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4 Reasons Hospitals Need to Focus More on Hospitality

Focus on hospitality

Patient experience translates to dollars spent in and on your hospital.

Patients want hospital staff to act more like a 5-star hotel or restaurant staff.

Although best medicine may be important, cleanliness, and bedside manner matter more to hospital patients than death rates and treatment outcomes, according to research published in the journal of Social Forces.

“The No. 1 thing that ultimately matters to patients – are you going to survive your operation? Can they fix you? – does not really factor into patient satisfaction scores,” Cristobal Young, a sociology professor at Cornell University told the Cornell Chronicle. “There’s very little awareness that these are essentially Yelp reviews.”

Young isn’t the only expert who sees a benefit to patient experience. Here are 4 reasons to include excellent hospitality service to your hospital.

1. Patients will make better health decisions

Consumers put trust and money in their health the way they book their next vacation

Experience matters. Nearly all (91%) of respondents to the most recent Beryl Institute consumer perspective study, said patient experience is extremely important to the healthcare decisions they make.

Why is that? For one, 3 out of 4 say patient experience directly impacts their personal health and wellbeing.

Treating your patients with respect will get your medicinal mission across much further. The truth is hospital patients don’t know all that goes on behind the scenes. Patients only pay attention to the interaction with a nurse and doctor in the room with them.

2. Gain an advantage to the competition

Your hospital or office isn’t the only one in town. When making an appointment or choosing which hospital to visit, anyone can simply search Google on their smartphone these days to see what other patients have to say about the cleanliness and hospital staff.

The better the hospital experience your staff provides today, the more likely to have repeat and future new clients. It’s the same with word-of-mouth. Has a family member ever recommended a doctor to you simply off how wonderful their bedside manner is? Keep that in mind with every patient you see throughout the week.

3. Patients pay attention

During a hospital stay, patients are aware of the communication among hospital staff. A grouchy doctor who speaks over and belittles a nursing staff will show. Implementing a compassionate culture among your team will go a long way when dealing with patients.

They want to see attentiveness and confidence. Patients want to know you care about their health outcomes and don’t want to feel they’re just another number on your to-do list today. Remembering names, working as a team, and focusing patients like their guests in your hospital will make them feel more confident in your abilities to help them.

4. Medicare reimbursement fees

Patient satisfaction scores directly impact Medicare reimbursement fees. One-third of performance scores are tied to what patients may or may not say about their hospital stay in surveys.

Patients’ expectations are higher in this day and age. According to previous Hospitality Excellence reporting, 100% search the internet before scheduling an appointment with a doctor. Technology makes it easy for patients to get those results faster than ever. In all, the demand for quality patient care is higher than ever. Paying attention to excellent service will increase your hospitals’ bottom line.