare office, on average, uses around 10,000 sheets of paper, which means an unimaginable number of trees.
This directly harms the world and its inhabitants dearly. Paperless patient intake, online bookings, patient check-ins, and more, on the other hand, helps in utilizing the resources adequately and preserving the trees. GrowPractice offers improved paperless facilities for the practices to reduce the long waiting hours of the patients and helps the practices cut costs because using papers is also quite expensive, which many of us are unaware of. With its paperless methods, GrowPractice promises to cut down paperwork by 80%.
Better patient care
Extending optimal patient care is something no practice can compromise with. Therefore, garnering optimum resources, experienced hospitals, and medical workers, implementing the latest diagnostic equipment, and improving medical office software from Growpractice is fundamental for the practices of now. This will ensure the practices better their care and boost their overall reputation.
These points more or less sum up the patient centered care benefits, if you were looking for the same and would definitely help you lift your productivity, and concentrate more on your patients to get an edge over your peers and rivals.
Easy Ways to Bring Patient Centricity in your Healthcare Practice!
The above-mentioned benefits have already given you enough hints about how to improve patient centered care, however, if you are still wondering to have some easy and effective tips handy to bring patient centricity in your healthcare practice, then don't worry. This is because here we have decided that in this section we will provide you with some easy-to-follow methods to improve your patient centric approach.
Here's to some easy ways to go by the patient centric care or implement a patient centered approach in your practice:
Let patients wait for less
Patient waiting time has always been one of the major pain points of practice. A majority, comprising of around 84% of the patients, are of the opinion that the patient wait times play a significant role in influencing their overall experience. Besides, it is also important to know that around 30% of the patients leave their providers due to increased wait times. This can however be avoided with the implementation of paperless forms, cutting-edge medical office systems, and software that are powered by the digital ways by GrowPractice.
Reduce billing hassles
Billing errors are prominent when it comes to the medical industry. Nearly 80% of the patient bills and an alarming 50% of the medicare claims contain errors. Billing errors, both underbilling and overbilling cost the practices dearly. While the former cost the practices and hospitals a major portion of their revenues, the latter leads to a face loss. Around $68 bn is lost by the practices annually due to billing errors.
It has also been seen lately by the survey that around 74% of the patients continue to receive medical bills via paper methods. This accumulates to a huge expenditure that the practices need to bear and can be dramatically reduced with the implementation of the online billing processes offered extensively by Growpractice along with its medical office solutions. A reduction of the billing hassles would drag the expenses down and help the practices of today earn more by providing decent care without wasting much on paper and manual billing.
Onboard patients digitally
Survey reveals that around 41% of patients prefer to go for a provider that extends digital experiences for its patients and stated that they might even look to switch their current providers on the grounds of offering an unsatisfactory digital experience. This is why while you plan to develop patient centric care, you need to go for onboarding the patients digitally.
The digital patient appointment scheduling procedures from GrowPractice help the patients book their appointments anytime and from anywhere without any prominent hassles.
Check-in patients and intake them digitally
Along with an effective patient booking process, the patients shall also be encouraged to fill up their intake forms and be checked in online without waiting for them for long hours. A smooth and effective check-in coupled with online patient intake forms helps the patients get on with their digital journey without any major worries. Besides, with improved systems from GrowPractice, the patients, along with scheduling their appointments 24*7 effortlessly, can also reschedule or cancel their appointments.
Customize your workflow
A patient workflow is a crucial aspect of a patient's journey. A workflow is what actually defines the route of a patient and empowers them to get the utmost of the care they receive. GrowPractice helps the practices of today fully customize their workflow, which varies from patient to patient, as per their health information. The customized workflow will not only help the patients stay engaged at every step of their journey but also help the practices get the most of their resources and help them lend in a patient experience that is superior in nature.
Stay transparent
Transparency is needed in every step of the healthcare industry. Whether it is the costs, the diagnostics, or the wait times, it is the transparency of the practices that matter.Going by the statistics, around 60% of the patients try to get the out-of-pocket costs from their healthcare providers ahead of care, but unfortunately, 51% of them don't manage to derive the same easily or accurately, which is much of a reason for dissatisfaction and the falling of the patient satisfaction ratings. However, this can be easily reversed by helping the patients have an idea about their costs on an upfront basis. The uncertainty of the wait times too, causes the patients to be anxious and ultimately remain dissatisfied. Therefore, transparency is the key when it comes to practices.
Go for easy online solutions
Extending online solutions for the patients is one of the fundamentals of developing an approach that is patient centric but patient centric solutions also call for ease online systems and solutions. Here's where GrowPractice steps in with its easy medical and dental office, patient, and practice management solutions that are easy and interactive for the patients.
Embrace a secure medical/dental office solution
Amidst the drive for digitalization, security is a primary element that most practices forget about. A convincing 78% of patients stated that they go for a secure online method when it comes to accessing their medical histories and sharing their personal information with their doctor. Even when it comes to scheduling their own appointments, more than 80% of the patients strive to go for a secure portal. All of these security needs need to be fulfilled before a healthcare practice can boast of having patient centric care and with GrowPractice the practices don't have to worry anymore about missing out on any of them.
Engage the patients all the while
Engaging the patients is a tough task indeed and the practices rarely can achieve the same even with their digital methods. This is where GrowPractice scores by its unique facility of customized patient workflow, with which it promises to engage the patients at every step of their healthcare journey in their in-person or telehealth visit. Furthermore, GrowPractice also brings the interactive facility of letting the patients interact with the practices of healthcare providers via the two-way texting facilities.
Let patients pay the way they want
The patients now want to pay their providers leveraging a bundle of options that are available to them. Cash has always been the option earlier, which is now changing because of the increasing risk of carrying cash and contamination, especially in the pandemic times, of the deadly disease. GrowPractice thus brings easy SMS payment links for the patients to pay their providers without any hassles. The ease of patient payments would certainly help them gear their patient centricity in healthcare and ultimately improve the patient feedback and reviews along with enhancing the patient collections.
Measure patient satisfaction and improve
The satisfaction of the patients is surely important and gaining an insight into the same plays a crucial role indeed for the patient practices. This is now possible with the patient surveys and reviews that they can fill online and GrowPractice helps them do so without any hindrances. Getting adequate feedback and reviews from the patients would help the practices look for the obstacles that the patients are facing and improve them step by step to streamline the patient's journey.
Embrace the patient centered approach and strengthen it with GrowPractice!
You are never late to seize the ultimate patient centered approach with GrowPractice by your side. The trailblazing solutions that GrowPractice adorns a practice with are purely unparalleled. Here are a few of the things that GrowPractice can add to your office and the practice, in general, to ramp up the patient centricity along with the revenues:
Need to learn more about GrowPractice, its services, and its advantages? Then reach out to them now!
