We can’t forget that patients are consumers – Part I

I often say that there is no competition in healthcare. I learned this from an old friend at the Cleveland Clinic, who explained to me that if a patient is dissatisfied and wants to seek care at any other hospital, 2, 3, 10 new patients will soon arrive. In fact, complementing this idea, we all have dealt directly or indirectly with waiting lists or difficulties in scheduling an appointment, exam or procedure. This is nothing more than managing the schedule due to the physical and temporal impossibility of seeing all patients immediately.

But today’s reality offers a wide range of health care options, leading providers to want to understand what patients are looking for in their healthcare journey.

The Jarrard report tried to get some answers to what makes people choose their health care providers. These answers can be extremely useful, not only on a competition standpoint, but from the perspective of offering the best care and seeking the best health results.

The research confirms something that is common knowledge: patients prioritize personal connection with healthcare professionals.
The doctor is a patient’s ally and is an essential element for everything that happens in the patient journey.

This gives rise to a relationship of trust that follows very particular criteria, some of which have been updated with the adoption of digital tools.

Doctors are associated with the institution. Therefore, it doesn’t matter if it is an private practice, a clinic or a hospital, or even a large health group, if that professional is there, the patient will look for them.

The reputation of a healthcare professional can be more or less comprehensive, but it is important to know which market or community they fit into.

If, in the past, word-of-mouth was the most relevant factor (maybe the only one), nowadays it is necessary to consider social media and specialized digital platforms. The institutions themselves allow (or request) surveys. From there, we will choose two paths. Pure marketing/branding, looking at the brand, if the brand is trustworthy, what is the evaluation of the brand, what is the brand’s situation within the market and comparing it with the competition. But is this the most important path? By analyzing the evaluations and any comments or criticisms, it is possible to correct the course, correct practices, and direct the career. The result will be improved for professionals and patients, generating greater demand, also due to reputation, as can be achieved through marketing, but more assertive, since patient-consumers will look for the best professionals. The trustmark will be a game changer, more than a good marketing campaign or an incentive for patients to give that good review.

In addition to professionals, institutions should also encourage this type of approach. It is a process that brings benefits to each component of this process. Therefore, the relationship between institutions and professionals must include close collaboration to aim for permanent evolution. This relationship will ultimately be perceived by patients, who will become fans of both brands, by association: the institution’s brand and the professional’s brand. This topic was covered in a previous article.

The patient is an active connection, a communication agent for institutions and professionals. A good patient experience can be reported through traditional means or using social media. Patient experience and patient satisfaction go hand in hand with the reputation of professionals and institutions, therefore, it is essential to fulfill implied and announced promises. If the patient reads “excellence” on the website or on a billboard, that is what they will expect. If this is not what you find, the expectations generated will be frustrated. And so a negative post or comment appears.

Still in the expectations chapter, caution is recommended when talking about prizes. A hospital that fervently announces that it has won a certain award in a certain category must ensure that the patient can see the reasons that led to that decision. A hospital awarded for compliance that finds itself involved in a corruption scandal, a clinic that won a sustainability award but uses plastic cups, are just two examples that lead patients to think that certain awards are bought and, for that reason, not only will devalue the trophy, it considerably reduces confidence in both institutions, the one that received the award and the one that awarded it.

We can’t forget that patients are consumers – Part II

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