How to Increase Patient Visits

As a hospital administrator or CPO, you must be asking yourself how to increase patient visits. After all, the number of patients you see on an annual basis is what drives your bottom line. Your profits come from the revenues of your patients and it is through great patient care that you keep them coming back for more.

One key element in patient satisfaction is the number of patient appointments scheduled for each individual day. If a patient has too few appointments – or has to wait too long – they will quickly lose their interest and this will have an effect on your bottom line. Your revenue is directly affected by how many patients you see on a daily basis and it is imperative that you keep your patients happy and on-time. There are other elements to good healthcare management and one of these is keeping patient appointment times as short as possible. Here are some ways to accomplish just that.

– Make sure your nurses are on time. According to a 2021 study published by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the majority of women who visit hospitals have to be admitted to the hospital at least one time during their pregnancy. As a result, ACOG recommends that hospitals make sure that their nurses are on time the vast majority of the time. They state that keeping patients in the drivers seat during labor and delivery is critical to not only the safety of the mother but also of her newborn. According to the ACOG, hospitals should make sure their nurses are not only on time but that they are courteous and polite to their patients.

– Make sure that your doctors are on time. Patients like to see the faces behind the faces of their doctors. If they know that the physician they see is taking care of them and seeing their patients in a polite manner then they are far more likely to experience a greater sense of patient satisfaction. This is not to say that there are no exceptions. The majority of doctors agree that sometimes patients are difficult to work with but with good communication and courtesy, patients will tend to be more satisfied with their care.

– Invest in reliable healthcare crm software. There are many different types of medical billing and customer service software available to healthcare providers. Many of these programs come with features specifically designed for helping doctors and nurses interact with patients. While some may think that investing in such software is expensive, there are affordable healthcare crm software options available that meet the needs of smaller healthcare organizations.

– Invest in risk management. As technology advances and becomes more prevalent in the medical community, it is vital that medical professionals adopt risk management techniques so that they can reduce the overall liability risk of treating patients. When patients have high levels of patient satisfaction and better access to healthcare professionals, it is likely that those professionals will be more caring and patient oriented, resulting in less litigation and loss of patient information.

– Invest in patient satisfaction surveys. As a part of an overall quality improvement program, many hospitals and healthcare facilities ask patients about their experiences at the facility. These reports, called patient satisfaction surveys, not only allow administrators to see what kinds of problems are common, but they can also show how each aspect of patient care has improved over time. Using the survey as a tool helps to quantify improvements, which in turn makes it easier to assess long-term successes. In addition, there is research that shows that patient satisfaction surveys lead to a significant decrease in litigation. In other words, a large part of the money spent on improving healthcare facilities results in fewer mistakes and, ultimately, fewer dollars spent in legal fees.

– Invest in clinical documentation. Hospitals and clinics must keep detailed records of the treatments each of their patients receives. Unfortunately, many medical professionals do not keep records, which leaves gaps in patient care. Medical professionals who know how to improve patient flow and documentation find that they spend far less time working on legal issues and that they avoid unnecessary litigation. By implementing electronic filing and using clear patient documentation, clinics and hospitals can reduce errors and litigation.