BedsideManner / PERSONALIZED SERVICE

PERSONALIZED SERVICE - NO SKILL REQUIRED

(2015/10/30)

Not everyone can have a stellar personality that encompasses all the facets of great bedside manner. Even without highly advanced social skills there are four things you can do to give a perception of good bedside manner. They are relatively easy to implement, they make patients feel important, and show that you care about them as people.

1. Follow-up Phone Calls

Calling every patient the night after their procedure is one of the most highly regarded expressions of bedside manner, as well as being an effective practice booster. This small act exemplifies concern and compassion for the patient’s wellbeing. Of course, this isn’t necessary after a simple examination, but after any significant procedure, a follow-up call from the doctor to ask how the patient is doing goes a long way to cement a lasting relationship. Something as simple as the removal of a mole, to the more invasive outpatient surgeries, offer great opportunities to see how the patient is feeling. Patients appreciate the concern and care expressed and late-night emergency calls are often eliminated since postoperative issues can be discussed at this time.

When you refer a patient to a specialist, you should call the patient after they have had their visit. By asking how things went and what they thought of the specialist, you show that you care. The conversation doesn’t have to be lengthy; you can get the job done in just a few minutes. Your patients will begin to think of you as a friend and appreciate that you’re accessible.

Most doctors are busy enough and they don’t want to take the time to go that extra mile, but if you find the time to make that special call, you will stand out among your peers. It doesn’t involve learning any new skills and there is no personality requirement to be thoughtful.

If you can’t find it in your personality, temperament, or schedule to make the calls, at least have someone from your office make the calls for you – but nothing compares to the personal touch. Find the time.

2. Refreshments

Offering tea or coffee with some light refreshments in the waiting room displays an overall feeling of kindness and generosity, while not requiring much on your part. Patients interpret a comfortable office ambiance that makes them feel good as a positive connection to the doctor.

3. Correspondence

Personal letters at holiday time and on each patient’s birthday are great ways to show you care. If computer generated letters and cards are used, make sure they look like personalized correspondence. Hand-address each envelope and use a postage stamp instead of meter postage.

When holiday letters are sent to a family, make sure only one letter is sent to each family and not each individual in the household. Sending five letters to the same address looks careless. Make sure you scribe a new letter each year so patients don’t get the same one, year after year. Remember, you are trying to look like you offer personalized service.

4. Free Stuff

Everyone likes free stuff. There’s a very popular bank that offers the best service around, and they give away tons of free pens. Customers flock there. Of course it’s more than just pens, but they understand the power of free stuff.

The medical and dental suppliers figured that one out long ago. Many professionals buy more products and supplies when they get a “toy.” They will often “like” dealing with the companies that have the best giveaway programs. As unprofessional as that may sound, it is a true fact of marketing. You can utilize this same method to sell you and your office. All you have to do is offer little gifts and giveaways and you shall have very happy patients who feel good about visiting you.

You may not realize it, but everyone who gives child patients a little toy or a lollypop is already employing this very same technique. Kids can’t wait to go back and get that rubber worm, magnifying glass or other assorted treasures that adults don’t appreciate. Now all you have to do is offer adult patients an equivalent reward. You don’t want to overdo it with free gimmicks at each visit. However, you can have holiday presents you send to good patients. Offer a gadget at especially long or difficult visits and tell the patient it’s their reward for making your day go so well by being such a good patient. Everyone likes a compliment and everyone likes something for nothing. You don’t have to learn anything new, you can have no personality and you can still win over your patients with little gifts here and there when appropriate.

Comments

• Maria Giron (2015/11/04 06:48)

Patients really appreciate that phone call a doctor makes after the procedure. I learned that from my father who is a dentist in Honduras. No matter what part of the world you practice in, we are all human and like to be cared for.Calling patients show them you care and that you are thinking of them. I feel good after I call my patients because they usually would say nice things to me, that motivates me to keep working in the dental field. Happy doctor equals happy patients. A lady came in the clinic with tooth pain, she was not nice and was giving my assistant and me a hard time, I treated her emergency and called her that night. She told me no one has ever done that and that she was looking forward to her next visit...I\\\'mean not sure if I\\\'m looking forward to see her but I hope she\\\'ll be nicer to us next time haha!

• Daniel Kim (2015/11/03 23:04)

I can relate to this article a lot. Ever since I was a dental student, I always call my patients (majority if not all) for follow up. \"Wow, you are the first doctor ever who called to check up on me\" is a response I frequently receive. This was also one of the best ways to earn their trust and build your practice, referrals. This simple phone call shows you truly care for your patient\'s well being. The other things; offering refreshments, hand written correspondence, and free stuff are what I did when I had my general practice. After paying investing a lot of time and money on practice consultant service, these were something in common they recommended and I am extremely thankful to Dr. Fleisher that he is giving us great information for free. I hope for those who read his blog see the value in this article.

• Anna (2015/11/03 21:16)

This blog on personalized service provides four major ways in which a provider may improve his/her relationship with patients without having to apply any of the previously discussed bedside manner strategies. The first strategy, follow up phone calls, is critical to building one’s practice. Having personally worked in various few general practice offices, this has been the most common advice given to me by the more experienced, successful dentists. For most patients major dental procedures such as root canals and extractions, are very stressful. They are fearful of pain and complications as well as of not being able to understand and or remember instructions. There are many unknowns, especially about what to expect in the days following the procedure. A follow up phone call that afternoon/evening allows the opportunity to address these concerns. Most importantly, the patient feels like the provider truly cares about their wellbeing. Additionally, they are given the opportunity to ask questions and receive reassurance about the outcome. This gesture gives the patient a sense of comfort and trust in the practitioner; something which is a key practice builder. Refreshments are a great way to make patients feel comfortable in the office. Often patients come to an appointment right after or before work without having the opportunity to eat/drink prior. The ability to have coffee, a granola bar or yoghurt can help alleviate the diet need which often can be the cause of anxiety. Additionally the comforting property of food will make the patient feel welcome; the extra effort of maintaining a snack/comfort area implies that the practitioner will also go out of his/her way to provide comfort throughout the patient’s stay at the office. Finally, this can also be a great tool to occupy the patient in case the doctor is running late. Free souvenirs such as pens, lip balms key chains are a great way to engage the patient in the spirit of the practice. Small gifts with practice logos serve as a great marketing tool, they remind patient of the great experience that they have, and if obtained by other individuals can serve as an introduction to the practice. One office I had worked in as a general dentist used to give out lip balms to patients after every prophy. Many times patients expressed their excitement about the item and how it is a major reason for why they end up remembering and showing up to their recall appointments. All the above strategies are a great of improving practitioner-patient relationships without having to apply the bedside manner skills.

Add comment