Hospital Hospitality

Ravi KumudeshMSc(SMgt)/BSc/Dip(MLT)

Sri Lanka Society for Medical Laboratory Scienceslsmls.org

How Delight your Patient ??

Times are changing !

Who’s the most important

person in the clinic?

• Doctors ?• Nurses ?• MLT ?• Receptionist ?• Accountant ?

Put Patients First !

Medical Practice

Traditional model

• Patient comes to doctor

• Doctor makes diagnosis

• Doctor treats• Patient gets better• Doctor is God

“ We are the best !”Why we continue to fool ourselves

• Only 1 of 20 unhappy patients bother to complain.

• Others walk out of your clinic and tell ten others about their bad experience.

Today’s Health Care Today’s Health Care SystemSystem

Patient

Health Insurance

GovernmentMedia

Doctor

The problem

• Unfortunately, while doctors are quite eager to discuss medicine, most are unwilling to talk about the nuts and bolts of practise management

• Don’t want to enrich the competition by giving away their “trade secrets” !

• We can learn together and help each other

Can you afford not to put your patient first ?

Marketing• Marketing is NOT a dirty word• Professional servicers have always marketed

themselves• Traditionally, it has been “word of mouth”

marketing• This is still the best type, but it takes time. This

is most worthwhile investment of your time !

Happy patients

• Happy patients are loyal• Refer other patients to your clinic • Help your medical staff perform

better by providing professional satisfaction• Improve your income !

Build a Patient Service Culture in your DNA

• Need to ensure your staff treats your patients well

• Create magic with–Right people–Right processes –Right environment

Staff – Our most valuable investment• Employ the right people and pay

them well . Losing patients can be expensive !• Train them. Respect them.

Appreciate them • Make sure your staff works well as a

team• Do not shout at them• Working in a hospital is

difficult. Help them to do their best

Staff – your most valuable investment

• How well does your staff treat your patients ?

• If we treat your staff well, they will treat our patients well !

Create processes to improve work flow

• Follow flowcharts for improving work flow!• Need processes which the staff can follow

How to answer the phone

How to greet a new patient

How to help them fill up a form

Doctors Need more time and usually create bottlenecks !

Clinic ambience

• Would you be happy sitting in your waiting rooms ?• Bathrooms should be spic and span• Play patient education videos while your

patients are waiting• Do not overbook - respect your patient’s

time

Invest in technology– Automate processes• Online appointment booking• Reminder SMSes to reduce “noshows”

–Learn from dentists and vets !–EMRs ( Electronic Medical Records) • Email test results to patients !

Telephone etiquette• How well is the phone answered ?• This is your hospital’s public face !–Answer phone within

3 rings• Emails• Mobile

Simple to do – but not easy !

• Need to understand your patient’s wants, needs and desires• We can learn a lot from 5 star hotels –

they put customers first • Ask your patients for help !

Measure patient satisfaction !“You get what you measure.”

• Comment cards–It was easy to get an appointment.–My doctor answered all my questions.–I would recommend this hospital to friends.

• Telephone calls after their visit.• Internet surveys by email• Mystery patients

Don’t Miss judge Don’t Misused

We are take pride in our

professional competencePatients have no way of

judging this. Some time assume all

are competent ! But ..? Judge by their behavior

Bedside manners

• “The patient will never care how much you know, until they know how much you care !”

The 10 Commandments1. The patient is never an interruption, the

patient is your work. Everything else can wait !

2. Greet every patient with a smile.3. Call patients by their name. 4. For patients, all staff members are as

important as the doctor !5. Never argue with a patient. Be a good

listener.

The 10 Commandments1.Don’t say, "I don't know.” Say “ I will find

out”.2.The patient pays your salary - treat him

like your boss !3.Choose positive words4.Always go the extra mile. Exceeding

patient expectations is the best way of keeping patients happy !

5.Brighten every patient's day. This will make your own life happier.

Dealing with unhappy patients• Dissatisfaction = Mismatch between

Expectation and Reality• Satisfied patients will tell three other people• Dissatisfied patients will tell 20 others. • However, if you can satisfy an unhappy

patient, he will tell at least 50 others, and become your most valuable ally !

How to handle angry patients! RAPSAND

• R = Re-establish rapport ( empathy)• A = Agreement ( get the patient to say Yes)• P = Problem ( define this)• S = Solution• A = Ask Permission ( is the patient happy with

the solution you have offered ?)• N = Next step ( Follow up)• D = Document

Commonest complaints patients have about hospitals• ??

Commonest complaints patients have about hospitals• Doctor did not explain properly• Not enough time with the doctor• Report Delay, Quality ???• Unnecessary long wait time • Billing mistakes• Rude staff• Lack of transparency about

costs

Bedside manner = empathy SOFTEN

S = SmileO = Open postureF = Forward lean T = TouchE = Eye contact N = Nod

Secret• Treat all patients as VIPs. • Respect them !

• The lifetime value of a patient

What are the Action Steps ??

What are the Action Steps ??

Come to your clinic as a patient• “ Mystery shopper”• Helps you to think like a patient !• Seeing things through the patient’s eyes

will make you more empathetic !

« Patient engagement, patient experience and patient centeredness » are no longer just buzzwords !

How does this matter ?• Happy patients have better treatment

outcomes !• More compliant because they are

engaged• Fewer medical errors , because they

keep the medical staff alert• Less likely to sue• Happier patients heal better !

Our mission and purpose

To cure sometimes,

to relieve often,

to comfort always

Patients come first!• Everything else is

paperwork !• Need to delight your

patients • one patient at a time

Happy Patients = Happy Doctors, Happy Nurses, Happy Staff and a Happy CEO !

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