Putting the patient first: Understanding patient centricity

If you own your practice, you know that how you deliver care is an incredibly important part of the patient journey. When patients understand their care plan and are active participants in it, they’re more likely to have positive health outcomes.

That’s why it’s crucial to put the patient at the center of how you deliver care every day. Patient centricity begins with the patient’s physical and psychological experiences with care providers and builds out from there, taking their insights and inputs into account to ensure that they’re being heard and become active players in their care.

Here’s how providers can see care through their patients’ eyes and learn to focus on patient centricity.

What’s patient centricity?

There isn’t a single agreed-upon definition for patient centricity, but generally, it means focusing on how patients experience their care. Understanding patient centricity means tapping into the patient’s perspective.

Focusing on a patient-first approach to healthcare puts patients first and at the center of their care. Patient centricity gives doctors, nurses and other care providers a guide for how to communicate, understand and fundamentally engage with their patients. In the past, the patient’s voice has gotten lost or been overlooked. Patient centricity doesn’t mean that patients become the only stakeholder in the care conversation, but it does mean that they’re heard and understand how their input is impacting the conversation. 

Getting the patient involved is key to getting their buy-in on the treatment plan, an important part of driving compliance.

Understanding the patient journey

To truly understand the patient experience and get to patient centrality, providers need to think about how their patients experience their care (or the patient’s journey).

The patient’s journey encapsulates every aspect of the care process throughout the care continuum, and patients today expect more from their healthcare providers. And if they’re not satisfied with their care, they can go online. There, with just a few clicks, patients can find a new practice with a higher rating.

From the patient’s very first interaction with your practice, everything should be streamlined and easy to use. When you embrace patient centricity, you embrace it at every level, making every step of the process simple for your patients to get the care they need.

Becoming a digital-first practice

Today’s patients expect their doctors to provide the same digital conveniences they get from their bank, salon, or mechanic. 

They want a digital-first experience that puts them in control.

You might be surprised to find out that your patients’ first experience with your practice usually doesn’t happen at your office or on the phone with your staff — it’s your online presence. If your website is hard to use, loads slowly, or doesn’t give visitors the information they need to make decisions with confidence, they’re going to have a negative first impression of your practice.

Your website should make it easy for new patients to learn about you, hear from other satisfied patients, and schedule appointments with just a few clicks. 

intakeQ’s online booking widget can be easily embedded on your existing website, allowing your patients to choose an appointment time that fits their schedule. Our practice management software also includes an integrated payment solution that makes it quick and easy for patients to make one-time or recurring payments.

While your website might not seem like part of the care plan, first impressions — even digital ones — make a lasting impact.

Getting paperwork before the appointment

For many patients, going to a doctor’s appointment can be an extremely stressful experience.

Traditionally, when patients arrive at your practice, your staff gives them a clipboard and asks them to fill out page after page of paperwork before they can see the doctor. Completing the paperwork takes a long time, and they’re exposed to all the other patients in the chaotic waiting room.

But with a solution like nitakeQ, patients can fill out their paperwork online before their appointment, streamlining their experience in your office and putting them at the center of their care. intakeQ’s secure digital forms can be sent to patients through email, text message, or directly from your website.

Implementing solutions like online forms and online booking is key to reducing friction during the intake process so that they can focus on what they are there for — treatment. Are you interested in learning more about creating a better patient experience and building a patient-centric model with intakeQ? Get a free trial for intakeQ today.