Patient Experience Meeting Expectations?

Posted on January 24, 2023

Our health and wellbeing are important. For that reason, we seek care. We want to know our physical needs are being take seriously and to be treated in a timely manner that feels like we’re heard, and questions answered in a manner that is not rushed. I recently had an experience while filling a new prescription for eye glasses. In preparation for a visit to a store, I researched various companies, even taking advantage of a try on at home option.

Our health and wellbeing are important. For that reason, we seek care. We want to know our physical needs are being take seriously and to be treated in a timely manner that feels like we’re heard, and questions answered in a manner that is not rushed.

I recently had an experience while filling a new prescription for eye glasses. In preparation for a visit to a store, I researched various companies, even taking advantage of a try on at home option. With the decision made, I visited the store, located 45 miles from my home.

Simply walking through the doors exceed expectations. Stunning display’s and so many options. Left to my own devices, I selected 2 pairs then sought an associate. It took a bit of a wait as the number of shoppers well exceeded what would seem to be an appropriate number of sales people. When the next associate was available, I asked for assistance in choosing the best of the 2 frames I selected.

Decision made; I was ready to purchase. I was told though that I would need to wait as she went to assist another associate. Upon her return, we were interrupted 3 additional times, plus additional wait time for the optician to measure my pupillary distance. Finally, I was able to make secure the purchase.

Even though I had my health insurance information with me, she was unsuccessful after 2 attempts, to apply the allowance to my purchase. No doubt due to other customers waiting for assistance, advised I pay the amount due then submit the receipt to the insurance company for reimbursement. I left the store feeling rushed along with a feeling something had been missed. Turns out insurance reimbursement, was not as easy as she indicated it would be.

The experience got me thinking about health care expectations.

Of the quality of and how we rate that care, other expectations of consideration that we will:

1. Have the ability to get the care needed.

2. Be addressed as a person, not as a symptom, diagnosis or disease.

3. Be listened to and communicated to clearly.

4. Treated with courtesy and respect.

5. Trust that clear plans of care will be provided.

6. Have affordable insurance options with manageable out-of-pocket costs.

7. Receive care based on the best interests of the patient, rather than healthcare systems act out of self-interest.[i]

Trust is essential. “Almost 90% of consumers see trust as ‘extremely important’ or ‘very important’.”[ii] Our healthcare encounters occur when we are most vulnerable. As patients, we need to have the confidence we are understood and confidence that effective health care decisions are made. Yet more than two-thirds of consumers say trust has declined during the last two years. [iii]

There was a time when good patient experience was considered good medicine.[iv] Late last year, The Beryl Institute and Ipsos released findings from the tenth PX Pulse, a survey to track current perspectives on patient experience in healthcare across the United States. This report trends data related to the consumer experience from data first collected pre-pandemic in December 2019 through the third quarter of 2022. The findings share consumers' perspective of quality of care and experience in healthcare today.

Key findings included:

· Quality of healthcare hit its lowest percentage to date, with just 40% of respondents rating the quality of their healthcare as "Good" or "Very good," down 6 points from March of 2022.

· Having affordable insurance options, out-of-pocket costs and the cost of prescription drugs were the top three most important issues to respondents.

· Consumers' perception of experience slipped to an all-time low at 64% reflecting it as "Very good" or "Good," a 4-point drop from Q4 2021.

· 68% of respondents say trust has declined in the last two years with the top reason being the healthcare system acts out of self-interest.[v]

The survey also asked whether people had a positive or negative experience in the last year. Unfortunately, 76% of people surveyed reported NOT having a positive experience.

Positive experiences tend to reflect words such as caring, understanding, friendly, listened to, knowledgeable and clear. Negative experience tends to reflect works such as rushed, rude, wait, dismissive and long.

Unfortunately, it is the negative experiences that tend to leave an impression. “Having a medical provider [who] shows empathy is significantly more important than a nice, clean office, and almost twice as important as nice and helpful staff.” Emotional support is a critical tool for healthcare providers to offer positive experiences with patients.[vi] It is these negative experiences that we have a tendency to share with others.

With what matters and what constitutes good, positive and strong experiences generally not appreciated, perhaps healthcare decision making leaders should recognize the powerful impact of negative patient experience impact has on the bottom line in the face of competing markets and financial demands.

[i] Ipsos Patient Experience. https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/solutions/healthcare/healthcare-px., p 21.
[ii] Consumer Perspectives on Quality of Healthcare Slides to All-Time Low, November 10, 2022. P.2, https://yhoo.it/3Hqdpxr
[iii] Ipsos Patient Experience. https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/solutions/healthcare/healthcare-px.
[iv]Ibid, p.24
[v] Consumer Perspectives on Quality of Healthcare Slides to All-Time Low, November 10, 2022. https://yhoo.it/3Hqdpxr