7 Pre-Appointment Actions to Support a Phenomenal Patient Experience
Every doctor in the concierge and DPC space wants to deliver an amazing patient experience. And the truth is, a world-class patient experience begins long before the patient ever steps through the door.
Before an appointment takes place, practices have a twofold opportunity: to set expectations with the patient and to learn about the patient’s expectations and situation.
On one hand, providing patients with information about where to go, when to arrive, and what to expect during the process smooths away much of the frustration that often colors the patient experience. On the other hand, discovering what the patient wants out of their visit and where they are medically, mentally, emotionally — and communicating that to your team — sets everyone up for success.
For example, if you know a patient’s visit is in the midst of a difficult situation, you can let the office know that the person might come in a little hot and not to take things personally. Conversely, if you have a new patient who’s over-the-moon excited about their first visit, everyone will know to put in a little extra effort to make that first appointment memorable.
The pre-appointment prep work that delivers a top-tier patient experience involves a lot of communication, confirmation, and preparation. Below is a checklist of some of the main items we’ve seen physicians implement in these three categories. There are certainly more, but we’ll start with these tried-and-true practices.
Communication: What to Share With Your Patients
Thoughtful communication prior to patient visits helps remove hurdles and avoid confusion that could detract from the patient experience. Here are three types of information you communicate to clarify things for patients ahead of time.
1. Pre-Appointment Lab Work
A top item to communicate to patients prior to their appointments is any lab work, screenings, or other clinical items they need to take care of beforehand.
This way, when it’s time for their visit, patients aren’t surprised by a test or blood draw they still need. Instead, the physician already has everything they need for a medically productive appointment. The staff doesn’t to make new testing and follow-up arrangements, and the patient doesn’t have to wait to get important insights into their health.
Time is luxury, so a world-class experience is one that minimizes delays. Communicating with patients in advance saves them time, saves the physician time, and results in an efficient and productive appointment.
2. Who Will Receive Them
Healthcare is an intensely personal matter, so patients need to feel comfortable in your office. Even a detail as small as letting them know who will receive them can go a long way.
Put yourself in the patient’s shoes. Maybe they’re nervous about discussing sensitive test results or getting an unfamiliar procedure. We’re all human, and knowing we’ll be greeted by a friendly face we know and trust can make a considerable difference in our anxiety.
These kinds of details seem small, but taking the time to address them elevates the patient experience far beyond the typical. We already know people like familiar faces in low-stakes settings, requesting their favorite waiters at restaurants or their favorite concierge at a hotel. Why wouldn’t this be comforting in something as important as healthcare?
We’re in the people business, which thrives on trust, comfort, and human interaction. This small gesture is an easy way of contributing to a world-class patient experience.
3. Location and Parking Information
Believe it or not, driving, directions, and parking are fairly high stressors for most people. This is why so many high-end restaurants, hotels, venues, etc. have valet service — and why GPS is standard on everyone’s mobile device.
But GPS isn’t always accurate, and it’s certainly impersonal. Specific and clear instructions about the best route to your office, the best place to park, and even the best way to reach your door if you’re in a shared building can reduce that stress and make for a smooth, pleasant experience.
Providing these kinds of instructions ahead of time shows patients that you’re thinking about them, that you care about their safety, and that you want to reduce the stressors in their lives. It’s another small but significant way to exceed expectations.
Plus, on top of the other benefits, this helps keep your schedule running on time, avoiding delays caused by lost patients and people searching for parking.
Confirmation: What to Learn From Your Patients
4. Scheduling Flexibility
Rescheduling is a part of life for medical offices. Sometimes it’s on the patient’s side, and less often it’s on the practice’s. Regardless, one helpful piece of information to get from patients is their scheduling flexibility.
Do they prefer to be scheduled only in the evenings? Or are they only available in the mornings, or on Tuesdays?
This provides yet another opportunity to make your patient feel cared for. When you acknowledge their scheduling needs during a call to reschedule an appointment, you show them you’re considerate of their needs and preferences.
5. Purpose of the Visit
In order to provide the best experience possible, it’s important to know all the reasons for a patient’s visit. Is it a yearly physical? A consultation? Problems with a prescription?
It’s true that you probably knew why the patient scheduled their appointment at the time of booking. But things could have changed in the meantime. Questions come up. New problems develop. Confirming the purpose again ahead of time allows you to prepare appropriately.
If you know what your patient is coming in for, you know whether you need to order additional lab work, request results, or prepare for anything out of the ordinary.
6. Who Will Be With Them
Another question you can ask patients is who (if anyone) will be accompanying them to their appointment. Perhaps they’re bringing their spouse or significant other. Maybe they need to bring their child.
This can help you set up an appropriate support system around the patient. For example, if they need to bring their child, does the patient want to have the child in the room with them? If not, can the staff prepare a separate area for them, or keep an eye on them in the waiting room?
Or, if the patient is coming in to discuss sensitive test results, perhaps your team can encourage them to bring someone along who can provide encouragement and support. This kind of consideration really shows patients that you care about them as people.
Preparation: What to Prepare Ahead of Time
7. Review Updated Patient Profile and Medical Records
Every practice has its own system for maintaining a patient profile and medical records. Notes within the profile may come from the physician, a nurse, or a patient experience manager — anyone with insight into personal issues, preferences, circumstances, and other patient factors that aren’t necessarily strictly medical.
Then, one excellent practice several ROAMD physicians have shared is gathering your team at the beginning of the day to review who is coming in, what they’re coming in for, and what’s in their patient profile. This sets the entire office up for success: to provide an exceptional patient experience for each appointment that day.
What Are Your Thoughts?
This checklist includes several helpful items we’ve seen practices implement to support the patient experience. It also draws inspiration from the hospitality industry, where forethought for a phenomenal guest experience reigns.
The list is by no means exhaustive, and we’d love to hear any measures you’ve found helpful (or unhelpful) in your practice, or any you’d like to know more about!
Frank Hernandez serves as the Chief Executive Officer at ROAMD, where membership-based, concierge, DPC and private medicine, all come together to transform the traditional healthcare industry as we know it. Frank’s experience in world-class luxury hospitality and network-based organizations gives him a unique perspective that he is passionate about in sharing with the world. Prior to ROAMD, Frank worked as Chef Concierge at renowned Halekulani in the heart of Honolulu for over 20 years. He studied humanities at California State University Monterey Bay, and Hospitality Management at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He is a former board member, and current professional affiliate of Les Clefs d’Or USA, the country’s number one organization for the most elite hotel concierges.
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