5 Details That Shape the Patient Experience in Your Practice

Patient Experience Begins Before the Treatment

Patients begin forming an impression of your practice before they meet the clinician. They notice how the reception area feels, what they hear while waiting, how staff members speak at the front desk and whether anyone acknowledges them when they arrive.

These details do not determine clinical quality, but they do influence whether your practice feels organized, attentive and consistent with the level of care you promise.

The following five details are easy to overlook because your staff experiences them every day. Patients see them with fresh eyes.

1. Food Odors Reach the Reception Area

Patients should not be able to tell what your staff ate for lunch when they enter your practice. Food odors make the reception area feel as though it shares space with the staff break room and can be unpleasant for patients who are sensitive to smells.

Designate where food can be stored, heated and eaten, away from patient areas. If the layout makes that difficult, establish meal guidelines and address ventilation. 

2. The Reception Television Adds Noise

A television tuned to news or daytime programming changes the tone of the reception area. Even with the sound off, breaking news banners, arguments and commercials add visual noise that has nothing to do with why the patient is there.

If you use a screen, control what appears on it. Show information about your clinicians, services, treatment preparation and aftercare. If the screen does not serve a clear purpose for patients, turn it off.

3. Patients Hear About Internal Problems

Patients notice when staff members talk about callouts, schedule delays, workload or frustration with one another. A comment intended as small talk can make your practice sound disorganized and leave patients wondering whether their care is also being affected.

Set the expectation that staffing and operational problems are discussed away from reception, hallways and treatment areas. Staff can be warm and conversational without explaining what is going wrong behind the scenes.

4. Personal Fragrance Becomes Part of the Visit

Perfume, cologne, scented lotion and body oils can become part of the patient experience before a staff member says a word. In close spaces, a scent that feels subtle to the person wearing it may be noticeable to the patient and difficult to avoid during the visit.

Include a personal fragrance standard in your dress and grooming policy and apply it consistently to all staff. The goal is not to regulate personal preference. It is to keep patient areas neutral and comfortable.

5. Patients Are Not Acknowledged When They Arrive

When a patient enters and staff members continue typing or talking without looking up, the patient does not know whether anyone has seen them or whether they should continue waiting. This is especially noticeable during a first visit.

Set the expectation that every patient is acknowledged promptly, even when the staff member is on the phone or assisting someone else. Eye contact, a nod or a brief “We’ll be right with you” is enough to show the patient they have been seen. Then make sure someone completes the check in as soon as they are available.

Patient Experience Has to Be Consistent

These details are not difficult to correct. The harder part is making sure the standard is followed when the schedule is full, a staff member calls out or you are not there to notice what has changed.

Walk through your practice from reception through checkout as a patient would. Note what they see, hear and smell, where they wait and whether the experience changes depending on who is working.

Turn those observations into standards your staff can follow and managers can reinforce. Patient experience should not depend on you noticing and correcting every detail yourself.

Ready to Strengthen Your Patient Experience?

If the patient experience in your dermatology or aesthetic practice changes depending on who is working, start with a Strategy Call.

About Connie Kurczewski

Connie Kurczewski is the founder of Elevated Practice Consulting and Strategic Advisor to Dermatologists and Aesthetic Physicians. She advises physician owners on staffing, leadership, operations, marketing, sales and patient experience.