Ciara Ferrier

What do patients need from their experience?

We can break this down to 5 areas of need:



1. ACCESS

Patients need to be able to contact your business to find out what you offer and if you can help them. They need to know what to expect and they need to have their expectations managed.

For example, how do people know if you can help them? How can they get an appointment? Most patients understand there is a waiting list, however they need clarity around what that waiting list looks like. What can they expect in terms of emergency or routine wait times? Where can they be seen and when?

A medical secretary virtual assistant will respond promptly to enquiries, giving patients the information they need, reducing the volume of patient chase-ups. They can collect initial information from patients and maintain lists, filling gaps in your diary in the event of cancellations.

2. COMMUNICATION

Once patients have accessed your service, good communication lets everyone know where they stand.

Communication is notable for its presence/absence, as well as how and when you communicate.

Prompt responses and clear information reduce patient anxiety.

Appointment reminders and follow-ups reduce cancellations, in turn reducing wait times.

Facilitating the consent process by sending out treatment plans and assisting patients to navigate your acceptance of treatment process improves patient understanding and uptake of treatment

3. JOURNEY

There are other components to a patient’s journey through your service, additional to their clinical time.

Do you have procedures in place to avoid losing notes/paperwork, scheduling appointments as appropriate and invoicing? Do your patients know where the various “stops” are along their journey? When will you invoice and how can they pay? Are there any adjustments or accommodations needed for a patient?

The ease with which a patient moves through your service can influence the satisfaction they feel with their experience.  

4. PERSONALISATION

How do you feel when someone remembers your name? It is warming to feel you are a name, not a number, and that you are valued as a service user or client.

Ensuring the experience is tailored to individuals can increase engagement with a service. A medical secretary virtual assistant will prioritise delivery of a personalised experience by customising or tailoring communications to patients.

CLINICAL FOCUS

If patients feel relaxed about their experience outside of their clinician-facing time, they have only clinical need to bring to their appointment.

Likewise, the clinician can have a greater focus on their patient.

 The work of your medical secretary virtual assistant has removed obstacles from your delivery of exceptional patient care.

How a virtual personal assistant adds value to patient experience

Growth

Satisfied patients are a source of positive reviews and a driver of leads or referrals. Engaging a medical secretary virtual assistant will improve the experience of your current patients while growing your client base at the same time – retain and gain.

Final thoughts