Healthcare is an increasingly competitive industry. As a patient-centric industry, healthcare is ever-changing and tailored to serve patients in new and meaningful ways. A focus on patient satisfaction comes with obvious monetary benefits for hospitals but an often overlooked element of patient satisfaction is patient loyalty. Patient loyalty is one of the most important factors driving the success of your healthcare organization.
Patient loyalty is achieved by patient satisfaction, a positive patient experience and a strong patient-provider relationship. It is a long-term investment which requires persistency beyond just serving one’s immediate medical needs. A recent survey conducted by Press Ganey states that 70 percent of respondents said that their most recent healthcare visits influence their loyalty to an organization. Every patient-provider interaction is a determinant of a hospital’s patient retention percentage, so it is crucial to build a meaningful relationship with the patient.
The following are 5 ways the build patient loyalty:
Familiarize yourself with the factors driving or hindering patient loyalty within your organization.
Develop a clear vision for patient care within your organization (and follow-up on it).
Simplify things for patients.
Coordinate care.
Hold your staff accountable.
Unfortunately, there is also a lack of patient loyalty in today’s healthcare industry. A study done by NCR Health reports that more than 40 percent of patients are not loyal to any hospital or healthcare system. This statistic is even higher among older patients: nearly 68 percent are not loyal to any hospital or healthcare system. In effect, providers lose millions in revenue opportunities each year. A driving force of this loyalty crisis is quality of care and previous experience.
It is easy to attract consumers because healthcare will always be in demand, but it takes investment to achieve patient loyalty. Regular interactions, including patient follow-ups, are key. Learn how PREMEDEX enhances patient loyalty through our patient discharge management program
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