4 Reasons Technology Boosts Patient Experience

In today’s digital age, it’s critical that healthcare organizations adopt the use of digital and the latest technology in order to enhance the patient experience. Many patients have now come to expect to be able to do things digitally, and when they can’t, it detracts from their overall experience and satisfaction.

Think about the last time you went to the doctor, dentist, or even had some sort of surgery or procedure. Now, think about the process from beginning to end – from scheduling and appointment reminders to the actual appointment and follow-up communication. What was your overall experience like? Did it involve spending time on the phone to both schedule your appointment and receive reminders? Did you have to take the time to fill out paper forms once you got to the office? Did you have to spend more time on the phone for your appointment follow-up?

With so much technology readily available for healthcare companies, it is imperative to adopt digital features into all aspects of your practice. Here are 4 ways technology is shaping today’s patient experience and what you can do to boost satisfaction.

1. Ease of Access

Many patients are turning to the Internet to search for health information. In fact, did you know that searching online for health information is the “most well-adopted digital health category”? Forty percent of those who search will then act directly upon the information they find online. Additionally, 71% of people use online or mobile resources to search for specific health topics.

Think about what your current and potential patients might be searching for online, related to the healthcare services you provide. Is your website content and blog optimized for the searches they’re conducting? Let’s say you’re an otolaryngologist in Seattle, Washington. Two things your potential patients are probably searching are “Seattle otolaryngologist” and “Seattle ear nose and throat doctor.” Do those phrases appear in your content?

Optimizing your digital content for search (SEO) will make it much easier for your patients to find what they’re looking for, click on your website, and ultimately schedule an appointment with your organization.

2. Simple Scheduling Process

Once patients land on your website, are they met with an online appointment scheduling tool? If not, many will navigate away and find one of your competitors who has this tool. For millennials, in particular, it’s almost a deal-breaker not to have online scheduling options. According to the Salesforce State of the Connected Patient Report, 74% of this younger group values the ability to book appointments and pay bills online when selecting a doctor.

Incorporating this feature on your website will both improve the patient experience and save your office staff quite a bit of time. Additionally, if you have an online scheduling tool, it’ll likely send online or text message appointment reminders, too. If the only way to schedule an appointment with your organization is over the phone, your front office likely spends a large chunk of time talking to and repeatedly trying to get ahold of patients – time that could be better spent elsewhere.

3. Patient Feedback and Reviews

Once you’ve gotten patients to walk through your door and entrust you with their health, they might want to tell others about their experience. They’ll also probably expect your organization to respond to their feedback and/or reviews, and doing so can help you improve the patient experience. From websites like Healthgrades, Vitals, and ZocDoc to popular review sites like Yelp and even social media platforms like Facebook, there are many different places your patients might be talking about your organization or even specific physicians within your organization.

While word-of-mouth will definitely still spread patients’ opinions of healthcare organizations, the influx of digital review sites makes it easier for you to find these reviews, take them into consideration and respond. Some of these reviews might include helpful information – for example, a patient might name a nurse who did something really nice for them or, on the flip side, a patient might complain about the wait time they experienced or the fact that the new patient forms weren’t available on the website. Seeing what your patients are saying is invaluable and provides the perfect opportunity to improve or enhance their experience. Responding to reviews lets patients know that someone’s listening to them.

And remember, others are going to see these reviews – many will seek out reviews prior to deciding on a healthcare organization or provider. In fact, 44% of Americans search for physician reviews online prior to booking an appointment and value customer comments most when making a decision.

4. Keep Patients Involved in Their Own Health

Patient portals, wearables, and other digital health technology are causing patients to become more interested in – and to take an active role in – their health.

Secure patient portals are contributing to the overall patient experience by providing patients with the opportunity to access their health information, test, and lab results without having to visit or call their healthcare provider. Some patient portals even allow patients and providers to communicate digitally. The majority of patients say that they would be more loyal to physicians who provide a portal through an EHR (electronic health records).

Wearables are also getting people more involved in their own health. 65% of those who purchased a wearable indicated that the reason for their purchase was to “be active,” while 42% did so to lose weight.

When information is readily available and easily accessible, patients seem to be more likely to take advantage of it, consequently keeping them more in tune with their health.

As digital technology runs rampant, people now expect it to be part of any service they interact with – from paying a car insurance bill or purchasing new shoes to scheduling a yearly physical or viewing personal health records. We’ve worked with many different clients in the healthcare industry, including TeamHealth, to help them fully embrace and become comfortable with digital technology, including introducing different tools, updating the website design, and using digital elements and functionalities to help improve the patient experience. Ready to get started using digital to deliver a better experience to your potential and current patients? We’d love to help – contact Pyxl today!

Updated: Apr 13, 2022