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4 Things Your Patients Really Want From Your Healthcare Clinic

4 Things Your Patients Really Want From Your Healthcare Clinic

4 Things Your Patients Really Want From Your Healthcare Clinic

If you’re looking to improve the experience your patients have with your healthcare clinic, you’ve come to the right place. Today we’re going to talk about the 4 things your patients really want from your healthcare clinic.

A Smoother Patient Intake Experience

Have you tested your patient intake process? How long does it take for your patients to complete their paperwork before their appointment? Is there enough time allotted? How long does it take for your front desk office staff to make changes to patient information and make copies of their insurance information?

While it is a good idea to ask for updates on patient information every time a patient comes in, your patients should not have to fill out the same paperwork. Your office staff should ensure that all documents are placed into the right files by the end of the working day. This could mean that you need more staff. It can be highly irritating for your patients to be asked to continue to fill out documents they know they’ve completed that were lost or misplaced by office staff.

Another option to improve your patient intake is to scan documents into the computer instead of keeping paper documents. Even if your healthcare clinic elects to keep the paper copies, the scanned documents can be beneficial. It’s a backup copy for your office if the paper copy is lost or misplaced.

You can also elect to complete some of your patient intake over the phone. Collecting basic information over the phone and opening the file during the phone call can cut down on the amount of time that patients spend filling out paperwork. Did you know that Clients ARM provides patient intake services? To learn more about how we can help your healthcare clinic, contact us.

Better Understanding of Payment Options

Medical care is expensive and sometimes it can feel out of reach for patients even if they have health insurance. Calling a health insurance company can be overwhelming for your patients. They may not get through. They may get passed around from person to person. They may not understand what they are told. Maybe what they are told isn’t the same billing schedule as what your healthcare clinic uses.

Your patients really want and need to gain a better understanding of their payment options for medical care. The start of this conversation should begin when the appointment is first made. Make sure that your patients know that they need to bring their identification, insurance card, and money for their copayment. Ask if they know what their copay is. If they don’t, your office staff should be able to tell them.

When it comes to procedures, lab tests, and other medical needs, make sure that your patients know their payment options. Is it covered by their insurance? If so, help them find out what portion they will be responsible for covering. This is important since many health insurances don’t cover much unless your patients first pay their deductible. If your healthcare clinic sets up payment arrangements, make sure that your patients know about it.

Another option is to help your patients get the financing that they need for medical care. By doing this, you’d get paid in full. Clients ARM offers a free program to help patients find personal loans so that they can pay for their medical care in full. You can either direct your patients to call us or you can send them to our website to use our Hello Finance Manager tool. Again, this tool is free and it can be used by your patients to pay you in full.

They Want to Feel Heard

Seeing a medical professional can be an experience that causes anxiety for many people. Your patients are coming to see you because they either need a check up and want to make sure that there are no problems or because they think they have a problem. Regardless of why they are coming to see you, make sure that your patients feel like you’re truly listening to them and their concerns.

Feeling heard is a big deal according to the NCBI. When patients feel like you’re truly listening, it creates a better bond. They’re more likely to ask questions and to be honest with you. Make sure that you take the time to answer questions and provide the explanations that your patients want and need. Address their emotions. Show them that you do care.

Patients Want Options

Sometimes patients want options because they can’t afford the best medical treatment. Sometimes they want options because they want to feel like they are in control of their healthcare. Sometimes they want options because they’re interested in improving their lives. Regardless of why your patients want options, help them learn about what they can do. Maybe there isn’t another treatment that they can choose, but maybe you can introduce them to lifestyle changes that they can make. Could they take more vitamins and exercise to feel more energetic? Could they choose between two different medications for their cholesterol?

Even if you just provide a small option, you’ll strengthen your relationship with your patient.

Clients ARM Provides Services for Healthcare Clinics

If your healthcare clinic needs help with patient intake, insurance claims, medical coding and billing, patient services, or other back office services, call Clients ARM. We have more than 30 years of experience in helping healthcare clinics meet their goals and improve the relationship that providers have with their patients. To learn how we can help, give us a call. There’s absolutely no obligation.