How Can Providers Build Trust In A Broken Healthcare System?
It’s no secret that healthcare trust is currently at an all-time low. The reasons for this lack of faith are tenfold and include the spread of misinformation on social media, as well as shifting power dynamics between practitioners and patients. Increased healthcare staff shortages have also significantly shaken patient experiences.
As such, healthcare providers are fighting an uphill battle before they even get patients through the door. Building trust despite the current challenges in healthcare is the only way to overcome this setback. But, how exactly can new providers achieve that goal?
# 1 - Put the Right Tools In Place
Healthcare technology has come a long way, including the booking and patient care systems that providers can now implement. With the right systems, it’s possible to ensure faster patient turnarounds, more accessible resources, and detailed patient files on tap.
This directly addresses the numerous costly mistakes that have damaged patient trust to date, such as long wait times. However, these systems should never replace a fully accessible reception team. You should integrate new booking systems alongside phone service updates, such as planned callbacks and other sophisticated hold systems. Internal software updates can also free up reception teams to easily cut through long in-person queues.
# 2 - Prioritize Continuity of Care
Continuity of care is a cornerstone of healthcare trust, but it has been a priority that many providers have struggled to offer over recent years. This has proven to be incredibly damaging, but there are steps you can take to overcome the issue.
A top option is to pair patients with one familiar and consistent practitioner at all times. I am glad that your new systems can help with this by automatically linking patients to a practitioner upon sign-up and making automated appointments with that individual.
In light of repairing broken bridges, it may also pay to take additional steps towards continuity in a healthcare setting. Providers may benefit from implementing procedures like coordinated care plans, which ensure continuity across both in-practice and community care teams. Equally, you could install backup generators and look into emergency fueling solutions like those offered by FHG Fueling for ensured continuous care, even in times of crisis. All of this will ensure the ongoing, reliable care that patients need, whenever and wherever they require it most.
# 3 - Make it Personal
It’s challenging to trust impersonal care that focuses on targets rather than individuals, which is why it’s also worth considering how to implement personalized, trustworthy solutions.
Again, the tools you use will prove key in this sense, as client profiles can ensure everything from personalized care recommendations to automated bookings based on the client’s recurring needs, such as immunizations and medication checks.
It’s also worth customizing broader services, such as community care that accounts for local priorities and needs, or in-house training that centers around common patient complaints. That way, you can ensure you’re offering relevant, responsive services that are more easily trusted.
Healthcare trust is undeniably broken right now. You can start fixing it with these top tips for your practice.
