8 Tips to Improve Patient Experience in Your Podiatry Practice

With the new healthcare norm, digital marketing is now more critical than ever. It means that positive or negative reviews can have a tremendous impact on your practice. You need to ensure a positive patient experience in your podiatry practice if you want patients to return and recommend you to others. Below are some of the best tips from podiatrists to improve patient experience:

1. Create an online podiatry survey.

The survey can be 3-5 questions. You can create an online survey before the appointment on what their expectations might be. Send a follow-up survey after an appointment to check if you are meeting expectations. You can also include a recommendation part so they can suggest things that can help your practice improve. It will help you prepare and ensure a happy patient experience. 

2. Identify areas for improvement.

Concentrate on troublesome areas. Figure out how often one small problem can ripple out and have an enormous impact on your practice. One example is a lost or misplaced charge slip. When you have to redo another charge slip, the amount of lost time can be astounding. If you fail to find the charge slip, the result would be a loss of income for the practice. Brainstorm with your front desk and clinical staff, accountants, and partners/associates to find solutions to common problems. 

3. Make them feel comfortable.

Let your patients feel at home in your podiatry clinic. Make them feel relaxed by altering your interior design to a more “comfy” vibe. You can set up a tea and coffee station in your waiting area with some jazz music playing in the background. A warm beverage can be comforting and help ease the nerves during any long wait times. You can also put a TV in the treatment room to make time go faster for patients. It will keep them entertained as you perform the treatment. 

4. Standardize kindness, politeness, and empathy.

Make kindness, politeness, and empathy a core value of your company. A rude receptionist can leave a bad impression on a prospective patient attempting to schedule an appointment over the phone. Always remember to be kind and empathetic since you may have administered a procedure dozens of times, your patients may still feel anxious and scared.

5. Make sure your clinic is easy to navigate.

Ensuring your clinic is accessible can mean so much for your patients who are physically impaired. To do this, try to navigate your area as if you are a patient. Consider their conditions when designing your office and selecting your locations. Moreover, try parking in the parking lot and see if it is easy or difficult for a physically impaired person to walk to the front door. Wander around your clinic with someone who has never visited before. Although the experience will appear to be smooth for you, there might still be areas that need improvement.

6. Upgrade your check-in process.

At 1st Providers Choice, we offer our Check-In Application and Kiosks tailored for your podiatry practice. It can help you expedite your check-in processes to promote a more patient-centric practice. Our contactless check-in app via our integrated patient portal can help you ease through your consultation visits and make it safer for both your staff and your patients. On the other hand, you can also try our easy-to-use, EMR-integrated check-in kiosks that can help you reduce paperwork and save time.

7. Integrate a patient portal.

1st Providers Choice’s EMR-integrated podiatry patient portal will help your patients connect with you. As the healthcare industry push toward more patient-centric care, the portal encourages patient engagement via secure online messaging. Patients are increasingly turning to search engines for medical information, and with a patient portal, they can reach out to you immediately and securely. Also, it will allow patients to access their health records from anywhere. Your patients can update their personal information and complete necessary health forms before visiting your clinic too. It will surely improve the patient experience of your podiatry practice. 

8. Be upfront about costs.

Try to be as upfront as possible with patients about medication or operation costs. Giving your patients a cost estimation will help them set reasonable goals and avoid unpleasant bill surprises. Furthermore, make sure you have a smooth system in place for managing insurance claims so that the process is as painless as possible for your patients.

Improve Your Patient Experience with 1st Providers Choice

Choose the leading provider for automation for office visits from the trusted name in healthcare — 1st Providers Choice. Our patient portal, kiosks, and auto check-in application will allow your patients to skyrocket your patient’s satisfaction during their visits. You can call us at (480) 782-1116 for immediate assistance, or you can schedule a free demo with our experts TODAY.