Improving the patient experience can result in big wins for your business. Is your technology improving life for your staff and patients — or making it worse?
Improving the patient experience can result in big wins for your business. Is your technology improving life for your staff and patients — or making it worse?
With social media, blogs and online ratings, it can be difficult for dental offices and other service businesses to hide any shortcomings in their overall operations. Patients are all-too-willing to go online and discuss any problems that might occur, making it vital that your technology and staff are able to work together to provide a seamless experience for your patients. Slow networks, confusing questionnaires, slow email, sketchy security — if your dental office is suffering from any of these technology challenges, it’s extremely important to resolve them before they are able to negatively impact your patients. Updating your dental office technology may be the key puzzle piece that you’re missing in order to provide an optimal experience for every patient . . . every time.
Many dental offices work hard to keep their healthcare technology up-to-date, engaging the latest lasers, photography and X-ray equipment that allows superior diagnostics for patients and reduces stress on doctors and technicians. However, is your business support technology keeping pace? Poor practices in terms of data security, compliance and billing can cause an operational nightmare for your team, and frustrate your patients who simply want to complete their visit quickly and efficiently. Something as simple as a multi-hour power outage or a significant data breach could cost your business tens of thousands of dollars in lost revenue — plus shake the confidence of your patients. With so many options available, it’s crucial to your business growth that you maintain a positive face in the community, but that can be quickly shaken by the presence of poor reviews on Google or Yelp.
Increasingly, healthcare clinics and dental practices are focusing on how to enhance the patient experience. This can go far beyond having a pleasant face at your receptionist’s desk and offering free water or coffee and enhanced TV in your waiting room. Your patients’ experiences are the sum total of their visit — from how easily they can create an appointment through to the final billing and followup processes. “The government has done us a favor in the sense that they lit the fire around holding clinicians accountable, for not just clinical and quality metrics but also experience metrics,” said Adrienne Boissy, MD, MA, director of the Center for Excellence in Healthcare Communication, staff neurologist at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Patient Experience. “For those of us in caregiving, it gives us added reason to do what we already do.” How quickly and easily your staff is able to process information also plays a part in providing a pleasant and consistent experience for patients in your dental office.
Efficient operation of your dental practice is one of the keys to ensuring your patients not only enjoy their visit — but rave about your business to others. This steady stream of personal referrals is less expensive than advertising, and can add a great deal to your bottom line. Want to see how to make your dental practice more efficient and effective at serving your patients? Contact the professionals at NOVA Computer Solutions today at 888-711-3234. We specialize in providing trusted and reliable IT support for dental practices. Receive a free initial consultation when you reach out online to speak with a dental tech expert today!
