| | December 20209UTLOOKHealthcare Tech patients are dealing with the stress of their illness or the illness of a loved one, making them more sensitive. If their concerns aren't addressed or acknowledged there's a strong possibility a situation or the perception of it will worsen. The Consumer Assessment of Health Care Providers may be the reason you have a survey tool, but patient feedback should be the most important rationale. Asking a patient a question and not applying the information gleaned is a missed opportunity. At Allied, we use the survey information for continuous improvement in systems, coaching staff, and overall answering the question of "what can we learn from this experience or information." It's also important for the doctors and office administrators to "get out from behind their desks" and observe the ebb and flow of the patients' experiences. Take the time to "walk around," watch how the work is done and engage the staffers in conversations about what works (and doesn't work) in the process. Conducting a survey or addressing feedback is only half the battle. Practitioners need to analyze the data collected to ascertain what's working, how it is working and what may not be working in order to fix what needs to be corrected.Managing and measuring your patients' experiences is complicated. We are fortunate today that the ability to collect information has advanced. We have research, knowledge, software, mobile applications and we have identified best communications practices that when implemented effectively create a foundation for long term success. Having a focused approach with benchmarks and goals in place means your practice ­ and your patients - come out ahead of the game. HTLeslie Traver
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