Experts do not always agree on the value of patient-reported surveys. Some believe that patient satisfaction accurately reflects the quality of their care, while others believe the surveys have no correlation with patient outcomes.
What is undeniable, however, is that customer experience has become one of the most significant factors for success in all industries, and healthcare is no exception.
Consumer expectations are evolving as on-demand services such as Lyft and Airbnb continue raising the standard for high-quality, personalized experiences. According to Forrester Research, 72 percent of businesses say improving their own customer experience to meet that standard is their top priority. By contrast, the Beryl Institute reports that only 43 percent of doctors consider improving patient experience a priority at all.
Unfortunately, any healthcare organization that ignores the value of patient experience does so at its own peril. Not only are patient expectations evolving, but scores from the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Health Providers and Systems survey could cause hospitals to gain or lose up to two percent of their Medicare reimbursement.
Given the financial stakes and the impact on quality of care, improving patient experience should be a central part of any healthcare system’s long-term strategic plan. When done correctly, improving patient experiences will also correlate to providing patients with better outcomes.
