Mary Pat Whaley over at Manage My Practice offers some useful tips for patient customer service.  This is a follow-up to her article on 50 Ways to Attract New Patients to Your Practice.

Some of her tips are easy common sense ideas such as:

  • Introduce yourself to patients. “Hi, I’m Jane and I am Dr. Smith’s assistant and I’ll be working with you today.”
  • Providers should always shake hands with patients and others in the exam room.  That first touch is so important!
  • Send your patients a birthday card.

I especially like some of her technology and social networking tips to improve customer service:

  • Have multiple ways for patients to complete their registration information – forms mailed to them, online completion, completion in the practice at a computer kiosk, completion at the practice with personal help, or pre-registration by phone.  
  • Invite patients to become a friend of the practice on Facebook and communicate regularly with your patients keeping them up-to-date on practice news, health news and local events. 
  • Send patients emails or letters and post on your website any information relating to hot topics in the news – vaccines, radiation exposure, etc.  
  • Have computers in the waiting area for patients to use. Have Wifi for patients to use their own computers while waiting.  Have instructions available for using the Internet to look up medical information and provide a written list of medical websites that your providers recommend.  Place this information on your website.  
  • Use your EMR or voice recognition to complete the patient’s medical record and print them a copy of it to take with them when they leave the exam room.  
  • Make your website a one-stop destination for practice information, health information, practice forms and secure messaging with the practice. 
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