Patient expectations are evolving. Does your office meet their needs?
Patient experience is a cornerstone of the modern health care industry.
Our patients expect their health experience to line up with other customer service experiences in their lives, meaning the ease of use, digital platforms and quick answers are more in the spotlight than in years past. Younger consumers in particular are driving the transformation of the field with an eye toward ever more convenient forms of getting treatment. No longer are patients willing to pay just for doctors’ visits and other services — they want outcomes, they want problems solved, and they want to be treated with some real customer service.
New Patient Features
There are some classic features of this that we’re now seeing put into action. Your online patient portal, for one, is a big feature now considered a standard piece of the modern patient experience. Text updates for appointments and the ability to text or message a doctor between face-to-face visits are examples of ways the patient care platform has evolved to meet the needs of an increasingly plugged-in and cost conscious pool of Americans now looking to save in a world of high personal debt and rising insurance premiums.
This mindset has found its way into the office itself. From the pictures on the wall to the demeanor of the front-desk staff, patients are looking for an experience that meets an expanded set of needs that go beyond a basic checkup. Research on this area has found that patients and staff alike respond well to a traditional service experience, showing that something as simple as a smile and friendly greeting at the counter can create additional value for a patient, especially one with options for their care.
Doctor’s Office Furniture
The furniture and exam/procedure equipment you invest in can be a huge part of this approach. Focusing on comfort naturally includes several human elements, such as caring and attentive medical staff and access to supportive family members. But these material pieces of comfort are one of the most consistent pieces of the equation that can be met with basic investment, and unlike a cheery receptionist or extra-personable physician, a quality exam chair will always bring its top game to the customer service table.
MTI fits perfectly into this standard with chairs that prioritize comfort and experience for every patient that your practice serves. And when we say every patient, we really mean it, which is why our commitment to providing ADA compliant products means that each patient is treated with the dignity and respect they deserve when meeting with their care providers. That respect, the feeling of being treated like an individual, is a big part of patient satisfaction for everyone and is regularly listed as a top factor in positive feedback reports to care providers.
Calming Atmosphere
Other elements of comfort are atmospheric. Soft music, strategic placement of plants and flowers, soothing imagery, color accents — all of these details are being implemented in care facilities around the country to instill these deep feelings of comfort for the patients that come through the door. Patients often link their perceptions of cleanliness to overall satisfaction with a care experience, a point we take seriously with our easily managed, upholstered chair surfaces that are beyond easy to clean and sanitize, giving you a pristine surface for each new patient. Since we do tend to judge with our eyes, each of our chairs have an incredibly professional, sleek aesthetic that looks a perfect fit in any medical office. When you group our chairs with other pieces from the MTI catalog, such as our medical lights, cabinetry and other office furniture, you can tie together your entire look in a way that’s modern and functional without giving up an inch of style.
Looks aside, all of our chairs are just plain comfortable! Each is designed with ergonomic padding and support that cradles the individual through each movement of an exam or procedure, with a focus on comfort that runs both ways through the patient-provider relationship. The ease of use of all MTI products means our partners in the medical field are able to maintain their own comfort while serving their patients, a vital standard when considering high rates of physician burn-out and physical ailment, such as musculoskeletal disorders, that plague many staff members in the medical field who regularly move and position their patients. The right chair can make this a thing of the past, rewarding everyone in the office with a satisfactory experience every time you start an exam or procedure.
When comfort brings such a premium to the work we do, it makes sense to invest in the best option to consistently take care of both patients and staff. We design our equipment to cater to the needs of nearly every specialty and practice, so please don’t wait to contact us to see how MTI can change your workflow for the better!
