Best Practice: Responding to Online Reviews
Over 80% of patients turn to Google when looking for a new healthcare provider. SurveyVitals’ online reputation tools have helped boost client Google reviews by 281%. While increasing your number of online reviews is essential for attracting new patients, it’s equally important to respond to these reviews appropriately.
Patients are certainly reading online reviews, but they’re also likely to be reading your responses to them. Eighty-nine percent of consumers read business responses to online reviews. Not only do these responses build trust with your current and prospective patients, but they have the potential to negate damage to your online reputation and prevent missed opportunities for patient growth.
When responding to online reviews, it’s important to address the patient’s concern while also being mindful of HIPAA. Simply acknowledging that the reviewer is a patient of your practice can be a violation of HIPAA; the patient’s review is not authorization for you to release any of their protected health information.
The wrong response to a patient review can have negative consequences. Here are some common mistakes and best practices to consider when responding to online reviews for your practice.
What to avoid in responses to online reviews
- Take caution not to acknowledge that the reviewer is a patient. Even a statement such as, “We’re sorry you experienced a long wait to check in for your appointment” confirms the reviewer was seen at your practice.
- Don’t repeat any information given in the review. If the reviewer states their treatment for a certain condition was ineffective, don’t discuss that condition or treatment by name.
- Avoid getting defensive. You may disagree with the review, but prospective patients may shy away from your practice if your responses are defensive or argumentative.
Best practices for responding to online reviews
- Thank the reviewer. A simple “Thank you for taking the time to leave a review” is appropriate. Be cautious not to thank them for their feedback about their visit, as this would be confirming their status as a patient.
- Keep it brief. Use generic terminology and keep your response short and simple.
- Use response templates. Create generic, canned responses that include a simple “thank you” and contact information. For example, a canned response for a negative review might be: Thank you for leaving a review. Please contact our [Position Title] at [Phone or Email] so we can learn more.
Hope McCain March 3rd, 2021 Categories: Anesthesia, Best Practices, featured, Outpatient Practice, Patient Experience, Product Features, Reputation Management
Tags: hipaa, HIPAA compliant, online reputation, online reviews, patient experience, patient privacyTips to Ease Telehealth Wait Time Concerns
Wait times have long been a common concern for patients at office-based medical appointments. When telehealth skyrocketed in popularity last year, it became clear that wait times are even more of a frustration for patients during virtual visits.
The numbers show wait times are the biggest pain point for patients who use telehealth. While the national composite mean for wait times during in-person visits in 2020 was 4.79, it was only 4.51 for virtual visits. Although virtual visits offer convenience and can be done from the comfort of the patient’s own home, wait times cannot be ignored.
The American Medical Association says health professionals are seeing 50-175 times the number of patients through telehealth as they did prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because this growth was sudden and unexpected, healthcare providers and organizations are having to learn and adjust processes as they go. Delays are inevitable, but for the patient, this can be exceptionally stressful; after all, during a virtual visit there is no one nearby who can keep them informed of their wait.
In this case, communicating with your patients up front and providing clear instructions for virtual visits is the best possible way to ease wait time frustrations. Since many patients are new to telehealth, sending an email with detailed instructions or providing a link to the information on your website prior to the scheduled visit is ideal.
Required Equipment
Inform the patient of the equipment or devices (including system requirements) that can be used for their visit.
Logging In
An analysis of patient comments on our Telehealth Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire showed nearly 27% of patients had trouble logging in or connecting to their telehealth visit.
Provide instructions on where and how the patient will log into their visit. If a username and password are required, ensure the patient understands how to set up an account if they don’t already have one. Encourage your patients to log on for their visit 10-15 minutes early in the event they have connectivity issues.
Email Links
If your practice emails a link to the patient to join the visit, tell the patient how long prior to their appointment time they can expect to receive the link. When sending links, always double-check the patient’s email address at the time of scheduling.
Direct Phone Calls
If the provider will call the patient directly, double-check the patient’s phone number at the time of scheduling. As with email, notify the patient of the approximate time their provider will be calling. When possible, let the patient know what number the provider will be calling from.
Troubleshooting
Provide the patient with troubleshooting FAQs for common connection issues.
Delays
While it may not be feasible to provide updates to the patient during their wait, it’s a good idea to set an expectation for the amount of time the patient may have to wait after their appointment start time. Provide information on who they should contact in the event their wait lasts longer than a specified amount of time, such as 15 minutes.
By proactively communicating to all patients about common setbacks and causes for delays, the efficiency of your virtual visits may increase and positively impact wait times.
Learn More
SurveyVitals offers a Telehealth Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire to gather feedback from your patients on their virtual visit experiences with your practice. Learn more here or sign up for a demo.
Hope McCain February 17th, 2021 Categories: Best Practices, COVID-19, featured, Outpatient Practice, Patient Experience, Telehealth
Tags: best practices, office-based, outpatient, patient comments, patient experience, Patient feedback, Patient Satisfaction, telehealth, virtual care, virtual visits, wait timesFour Ways Reception Affects the Patient Experience
When measuring the patient experience, it’s important not only to examine the doctor-patient relationship and interactions with clinical staff, but also where it all begins: at reception.
Although front desk staff aren’t treating patients, their role in the patient experience is critical. It’s so important, in fact, that a patient may switch doctors simply because of a negative interaction during check-in. Concerns with reception may also lead to negative online reviews and may even increase the risk of malpractice suits.
Reception and the patient experience
There are four ways in which reception at your practice has a significant impact on the patient experience.
Reception is the patient’s first impression of your practice
Check-in sets the tone for the patient’s entire visit. The prompt greeting and nonverbal communication of the front desk staff are vital to conveying value to the patient. This is the first opportunity to make the patient feel like their needs come first.
During check-in, the patient may also form opinions about the efficiency and professionalism of your practice. This first impression is difficult to negate, even if the patient is extremely satisfied with their provider.
Reception is a hotspot for privacy concerns
Discussing patient information too loudly or in too public of an area may cause privacy concerns. If a patient feels like their privacy is violated during check-in, they may continue to worry about privacy throughout their visit and during their time with the provider. Respecting privacy at the front desk demonstrates the level of commitment your practice as a whole has toward privacy and security.
Reception impacts patient perceptions of wait times
Though a long wait time may not be the fault of the front desk staff, patients often perceive excessive wait times to be related to reception. Front desk staff can help to ease wait time frustrations by greeting patients promptly at check-in and providing regular updates when wait times are high.
Reception affects perceived access to care
When a patient can’t reach someone by phone to schedule an appointment or is given incorrect information about an appointment, they consider these concerns when rating their overall experience. If another practice is more accessible, they may choose to leave.
What can you do?
These five simple best practices can go a long way in improving the patient’s experience during check-in.
- Greet the patient promptly with a smile when they approach the check-in area; if all staff are with other patients, acknowledge each patient who enters and explain they will be helped as soon as possible
- Speak softly when discussing the patient’s personal information
- Use warm nonverbal communication: smile, maintain eye contact, and speak with a gentle tone of voice
- Display empathy toward the patient; remember they are in a vulnerable position
- Check in with the patient and provide updates when wait times are longer than expected
The Reception question group on the Standard Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (SPSQ) gives you insights into your patients’ attitudes toward your front desk staff. Dive even deeper with comment sentiment analysis to learn about specific pain points for your patients.
The Improvement Center also contains a variety of resources targeted toward Reception best practices.
Ready to learn more? Sign up for a demo today.
Hope McCain February 12th, 2021 Categories: Best Practices, Outpatient Practice, Patient Experience
Tags: best practices, office-based, outpatient, patient experience, privacy, quality improvement, reception, wait timesTest Results via the Patient Portal: Best Practices
A common concern expressed by patients is the communication of test results. Many medical practices have turned to patient portals to alleviate these concerns. Patient portals are now responsible for communicating with many of the 1-2 million patients being tested for COVID-19 every day in the US. The patient portal can be a great tool when it is used with the patients’ best interests in mind.
Using our comment analysis tools, we identified the most common concerns expressed by patients in regards to portal test results. Here are the biggest challenges and best practices to maximize the benefits of communicating test results to patients.
Patients don’t know how to use the portal
Your patients may not know how to access or log into your patient portal, or they may not know how to navigate it to find their test results. At the time of the visit, it’s important to provide the patient with clear, detailed instructions for accessing and using the portal.
If feasible, consider inviting the patient to set up their portal account during their visit so you can assist with any questions that arise. Offering instruction cards or flyers might aid in suggesting portal account setup to your patients.
Expectations are not met
It’s important to set and meet expectations when it comes to communicating test results via the patient portal.
First, ensure your patient knows their test results will be uploaded to the portal. If the patient assumes they will be receiving a phone call, they may not think to check online.
Next, give the patient a realistic timeframe for uploading their results. A common complaint from patients in regards to online test results is that they are not uploaded as promptly as they had expected. A recent survey found that viewing test results is among the top reasons patients utilize the portal in the first place. When the patient doesn’t see their test results online within an expected timeframe, this could lower their confidence in the reliability of the patient portal.
Finally, be consistent when uploading test results to the portal. If the patient finds their test results on the portal in some instances and not others, they may discontinue use of the portal for this purpose altogether.
The portal is your only method of communication
The portal is a great tool for communicating test results in a more timely manner. It is possible the patient will need help interpreting the results or will have questions about next steps and treatment. It’s important to follow up with the patient verbally or to provide clear next steps and information about who they can reach out to with questions.
If you are communicating test results via a portal, take the time to understand what is working and what isn’t. Run a report with the Report Builder in your SurveyVitals portal and search the comments for terms such as ‘portal’ or ‘test results’ to gather key patient insights. You can also add addendum questions to your surveys for further insights; reach out to your Client Success Manager for more information.
Interested to learn more about SurveyVitals? Request more information here.
Hope McCain February 1st, 2021 Categories: Best Practices, COVID-19, Outpatient Practice, Patient Experience
Tags: best practices, comment analysis, communication, Improvement, outpatient, patient comments, patient experience, patient portal, Patient Satisfaction, quality improvement, sentiment analysis, test resultsNew! Monthly Trend Report
At SurveyVitals, we hope you view your dedicated client account manager and the online solution as an extension of your business. This is why we are continually striving to keep you and your team apprised of performance while you are on the go. The new Trend Report sends a high-level overview of your survey scores straight to your inbox. This monthly digest provides a 90-day lookback and can guide you as you use the portal to drill down into your detailed performance data.
In your Trend Report, you will find a variety of performance insights.
Survey and Engagement Metrics
See a quick overview of survey count, response rate, and engagement metrics.
Best and Lowest Rated Performers
Quickly gauge which clinicians and divisions in your organization are performing the highest, and which need the most improvement.
Uptrending and Downtrending Performers
Use uptrend and downtrend data to dive deeper into performance with certain locations or individuals, and take action.
The Monthly Trend Report can be enabled for all users in your organization, or for select individuals. Information presented in the report is dependent on user type.
If you are a SurveyVitals user, view the article in the Help Center to learn how to enable the Monthly Trend Report. Want to learn more about SurveyVitals, request more information here.
Hope McCain December 11th, 2020 Categories: featured, Patient Experience, Product Features
Tags: notifications, patient experienceSurveyVitals Joins Decentralized Trials & Research Alliance
SURVEYVITALS JOINS DECENTRALIZED TRIALS & RESEARCH ALLIANCE (DTRA) TO DEMOCRATIZE AND ACCELERATE CLINICAL TRIALS
New Global Industry Coalition That Aims to Dramatically Increase Access for All Patients Populations in Clinical Trials and Research Launches Today
BOISE, ID – SurveyVitals, Inc. joins an historic alliance of fifty life sciences and healthcare organizations that seeks to accelerate the broad adoption of patient-focused, decentralized clinical trials and research. The “Decentralized Trials & Research Alliance (DTRA),” which launches December 10th, 2020, plans to unite industry stakeholders, including healthcare companies, regulators, patient groups and research organizations with a singular mission to make clinical trial participation widely accessible by advancing policies, research practices and digital-health technologies in decentralized clinical research.
“SurveyVitals is honored to support the founding of the DTRA,” said Blake Vosburgh, President of SurveyVitals. “Decentralized trials, as both a continuity countermeasure and a proactive protocol, create an opportunity for greater patient centricity. By engaging directly with the patient to understand the quality of their experience, the weight of their burden and the detail of the value of the trial to each individual, sponsors and CROs can adapt more quickly to ensure patient retention, inspire protocol adherence and improve future trial design.”
“We are extremely gratified to welcome SurveyVitals to the ‘Decentralized Trials & Research Alliance,’” said Amir Kalali, MD, founder of several collaborative life science communities, and co-convenor of DTRA. “By advancing decentralized research we can make the clinical trial process more patient-focused, increase trial efficiency and encourage use of technologies. We are excited by SurveyVitals’ commitment to embracing decentralized trials and to changing the culture that has been the rate limiter to innovation.”
Experts estimate that COVID-19 may set back non-pandemic clinical trials by several years due to prospective patients’ inability or reluctance to schedule visits at physical research locations. Decentralized approaches to conducting research facilitate participation by a more diverse patient population and could ease COVID-19-imposed difficulties for both patients and clinical investigators. Inclusion of representative patient populations in clinical trials by race, age and geographic location has long been an operational challenge. COVID-19 has amplified the disparities and inclusion biases that have become hurdles for potential trial participants.
“Now is the time to share ideas and insights that will chart the future course of clinical trials, accelerating drug development and saving lives – and by taking part in the DTRA, SurveyVitals is demonstrating its leadership to drive change,” said Craig Lipset, DTRA co-convener, clinical innovation advisor, and a pioneer in decentralized trials. “We have a responsibility to advance the health of people with unmet medical needs, and by convening stakeholders from pharma companies, regulators, technology leaders and patient communities, we can remove remaining barriers to adoption and impact patients today.”
SurveyVitals joins with its peer DTRA Member organizations to provide expertise to identify and address gaps and needs and advance best practices through effective education and communication. SurveyVitals urges other organizations interested in taking part to visit DTRA.org.
ABOUT DTRA:
The Decentralized Trials & Research Alliance (DTRA) was convened to enable collaboration of stakeholders to accelerate the adoption of patient-focused, decentralized clinical trials and research within life sciences and healthcare through education and research. It works to make research participation accessible to everyone, enabled by the consistent, widespread adoption of appropriate decentralized research methods. Follow DTRA on Twitter and LinkedIn for more information.
ABOUT SURVEYVITALS, INC:
For over 15 years, SurveyVitals mission has been to partner with healthcare organizations and clinicians to understand and improve the patient experience using innovative technology. In-depth, intuitive reporting tools provide actionable insights in real-time to support data-driven decision making. SurveyVitals offers comprehensive solutions, including a unique blend of digital patient surveys, CMS-approved CAHPS administration, and online reputation tools to help organizations of all sizes and specialties meet their goals. To learn more visit www.SurveyVitals.com.
For further information please contact:
Media Contacts:
Glenn Silver
Lazar – Finn Partners
glenn.silver@finnpartners.com
(646) 871-8485
Kyra Maples
SurveyVitals, Inc.
kyra@surveyvitals.com
For Non-Media Inquiries:
DTRA Secretariat
secretariat@dtra.org
(619) 209-7371
Hope McCain December 10th, 2020 Categories: COVID-19, featured, Patient Experience, Press Release
Tags: clinical trials, patient experienceMIPS 2021: Final Rule Key Takeaways
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the Quality Payment Program (QPP) final rule for the 2021 performance year. Due to the challenges clinicians are facing during the COVID-19 public health emergency, CMS avoided major changes to the program in order to minimize the burden.
Here are the key changes to the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System program for 2021.
MIPS Value Pathways (MVPs)
CMS has finalized updates to the guiding principles to help define what MVPs will look like in the future. Implementation of MVPs will not occur in 2021 as previously anticipated, but will be available in 2022.APM Performance Pathway
CMS has finalized the APM Performance Pathway (APP), a new reporting framework complementary to MVPs, to begin in 2021. This framework is available only to APM participants and is composed of a fixed set of measures for each performance category.- The Cost category will be weighted at 0%
- The Improvement Activities score will be automatically assigned based on the requirements of the MIPS APM in which the MIPS eligible clinician participates
- Promoting Interoperability will be reported and scored at the individual or group level
- The Quality measure set will consist of:
- The CAHPS for MIPS survey measure
- 2 measures that will be calculated by CMS using administrative claims data
- 3 quality measures that can be reported as electronic clinical quality measures (eCQMs), MIPS CQMs, or Medicare Part B claims measures
Performance Category Weights
In 2021, the Quality performance category weight will be reduced from 45 percent to 40 percent. The Cost category weight will increase from 15 percent to 20 percent.
Performance Threshold
For the 2021 performance period, the performance threshold (maximum number of points needed to avoid a negative payment adjustment) from 45 to 60 points.
Performance Categories
Quality Category
CMS announced in the proposed rule earlier this year its intent to end the CMS Web Interface as a quality reporting option for ACOs and registered groups, virtual groups, or other APM Entities beginning with the 2021 performance period. Due to timing concerns because of the Public Health Emergency, CMS has decided to extend the availability of this submission type through 2021, and will sunset the CMS Web Interface in 2022. CMS had also proposed to use performance period benchmarks, rather than historical, to score quality measures in the 2021 performance year. However, it was decided in the final rule to continue with the use of historical benchmarks.Improvement Activities Category
Minimal updates will be made to the Improvement Activities inventory. CMS will also create policies to include an exception to the Annual Call for Activities nomination period timeframe during a public health emergency, as well as an additional new criterion for nominating new improvement activities. In 2021, there are no changes to the requirement that at least 50% of the clinicians in the group or virtual group must perform the same activity during any continuous 90-day period in the performance year.Cost Category
CMS will update existing measure specifications to include telehealth services that are directly applicable to existing episode-based cost measures and the TPCC measure.COVID-19 Flexibility Scoring
For the 2020 performance period only, the maximum number of bonus points available for the complex patient bonus would be 10, to account for the additional complexity of treating patients during the COVID-19 public health emergency.Third-Party Intermediaries
Third-party intermediaries such as Qualified Clinical Data Registries (QCDRs), Qualified Registries (QRs), and health IT vendors will be allowed to support the APM Performance Pathway starting in 2021, and the MVP framework starting in 2022. CMS will establish specific data validation requirements for QCDRs and QRs. In performance year 2021, all third-party intermediaries will be required to attend and complete training and support sessions as specified by CMS.MIPS and SurveyVitals
SurveyVitals can help you satisfy certain MIPS requirements. Learn more on our MIPS page, sign up for a demo, or chat with us using the blue chat icon below.Hope McCain December 4th, 2020 Categories: Patient Experience
New Features: Telehealth Survey and Updated Survey Interface
The SurveyVitals solution is continuously evolving to fit our users’ unique needs–healthcare organizations of all sizes and specialties. Improvements and new developments to the online reporting patient experience platform come as a result of direct input and asks from clients.
Our newly released telehealth survey solution makes it easy for practices providing both in-person visits and audio/visual offerings to understand and measure what might feel like a new experience. Additionally, the patient survey interface has been optimized to improve user experience. To learn more about these releases, read below or contact your SurveyVitals account manager.
Interested in learning more about SurveyVitals? Request more information here.
Telehealth Survey
Due to the spread of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, more healthcare organizations are offering virtual visits than ever before to reduce the risk of exposure to patients and staff. To help our clients adapt, we developed the Telehealth Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (TPSQ).
The telehealth survey features 12 questions about the patient experience with virtual visits within your healthcare organization. These questions cover scheduling the visit, logging on, provider communication and interactions, and willingness to recommend.
The telehealth survey easily adapts to your workflow. Organizations offering both in-person and telehealth visits can upload a single patient list for both visit types, so no additional work is needed after survey setup is complete.
Updated Survey Interface
Our new digital survey interface was designed to improve the user experience for patients while taking the survey. The update ensures a consistent experience and furthers patient accessibility. Over 90% of SurveyVitals digital surveys are completed on mobile devices.
If you are interested in enabling the telehealth survey for your organization or have questions about the updated survey interface, reach out to your SurveyVitals Account Manager or contact us using the blue chat icon at the bottom of the screen.
blake June 16th, 2020 Categories: COVID-19, featured, Outpatient Practice, Patient Experience
Tags: benchmarks, Improvement, New Feature, New Functionality, outpatient, patient experience, Patient feedback, Patient Satisfaction, Surveys, telehealthSurveyVitals is exhibiting at ASA Practice Management 2020
On January 17 and 18, SurveyVitals will be exhibiting at Practice Management 2020 in Las Vegas.
Stop by and say hi to CEO Bob Vosburgh and team members Devon Smith and Meg Rust in booth #510. We’ll be onsite to answer questions about all things SurveyVitals and to provide insights into how to best utilize your patient experience results to drive improvment and win and retain business.
At the event, the American Society of Anesthesiologists will host a group of experts to address the anesthesia industry’s most pressing issues. Learn more about the event on the conference website.
We look forward to seeing you there!
blake January 9th, 2020 Categories: Patient Experience
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An analysis of patient comments in the first two months of 2021 shows a trend in patients seeking information on how to schedule a COVID vaccine. Compared to the last two months of 2020, there has been a 301% increase in the mention of vaccines in free text patient comments. A limited vaccine supply has […]
Best Practice: Responding to Online Reviews
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Over 80% of patients turn to Google when looking for a new healthcare provider. SurveyVitals’ online reputation tools have helped boost client Google reviews by 281%. While increasing your number of online reviews is essential for attracting new patients, it’s equally important to respond to these reviews appropriately. Patients are certainly reading online reviews, but […]
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Wait times have long been a common concern for patients at office-based medical appointments. When telehealth skyrocketed in popularity last year, it became clear that wait times are even more of a frustration for patients during virtual visits. The numbers show wait times are the biggest pain point for patients who use telehealth. While the […]
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When measuring the patient experience, it’s important not only to examine the doctor-patient relationship and interactions with clinical staff, but also where it all begins: at reception. Although front desk staff aren’t treating patients, their role in the patient experience is critical. It’s so important, in fact, that a patient may switch doctors simply because […]
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Hope McCain March 17th, 2021 Categories: Best Practices, COVID-19, featured, Patient Experience
Tags: best practices, comment analysis, communication, coronavirus, covid-19, patient comments, patient experience, vaccine