Want happy patients? Keep staff happy
Want happy patients? Keep staff happy
Lack of motivation affects service
If your office staff isn’t happy, chances are your patients aren’t going to be happy either.
"All our research tells us there are direct correlations between employee satisfaction and patient satisfaction. When employees feel committed and cared for, it’s easier for them to bring their hearts and souls to work," says Tom Aug of Development Partners, a Cincinnati firm that specializes in improving patient satisfaction for physician group practices.
Because only about 10% of a patient’s total visit time is spent in face-to-face contact with a physician, the rest of the staff can have a big impact on how the patient feels about the experience, Aug points out.
"If your internal staff isn’t empowered or motivated about their jobs, it’s going to show up in the kind of services a practice provides," points out Andrea Eliscu, president and chief executive officer of Medical Management Inc., an Orlando, FL, firm that specializes in marketing, public relations, and strategic planning for physician practices.
That’s why the Salem (OR) Clinic focuses on staff satisfaction and employee appreciation, says Barbara Gunder, MA, practice administrator.
"If employees don’t feel valued, there’s no way they can value the patient," Gunder says.
Each department at the Salem Clinic has an individual employee satisfaction program that recognizes employees for excellence. Employees are encouraged to make suggestions and are rewarded when their suggestions are implemented. Other staff satisfaction projects include staff appreciation lunches and a dress-down day in the summer when employees are allowed to wear casual clothes.
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