How do you think you rate on patient experience (PX) and feedback? Beyond ever-increasing regulations and the click-click-click of endless documentation, you find yourself spending less time in front of your patients.
Meanwhile, one of CMS’ Primary Care Initiatives (Primary Care First)[1] encourages healthcare providers to work harder to give your patients the best patient experience you can. In other words, the focus is on patient engagement – which might have an impact on your revenue.
How will patient experience ratings affect your revenue?
Generally, most health consumers today want to be involved in their health care decisions. Subsequently, you need to be accessible. For example:
- Is your website up-to-date?
- Does your website provide information about your training, services, and expertise?
- Do you have a blog to inform and educate your patients on health concerns?
- Do you have an easy-to-use patient portal?
- Do you offer printed brochures or information sheets on common ailments?
- Do you provide your patients and their families with access or options for community support?
To summarize, enhancing the patient experience might challenge many docs who opt to join in the Patient Care First (PCF) model set to officially launch in January 2021.
Primary care clinicians who decide to shift to the performance-based model (with the potential for bonuses) must first meet specific criteria. To begin with, a certain number of Medicare beneficiaries and whose primary care services generate 70% of practice revenue.[2]
Patient experience measures part of your new practice model
As a result of new approaches to quality patient care, clinicians will be measured on patient experience more than ever before, and on your ability to provide:
- Patient/provider ‘engagement’
- Patient care access/continuity of care
- Care coordination and management
Finally, commit to different avenues of communication with your patients. If you don’t, you might find yourself losing out on potential bonuses if your patient rates you with negative experiences over positive ones.
In conclusion, today’s patients not only rely on you to provide excellent healthcare options and services – they want to know that you care about them. For more information on how content development can enhance your business and increase your positive patient experience ranking, contact me today.
[1] https://innovation.cms.gov/initiatives/primary-care-first-model-options/
[2] https://www.aafp.org/practice-management/payment/medicare-payment/aapms/cms-primary-cares-initiative.html