With the increased incursion into the healthcare space by retail entities such as CVS, Walgreens and Amazon, the healthcare landscape is evolving quickly. As a result, the patient journey – and the associated customer experience (CX) - is changing. 

The retail vendors bring a streamlined experience that people like. Thus, more traditional providers need to provide a seamless experience to attract and keep patients.

A recent study from LaneTerralever found that 39% of patients who had to cancel their elective procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic do not plan to reschedule their procedures. Additional findings included:

• Of the patients who did have elective procedures, only 39% were satisfied with the experience.
• 74% of the dissatisfied patients told friends about their negative experience and 33% posted about it on social media.
• 56% of providers do not follow up with patients post-procedure.
• Almost 60% of patients look on their provider’s website for information about their proposed procedure, yet 44% are dissatisfied with the information provided and feel it does not answer their questions.

What can we take away from these results? It should be clear that patients are seeking an experience where they are in charge and are partners with their providers. Some additional study findings to keep in mind are:

• Over three-quarters of patients undergoing elective procedures only researched 1-2 providers.
• 64% of those patients researched provider options for three month or less.
• Elective procedure patients look closely at and value patient reviews. In fact, one survey found that almost all millennials (97%) believe that online patient reviews are a reliable source.
• Patients want information and they want their questions answered. Yet only 44% felt all their questions were answered and 56% did not feel satisfied with the cost information they were given.
• Over half of patients said they were not followed up after their procedures, and 28% said the only follow-up they received was about billing. This must change if providers want their patients to become their advocates.

To improve CX, providers must invest in the patient experience by:

• Taking the initiative with reputation management – making patient reviews available, updating them and engaging with reviewers.
• Provide education from the very beginning. Make sure your website has current content that is presented in an engaging, easy-to-understand format. Provide additional information in a timely manner when requested.
• Showing humanity. Patients are humans and expect to be treated as such. Maintain a supportive relationship after the procedure.

How can your organization take this data from the elective procedure experience and apply it to your overall patient experience?