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Patient-focused care has attracted the attention of healthcare providers and seekers recently.
Notably, the first healthcare system of fee-for-service was based on treating patients and compensating doctors according to the number of procedures and services delivered. However, value-based care has transformed the system into a model focusing on the patients’ treatment and rewarding doctors for providing appropriate care. It accounts for the condition of every patient and the actual health results.
The goal of the value-based care system is to increase patient satisfaction, reduce healthcare costs, and improve population health. As society benefits through better overall health and reduced spending, healthcare providers will enjoy better care efficiencies and higher patient satisfaction. The following are the three keys to improved value-based care.
Patient satisfaction
Patient satisfaction is the degree of patient contentment with the care they received inside and outside the doctor’s office. As a measure of healthcare quality, patient satisfaction enables providers to understand non-medicinal aspects like their empathy levels and care effectiveness. With the introduction of patient-focused healthcare reform, patients are claiming more and expecting a higher level of service from the providers. As a result, there is a need for healthcare organizations to adjust their strategies to match these demands.
No one expects a bad experience when going out for dinner, and the same is true when seeking healthcare. Patients want to leave the doctor’s office satisfied with the treatment received. Here are crucial techniques for tracking patient satisfaction:
- Using suggestion boxes, patient interviews, and email surveys to gather feedback from patients
- Checking online reviews to see what patients are saying about your clinic
Once you have collected and analyzed the data received from any of these sources, you can then use it to see how best to improve your healthcare services to meet patient expectations. You can then create blog posts, social media content, videos, and email lists to continually update the patients on the news and relevant information for their care.
Patient experience
Ensuring a positive patient experience is essential in value-based models. Besides the initiatives that private players and the federal government have established to provide patient experience, better clinical results are also proof of proper patient engagement. When the experience is smooth, patients will be happy during visits to the healthcare center. In this regard, there are several measures that you can put in place to improve the patient experience.
- Provide visit forms for patients to fill out before office visits so they can spend less time in your office.
- Reduce wait times.
- Provide multiple payment methods.
- Introduce easy scheduling with mobile and online options.
- Offer convenient, 24/7 communication with secure messaging.
- Send out detailed appointment reminders showing the time and the instructions on what the patients should bring or do before office visits.
The main aim for improving patient experience is to build healthier relationships. This then promotes collaboration with the patients, guards against services withheld when provider incentives change and builds trust between you and the patients.
Patient engagement
Patient engagement involves inviting patients to participate in collective decision-making and including their views on how they want their health managed. Through this, an engaged patient becomes happier and healthier. Better involvement, in this case, means an improved value that leads to better results at affordable costs. Here is what you can do to improve patient engagement.
- Allow the patients to set their own health goals.
- Provide 24/7 healthcare access through mobile apps and an online patient portal.
- Give them the educational tools and knowledge that can enable them to track their overall health.
- Encourage them to join the care team and be involved in all processes.
Patient portals are the most frequently used healthcare technology, and continued use and practice of them can improve this service. Moreover, IT organizations are working on advanced functions like more user-friendly apps that can promote personal patient involvement and engagement.
The idea of value-based care ensures that patients receive diagnostics, screenings, and other healthcare services that are relevant to their medical condition. Consequently, patient and society engagement will remain high-leverage strategies as the population health continues to evolve. Assuring a better experience means equipping patients with knowledge, confidence, and skills to take part as fully informed stakeholders in their care, leading to lower care costs and better health outcomes.
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#ValueBasedHealthCare has transformed the medical industry. Use these tips to make sure your #MedicalClinic is providing excellent care! #PatientEngagement #PatientSatisfaction #PatientExperience
