When a patient walks through the doors of your hospital, they already have a preconceived notion of the experience they will receive during their stay. The expectations of today’s consumer are much different than those from five years ago and it’s safe to assume they will be even more different five years from now. 

Regardless of the time period, the big question for hospitals remains the same. When the patient was discharged from your hospital, did you meet or exceed the expectations they had when they walked in?

What are today's patient expectations? 

Look around — it’s impossible to ignore the shift in consumer expectations. So what is the driving factor behind this change? One word: technology! Technology has been reshaping expectations across many industries, and the healthcare industry is starting to feel its impact. With the changes happening, do you know what today’s patient expects from you?

Can your teams go into a room and know that a person’s prior admission had some negative scenarios, like hospital bed broken, wrong meals delivered, or the patient was scared of the dark? Mobile technology is everywhere. Patients expect you to have information about them at your fingertips. They hope you know about their past experience and will be able to anticipate their future needs.

Speed and Efficiency

Have you ever been in the hospital and had tests done or labs drawn only to wait a couple of days to get the results? In today’s world, that’s unacceptable. Patients know that technology is capable of far more. If you can order household essentials from Amazon one day and it arrives at your doorstep the next, why shouldn’t your patients expect the same type of service?

Engagement

Hospitals have a scary stigma associated simply because that’s where sick people go. People hate being sick. Do you know of anyone who actually wants to be in a hospital? When a patient is admitted it’s because they have to be, not because they want to be.

How you engage the patient can go a long way. A friendly smile, caring hug and words that divert the fear of shots are a must for patients with a phobia of needles. A sympathetic ear and caring conversation for the elderly patient with no close relatives to visit is welcomed.

How can you exceed expectations?

While technology is the driver behind changing consumer behavior, it is also the solution for hospitals to meet or even exceed patient expectations and experience. In a recent study conducted by Kaufman Hall, they concluded that almost three-fourths of the organizations surveyed received low ratings in “their efforts to gather, analyze, and leverage consumer insights for decision making”. This is surprising considering Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement decisions are made based on information received from your patients – impacting your bottom line.

Don’t let your patients’ responses surprise you. Two-thirds of the organizations Kaufman Hall surveyed do not gather real-time feedback from patients. Surveying patients while they are in the hospital is the perfect time to get their reactions to the care your organization is providing.

If their responses aren’t so glowing, you have time to rectify the situation and leave a positive impression. Gathering and tracking responses using mobile technology will give you bigger picture of your oatient's voice and provide an understanding for the opportunities for improvement.

“Patients are the reason for healthcare and they should be the center of it.”¹ What a powerful statement! Without patients to care for, the need for hospitals wouldn’t exist. It will be hard to make people want to come to the hospital. However, if you are providing an experience that exceeds expectations, patients will sing your praises and reimbursements will continue to roll in. 

¹https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4147743/

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Lauren Walling

Lauren Walling is a graduate of Emory University with a degree in Industrial Psychology, as well as an MBA from the John Sykes School of Business from The University of Tampa. She currently sits on the Board of Fellows at the University of Tampa, and is a member of the Healthcare Business Women's Association, National Association of Professional Women, and the Morton Plant Skip Cline Society. Lauren works with large Healthcare Systems implementing Patient Experience Solutions that streamline processes, increase patient experience and improve quality and safety.