Five Ways Customizable Digital Patient Education Improves Your Patients’ Waiting Room Experience
Everyone hates to wait for their appointment. But until an “on demand” option gets created, your patients do not have an option. By replacing daytime TV with a customized digital patient education system, you can help improve your patients’ waiting experience.
Customized Digital Patient Educational Programming Makes Wait Seem Shorter. Studies by AC Nielsen and a host of digital media trade groups have shown that offices with digital patient education systems in their waiting rooms have shorter perceived wait times. Part of this is because of the engaging content, but another part is that there are no “change of shows” and scheduled commercial breaks which patients are used to when watching cable TV.
Your Office Services Get Introduced to an Audience Ready to Use Them. Patients have a heightened awareness of their health while they wait for their appointment. They are much more receptive to receiving information about Nutrition Counseling, Diabetes Screenings, Flu Shots, Annual Physicals, and the like when they are in the exam and waiting rooms. Take this time to introduce these subjects to them. It helps them live healthier and increases your revenue.
Staff Profiles Humanize Practice. Healthcare professionals are seen as a scary lot. You understand how the body works and the cause/effect relationship of patient lifestyle choices. This is intimidating. By utilizing a digital patient education system to spotlight each team member, their background, their community involvement and any upcoming events, you are putting a more human spin on them. This should increase community and compliance as people tend to want to satisfy people they know, like, and respect.
Additional Service Partners Help Patients Navigate their Health. Start introducing patients to the ancillary service providers that they may need after seeing you. Too many times, referral s are left to the patient to figure out. The patient tends to choose providers who are closest to home, not necessary the best ones to manage their health. The system suggests providers who are in network and why that is important to the patient for continuity of care, medication management, electronic medical record updates, and more.
Waiting Room without Cable TV is Calming to Your Patients. Daytime TV typically is filled with dramatic topics that are meant to illicit responses. The commercials are filled with “bad medical advice”- class action lawsuits, self-diagnosis of diseases states, junk food, medical malpractice attorneys, and worse, commercials from competitors. Digital Patient Education is meant to be neutral, non-controversial, fact giving content. It is sourced from credit resources like the AHRQ and other government associations. It does not create drama, but rather reduces stress.
To learn more about how to enhance your patients’ experience in your waiting room, please contact Jim Cucinotta of Halo Health at jim@haloheals.com or at 856-520-8655.
