Every business, whether it’s a grocery store, or a doctor’s office, or a fitness center, wants more ways to increase patient satisfaction. It’s the ultimate goal, but it rarely comes easily. 

As the founder of Health Experts Alliance, the global leader in virtual practice education, I’ve worked with hundreds of doctors at varying points in their careers. Regardless of whether they were making six figures or eight figures, every doctor inevitably asks the same question: what I can do differently to keep my patients happy?

I can’t answer that question in one sentence, but I can give you insights into the tips, tricks, and secrets I’ve learned through my experiences as a virtual health practice pioneer. 

Because before the transition into virtual healthcare changed my life, I was a regular brick-and-mortar doctor chasing patients and referrals. I managed to use high-octane sales techniques to secure a steady stream of new patients, but as a result, I ignored the patients I already had! This created a revolving door of new patients entering and existing patients leaving. 

The truth is, I wasn’t giving them the attention and personal care they needed to feel valued, recognized, or appreciated. So they left and found it somewhere else! Had I taken active steps to ensure patient satisfaction for my existing patient base, I wouldn’t have lost so many important customers or sacrificed so much revenue. 

I promised myself I wouldn’t compromise my practice like that again, and now I want to make the same promise to you. Let’s dig into the best ways to increase patient satisfaction in your own practice so that you can learn from my mistakes instead of making them yourself!

What’s the Root Cause of the Problem?

Most doctors are trained to follow the traditional model of healthcare. In other words, each patient gets one visit a year that hardly lasts ten minutes. No significant or comprehensive care can occur in that timeframe. Instead, the focus remains on seeing a high volume of patients and recommending pharmaceutical drugs to alleviate surface-level symptoms. 

Unlike with virtual practices, this restrictive care model makes it tough to find ways to increase patient satisfaction.

This is a dinosaur model of healthcare. It doesn’t drive real, lasting results or nurture a sense of satisfaction. This is exactly why customers respond so enthusiastically to chiropractors, naturopaths, and holistic doctors who actually do stay committed to their health journey. 

Garden vs Foraging

If you have young children like me, you’ve probably seen “The Croods” a few (dozen) times. This movie follows a prehistoric family as they trek through unknown territory after their cave is destroyed. 

At one point, the family is foraging for any traces of food. They’re starving and barely surviving as they futilely search for sustenance on barren land. Then suddenly they gasp in relief as they come across a pristine garden flowing with rows and rows of fresh grapes, strawberries, carrots, and more. 

It might be a silly analogy, but this exactly how your patients feel when they make the transition from the traditional healthcare model into your virtual practice. You have the tools, structure, and knowledge to create a deep, lasting sense of patient satisfaction. 

Why Make Satisfaction a Cornerstone in Your Strategy?

If you’re wondering how to get more patients in your clinic, the formula starts and ends with patient satisfaction. 

This concept should always remain as a cornerstone of your overarching practice strategy. When you ensure patient satisfaction, you also:

• Build confidence in your team and yourself
• Gain the courage to take bold action in marketing campaigns
• Enhance your “way of being” with patients

5 Tips to Increase Patient Satisfaction Right Now

Health Experts Alliance isn’t the only virtual education and coaching program, but we’ve taken extraordinary steps to make ourselves the best virtual education program. Many doctors try other programs first before turning to our Freedom Coaching Program or Virtual Practice Accelerator because they realize we’re the only ones that dig deep under the surface. 

We’re not just here to provide inspiring rhetoric; HEA is designed to guide you step-by-step through the entire process of building a seven-figure virtual practice. We only teach the actions that we actually apply in our own business!

Consider the following five tips to increase patient satisfaction. If you want to know more, join our VPA team to learn all of the secrets!

Increase Speed of Delivery

When you say you’re going to do something, do it in a way that’s efficient and powerful. I’m not talking about speed of delivery of results, but rather the efficiency of the system that moves your patients from milestone to milestone

When you use a system like the structure we teach our HEA partners, you help patients address underlying problems and patients maintain transformations in the future. You’re not just offering a temporary Band-Aid solution, but a legitimate and long-lasting evolution. 

Define Your Processes

During the early years of HEA, we ran virtual practice education classes and seminars with honorable intentions but sloppy processes. Then, we learned how to hire the right people and agencies to refine and tighten our processes to perfection. We’ve learned from every bump along our own road to success so that we can leverage that wisdom for your benefit! 

Today, we have defined a proven roadmap for success that streamlines results with minimum effort and maximum efficiency. Every step is assigned, nothing is undefined. Consider it the “Secret Sauce” to building a seven-figure virtual practice and getting creative with finding ways to increase patient satisfaction. 

Communicate for Results

If you really want to increase patient satisfaction in your virtual practice, you need to improve your methods of communication. It’s critical to communicate in a way that creates support and momentum for clients. This is what nurtures transformation!

It’s not about communicating the same way for every health participant. It’s about customizing communication for satisfaction. Every patient is unique, so offer multiple communication structures. Whatever it takes to help your patients feel support and accountability. 

Automate Your Systems

Automation doesn’t mean that robots have to take over every component of your practice. Instead, it offers a way to elevate your ability to create real, lasting results in your customers. Automation removes the burden of administrative and clerical tasks such as scheduling and emailing, so that you can focus on the tasks that really make a difference. 

Educate and Set Expectations Up Front

What makes patients dissatisfied? When their reality doesn’t match their expectations. So the best way to keep your clients satisfied is to set clear expectations and educate them on the process ahead.

First, be sure to explain that everybody is different! Some people achieve visible results in a few weeks, but others need a few months to see and feel defined results. Be clear about this expectation up front so that your patients don’t abandon their health journey before they hit their first milestone. 

Second, instead of emphasizing a “finish line”, shift your focus to ongoing transformation and improved quality of life. This will allow your patients to appreciate their wellness journey and refer other patients who crave the same fulfilling experience. 

The Bottom Line

I’ve been where you are, so I understand the frustrating pursuit of ways to increase patient satisfaction within a traditional healthcare model that simply isn’t structured to cultivate such a thing. That’s why our team at HEA helps virtual practice owners focus on building an entirely different type of system, one that takes every opportunity to wow patients and exceed their expectations.