Your Patient's Pet Peeves

Last month, we conducted a survey of patients in medical practices to find out what they would like out of their relationships with their providers and what really irked them. Here are our findings:

Appointment wait time is still the number one cause for complaint for patients in health care practices. The study, conducted by Npress, aimed to discover current trends in patient satisfaction. Participants were asked to name their number one pet peeve when seeking the care of a health care provider. They were also asked to specify which types of practices they frequent.

The survey found that excessive wait time at an office prior to an appointment was the primary criticism of 72 percent of the 500- person sample.  Respondents suggested numerous remedies including: “an advanced courtesy call if the wait can be anticipated”, “check in to let me know what is going on,” or “offer me a drink after I’ve been waiting fifteen minutes.”

Additional findings from the survey:

• Frustration with the lack of upfront information about the full cost of care was expressed by 41% of patients with insurance.
• 19% of respondents who frequent specialty practices mentioned that they would like to feel remembered by the staff. As one respondent put it, “how does the receptionist not know my name with more than 10 visits in a 6-month period?”
• More than a quarter of survey respondents would like to be able to reach their doctor after hours or have a reliable message service available.
• What would be nice? Several respondents mentioned they would like to receive a printout of the day’s visit with stats like blood pressure, weight, etc, as well as what was discussed, and suggested actions.

One overarching conclusion from the survey is that if doctors want to differentiate themselves and provide an exceptional patient experience, they should provide outward signs that they are doing something patient complaints, specifically regarding appointment wait times.