6 Steps to Build the Best Patient Experience Improvement Strategy

In home care and senior living, a positive patient experience improves quality of life and helps agencies build strong connections with patients and their families. Sometimes, however, agencies may fail to recognize all of the factors that contribute to patient experience. 

Caregiver turnover, poor communication, and a lack of training can all detract from the patient experience. Those problems also make growth difficult for agencies. To offer the highest standard of care and improve profitability, agencies need a patient experience improvement strategy. 

In this post, we’ll talk about how to assess patient experience, resources for improving it, and how to achieve the best outcomes for patients.

What is the patient experience exactly?

The patient experience is how a patient feels about the care you provide. That feeling comes from the sum of all interactions with caregivers, which is how it differs from patient satisfaction. For example: 

• An agency wants to evaluate patient satisfaction for caregiver-administered insulin injections. It asks patients to rate this service on a scale of 1 to 5. 

• An agency wants to understand how diabetic patients feel about the patient experience. It asks patients if they feel like caregivers listen to them, understand their needs, and provide guidance without being disrespectful or dismissive. 

Patient satisfaction is easy to measure. Patient experience, however, can’t be assessed with a simple score. 

Why patient experience is so important

Providing the best care for patients is a fundamental principle for agencies. That doesn’t just mean your caregivers are highly skilled — it also means that patients and families trust you, and the positive outcomes for your patients are evident.

Here’s what you can do when you improve the patient experience:

Achieve the best patient outcomes

A collaborative and positive caregiver-patient relationship leads to better health outcomes. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, patients are more likely to follow care plans when they feel positive about their caregiver relationships. 

For home care patients who don’t have a live-in caregiver, following care plans and taking ownership of one’s health is essential for managing chronic conditions and diseases.

Strengthen relationships between stakeholders

Often, home care agencies share caregiving responsibilities with a family caregiver. Collaborating with family caregivers to create a positive continuum of care ensures the best possible experience for everyone. Agencies can offer guidance for family caregivers that helps them prioritize their own health while also caring for a loved one.  

Boost regulatory compliance and financial performance

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services cares about the patient experience and routinely surveys patients to assess quality of care. The results of CMS surveys are publicly available, allowing anyone to compare agencies.

Poor patient experiences can inhibit agency growth, as well as jeopardize an agency’s ability to work with patients who have Medicaid or Medicare benefits. Patient complaints can also trigger a home care audit. So improving the patient experience should be a priority for every agency.  

How to build a patient experience improvement strategy in 6 steps

Now let’s look at six patient experience best practices and how to implement them.

1. Survey patients

Evaluate the current patient experience through surveys, and schedule surveys for regular intervals so you can track trends in patient sentiment.  

When creating surveys, use the Likert scale to provide response options (such as “Agree,” “Strongly agree,” “Strongly disagree,” etc.) and use statements instead of questions. For example:

• My caregiver listens to my concerns.
• My caregiver respects my privacy.

Senior living agencies should also probe some of the more common areas that patients complain about, like:

• I have access to a wide range of satisfying food options.
• The organized activities are enjoyable. 

2. Build a culture of continuous improvement

Encourage feedback, and empower patients and families to share concerns and suggestions. Make sure patients and families know how to reach someone when they want to talk. They may feel more comfortable talking to someone who’s not directly involved in their care. 

When feedback results in positive change, share the news. Here’s an example of a social media post that demonstrates commitment to improving the patient experience: 

• “A patient’s daughter told us she would like more visibility into when caregivers will be arriving to care for her father. Based on her feedback, we implemented a real-time GPS tracking tool so all patients and designated family members can see caregiver ETAs.”   

3. Invest in ongoing training and retention strategies

Well-trained and engaged caregivers are essential for delivering high-quality care. Providing training opportunities is also a great way to improve caregiver retention, which in turn enhances the patient experience. 

Give caregivers access to training for advanced certifications that help them grow in their career. Encourage them to boost communication skills and learn other “soft skills” that help them relate to patients. Prepare them for the unique challenges of caring for dementia patients, with dementia-care courses.  

Remember that every interaction between your patients and your business is part of the patient experience. That’s why it’s wise to consider training for your office staff, too. If a patient’s phone call ends up reaching the wrong person, that employee’s phone etiquette training could improve the patient experience. 

4. Build leadership skills

Improving the patient experience is ultimately the responsibility of agency owners and operators, so leaders need space to grow their skills. Administrative training can help with the strategic direction of the business, hiring and retaining caregivers, and ensuring accountability. 

5. Use technology to streamline processes

The right technology can improve patient care, enhance communication, and eliminate inefficiencies. For example, with home health care apps, caregivers can access patient records, fill out assessment forms, and log medication administration. Having instant access to information helps caregivers respond to patient questions and keep patient records up to date. 

To get the most out of mobile apps for senior living and home care, choose a single platform that brings all of your technology into one interface. CareAcademy offers this functionality, with integrations for WellSky, AxisCare, AlayaCare, Aaniie, eRSP, and Axxess. With CareAcademy, caregivers can manage their day-to-day work, as well as complete training from anywhere.

6. Refine and improve patient care strategies based on data

Administrators can use CareAcademy to track caregiver progress on training, and see how training connects to retention and patient outcomes.

If data shows that your retention rate improves as caregivers participate in specialized training, and your patients are increasingly happy with their care, your patient experience improvement strategy is working.  

Launch your patient experience improvement strategy today

Most of the factors that contribute to a positive patient experience are within your control. When you focus on training your staff, you improve caregiver retention and job satisfaction, both of which translate to better, more conscientious patient care. 

CareAcademy makes it easy to assign and track training, and caregivers can access training when it’s convenient — from the same mobile devices they use every day. Best of all, you never have to worry about keeping up with compliance requirements, because CareAcademy includes state-specific training modules and automates compliance reminders.

Build a standard of excellence with CareAcademy. Try it today for free.