The Patient Experience Begins With the First Call
One of the simplest recommendations I can give any healthcare organization is this:
Call your own practice.
Not as the owner.
Not as the office manager.
Call as if you were a brand new patient trying to schedule an appointment. Then call again as an existing patient with a question.
- How easy was it to find the right department?
- Did the phone menu make sense?
- Were you offered a callback if no one was immediately available?
- Could you send a text instead?
Most importantly…
Would you continue trying to schedule an appointment, or would you move on to another practice?
For many patients, that first phone call is their first impression of your organization. Before they meet your providers, walk through your doors, or experience the care your team provides, they have already formed an opinion based on how easy, or difficult, it was to reach someone.
Healthcare organizations continue to face growing expectations from patients. People want convenient scheduling, clear communication, and multiple ways to connect with their providers. At the same time, appointment desks are handling more calls than ever while balancing scheduling changes, insurance questions, prescription requests, patient concerns, and countless other responsibilities throughout the day.
This is not a reflection of your staff.
In many cases, it is simply a reflection of how much their responsibilities have grown.
That is why periodically evaluating the patient experience is so valuable.
Small Changes Can Have a Big Impact
One of the biggest misconceptions I see is that improving the patient experience always requires a major technology project.
In reality, some of the most meaningful improvements are surprisingly simple.
Maybe your phone menu was created years ago when your practice had fewer providers or departments. As your organization has grown, those options may no longer reflect how patients actually need to reach your team.
Perhaps patients are waiting on hold to ask questions that could easily be answered through a text message or an online scheduling option. Maybe callers are selecting the wrong department because the menu options are unclear, creating unnecessary transfers and frustration for both patients and staff.
None of these challenges mean your current system is failing.
They simply highlight how practices evolve over time.
Just as healthcare organizations regularly review clinical workflows and operational processes, it is equally valuable to review the communication experience your patients have every day. Small adjustments to your call flow, routing, messaging, or communication options can often create a noticeably better experience without requiring a complete technology overhaul.
Simple Improvements to Consider
Patients may never notice the work you’ve done behind the scenes to improve communication, but they will notice when it becomes easier to reach the right person the first time.
Sometimes the answer is as simple as updating your phone script or reorganizing your call flow so patients reach the correct department more quickly. Other practices may benefit from:
- Offering callbacks during busy periods
- Expanding business texting
- Improving online scheduling
- Making it easier for patients to communicate using the methods they prefer
Small improvements throughout the patient journey can make a meaningful difference, not only for your patients, but also for the staff managing those interactions every day.
Looking at Your Practice Through a Patient’s Eyes
One question I often encourage healthcare organizations to ask themselves is:
If I were a patient calling today, would this experience make me feel confident about choosing our practice?
If the answer is not an immediate “yes,” there may be opportunities to improve.
Technology continues to change and enhance the way healthcare organizations communicate with patients. New solutions continue to make scheduling easier, reduce administrative workloads, and create a better overall patient experience.
The goal is not to implement every new technology available.
The goal is to periodically evaluate whether your current technology still supports your patients, your staff, and the way your practice operates today.
Final Thoughts
The patient experience begins with the first call because, for many healthcare organizations, that is still the first interaction a patient has with your practice.
As technology continues to evolve, more communication options are becoming available. Whether that is business texting, online scheduling, or other tools that improve convenience, every practice should periodically evaluate whether those solutions would benefit both patients and staff.
If it has been a while since you have experienced your practice through the eyes of a patient, pick up the phone and make that call.
You may be surprised by what you learn.
Curious How Your Patient Experience Compares?
If you haven’t evaluated your communication systems in a while, it may be worth taking a fresh look. Sometimes the biggest improvements come from small changes that make it easier for patients to reach your team and easier for your staff to manage daily communication.
At USA Communications, we provide complimentary Technology Assessments to help healthcare organizations evaluate their current phone systems, internet connectivity, communication workflows, cybersecurity, cloud services, and more. Whether we identify opportunities for improvement or simply confirm that everything is working well, our goal is to help you make informed technology decisions.