LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif.--Top on the list of New Year’s resolutions for many hospitals, medical groups and physicians today is the goal of improving the “patient experience.” To help providers better meet this new standard for healthcare, Astute Doctor, a national company providing an innovative approach to physician education through web-based, patient-centric CME courses, has developed a list of five tips to help organizations meet patient experience goals.

Patient experience is about a new culture of excellence built around the patient. The emphasis is on communication and engagement that leads to a more informed and involved patient who is more likely to reach their healthcare goals. More payers and government programs are measuring the patient experience and tying reimbursement to how providers perform, making it an important initiative for 2015.“Finding ways to improve the patient experience, how they perceive their providers, what happened in the office or hospital, how they were treated, etc., is vital for hospitals, medical groups and physicians today,” notes Sue Larsen, co-founder and chief operating officer for Astute Doctor. “Those who look for new ways to communicate, engage and connect with patients will be rewarded through better patient loyalty, improved reimbursements, and improved competitive advantage. Those that don’t will have a hard time surviving in today’s healthcare marketplace.”

Larsen’s five tips to help physicians and provider groups improve the patient experience include:

1. Ensure the patient feels respected during their office visit or hospital stay. Let them know their views are valued and ensure they have a positive experience from check in to check out.
2. Learn how to become an active listener and how to elicit patient concerns. It’s estimated that only 50% of the time do doctors and patients understand/agree on the main problem. This type of poor communication also leads to a higher risk of malpractice. Take the time and learn how to listen to your patients.
3. Communicate clearly and in a manner the patient understands. Patient healthcare literacy averages at the 8^th grade level. While it’s important to not make a patient feel they are being talked down to, physicians must communicate in a manner they understand. Effective communication includes fully explaining what happens if patients aren’t adherent or don’t take steps to change behaviors.
4. Be collaborative. Work with the patient to identify needs and then set mutually agreed upon goals. Find out where patient resistance lies and work with the patient to overcome it. Help them see the benefits of behavior change and set small attainable milestones.
5. Take time to learn new approaches to engaging patients. Most physicians, especially those practicing more than a few years, had little education on how to communicate with or engage patients. Younger doctors may have had more communication training, but studies are showing they are often less engaged than older MDs due to their focus on technology (e.g., looking at the EHR screen). Commit to finding educational programs offered by reputable organizations that can help teach you and your staff how to better communicate.

Finding ways to enhance the patient experience produces benefits ranging from improved outcomes to more practice satisfaction for physicians. It also helps to improve scores on increasingly important patient experience surveys and even to reduce the risk of malpractice claims. It’s estimated that for every one point decrease in patient satisfaction scores, there is a six percent increase in complaints and a five percent increase in litigation. Building a better patient experience clearly helps physicians, practices and patients.

For more information on how to build a better patient experience and the role of patient engagement in managing risk, improving satisfaction scores and enhancing revenue, visit www.astutedoctor.com / or call (949) 295-1484.

About Astute Doctor

Astute Doctor is a global physician and provider educational company, based in Laguna Niguel, Calif. Astute provides a comprehensive range of online courses specifically on doctor-patient interpersonal skills; customized editions for different audiences; created to work seamlessly into emerging and existing education programs. Astute’s approach to improving the patient experience helps to guide physicians, surgeons, fellows, residents and medical students in using interpersonal techniques proven to make a positive, and meaningful difference in the lives of patients. Additional information is available at www.astutedoctor.com.