Building trust with patients often starts in the margins

However, as business owners, we often forget the details that complete a patient’s experience. Treatment should always begin in the margins. For example, is convenient parking available? Is your waiting room warm and inviting? Are patients and their caregivers welcomed immediately without being asked to wait for too long?

We need to stimulate our visitors in a positive way. For example – at Allied, we bake cookies fresh throughout the day and always have fresh coffee brewing for the convenience of our guests and their caregivers. The aromas are pleasant, inviting, and reminiscent of home. Each patient is provided with freshly washed linens with a mint on their pillow. Soft music at a low volume completes the warm and welcoming atmosphere.

This “hotel” experience – which we call “Second Mile Service” – demonstrates that we have given a lot of thought to the patient experience; building trust with them and their caregivers and helping to establish and maintain our reputation as a caring, trustworthy provider.

We routinely place ourselves in the physical spaces that our patients occupy to catch such turn-offs as peeling paint and cobwebs before a patient lying prone with a view of the floor has a chance to notice.

Of course, building trust with our patients starts before they ever walk through the doors of our clinic. Front office staff are trained to make that first telephone contact with our office as pleasant and swift as possible, while listening to questions and providing answers and assurances to the best of their ability.

We pay attention to the outdoors and the landscaping surrounding our lakefront location – making sure shrubs are pruned, the grass is mowed and the parking lot is free of trash and debris. Tables are provided outdoors for patients and their caregivers to enjoy the fresh air and lake views. Team members park their cars in the back of the parking lot to allow patients the easiest access. And of course, hand sanitizing stations and frequent restroom cleaning is a sign to our patients that their health is a priority for us.

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

~Maya Angelou