What doctors need to do to keep their patients happy. Happy patients make for happy doctors !

1. Times are changing !

2. Who’s the most important
person in the clinic?
Doctors ?
Nurses ?
Receptionist ?
Accountant ?

3. Put Patients First !

4. Dr Aniruddha Malpani
www.drmalpani.com

5. Traditional model
Patient comes to
doctor
Doctor makes
diagnosis
Doctor treats
Patient gets
better
Doctor is God

6. “ We are the best !”
Why we continue to fool ourselves
• Only 1 of 20 unhappy patients
bother to complain.
• Others walk out of
your clinic and
tell ten others
about their
bad experience.

8. Can you afford not to put your
patient first ?

9. Happy patients
Happy patients are loyal
Refer other patients to your clinic
Help your medical staff perform
better by providing professional
satisfaction
Improve your income !

10. Build a Patient Service Culture in
your DNA
Need to ensure your staff treats your
patients well
Create magic with
Right people
Right processes
Right environment

11. Staff – your most valuable
investment
• Employ the right people and pay them
well . Losing patients can be expensive !
• Train them. Respect them. Appreciate
them
• Make sure your staff works well as a
team
• Do not shout at them
• Working in a hospital is
difficult. Help them to do their
best

12. Staff – your most valuable
investment
How well does your staff treat your
patients ?
If you treat your staff
well,
they will treat your
patients well !

13. Create processes to improve
workflow
• Follow flowcharts for improving workflow!
• Need processes which the staff can follow
How to answer the phone
How to greet a new patient
How to help them fill up a form
Doctors usually create bottlenecks !

14. Clinic ambience
• Would you be happy sitting in your
waiting rooms ?
• Bathrooms should be spic and span
• Play patient education videos while
your patients are waiting
• Do not overbook - respect your
patient’s time

15. Invest in technology
 Automate processes
Online appointment booking
Reminder SMSes to reduce “noshows”
Learn from dentists and vets !
EMRs ( Electronic Medical Records)
Email test results to patients !

16. Telephone etiquette
How well is the phone answered ?
This is your hospital’s public face !
Answer phone within
3 rings
Emails
Mobile

17. Simple to do – but not easy !
Need to understand your patient’s
wants, needs and desires
We can learn a lot from 5 star hotels –
they put customers first
Ask your patients for help !

18. Measure patient satisfaction !
“You get what you measure.”
• Comment cards
– It was easy to get an appointment.
– My doctor answered all my questions.
– I would recommend this hospital to
friends.
• Telephone calls after their visit.
• Internet surveys by email
• Mystery patients

19.
Bedside manners
Doctors take pride in their
professional competence
Patients have no way of
judging this. Assume all
doctors are technically
competent !
Judge by their behaviour

20. “The patient will never
care how much you
know, until they know
how much you care !”

21. The 10 Commandments
I. The patient is never an interruption
- the patient is your work. Everything
else can wait !
II. Greet every patient with a smile.
III. Call patients by their name.
IV. For patients, all staff members are
as important as the doctor !
V. Never argue with a patient. Be a
good listener.

22. The 10 Commandments
VI. Don’t say, "I don't know.” Say “ I will find
out”.
VII. The patient pays your salary - treat him
like your boss !
VIII. Choose positive words
IX. Always go the extra mile. Exceeding
patient expectations is the best way of
keeping patients happy !
X. Brighten every patient's day. This will
make your own life happier.

23. Dealing with unhappy patients
• Dissatisfaction = Mismatch between
Expectation and Reality
• Satisfied patients will tell three other
people
• Dissatisfied patients will tell 20 others.
• However, if you can satisfy an unhappy
patient, he will tell at least 50 others, and
become your most valuable ally !

24. How to handle angry patients!
RAPSAND
• R = Re-establish rapport ( empathy)
• A = Agreement ( get the patient to say Yes)
• P = Problem ( define this)
• S = Solution
• A = Ask Permission ( is the patient happy with
the solution you have offered ?)
• N = Next step ( Follow up)
• D = Document

25. Commonest complaints patients
have about hospitals
Doctor did not explain properly
Not enough time with the doctor
Unnecessary long wait time
Billing mistakes
Rude staff
Lack of transparency about
costs

26. Bedside manner = empathy
SOFTEN
S = Smile
O = Open posture
F = Forward lean
T = Touch
E = Eye contact
N = Nod

27. Free books at
www.thebestmedicalcare.com

28. Secret
Treat all patients as VIPs.
Respect them !
The lifetime value of a patient

29. 4 simple action steps
Appoint patient advocates. Support
groups for infertile couples
Create a patient education resource
center
Provide Information Therapy through
your hospital website
Mystery shopper

30. Patient education resource
center in the lobby

31. Information Therapy
Best prescribed online !

32. Come to your clinic as a patient
“ Mystery shopper”
Helps you to think like a patient !
Seeing things through the patient’s
eyes will make you more empathetic !
« Patient engagement, patient
experience and patient centeredness »
are no longer just buzzwords !

33. How does this matter ?
Happy patients have better treatment
outcomes !
More compliant because they are
engaged
Fewer medical errors , because they
keep the medical staff alert
Less likely to sue
Happier patients heal better !

34. Every doctor’s mission and
purpose
To cure sometimes,
to relieve often,
to comfort always

35. Patients come first!
Everything else is
paperwork !
Need to delight your
patients – one patient at a time
Happy Patients = Happy Doctors,
Happy Nurses, Happy Staff and a
Happy CEO !