How to Improve Patient Feedback and Get Better Star Ratings

Consider this question: Why won’t patients give you honest patient feedback and tell you how they really feel about you while they’re under your care and control? Well, it’s because they’re under your care and supervision.

Think about it this way: Do you ever bother complaining about the food in a restaurant? Most people don’t, because what might happen to that food on the way back from the kitchen? There’ll be a new, invisible, moist crust.

Patients are very uncomfortable giving direct feedback. Nursing managers say this all the time, “I don’t get it. I talk with my patients, I ask how they’re doing, they say they love us, and then I get evaluation feedback, and they don't love us! What’s going on here?”.

When it comes to direct patient feedback, most people won't give you the truth. People are not comfortable being seen as a troublemaker.

Perception is deception. The way you think you’re doing may not be how your patients see you, which is why evaluations are so critical.

Five Questions to Ask About Patient Feedback

  1. Do you know your latest patient satisfaction scores?
  2. Do you know how the scores have changed since the previous report?
  3. What are the top two things your patients say that you do best?
  4. What are your top two patient dissatisfiers? What upsets your patients the most?
  5. Do the people who report to you know the number one dissatisfier for their patients?

These questions are critical to your success. If your hospital staff members don’t know the answers to these questions, then you won’t be able to move forward and improve your patient feedback or win back patients.

It’s your role as a leader to educate your people to know and inspire them to care.

“The speed of the leader is the speed of the team.”

The Importance of Star Ratings

Never underestimate the importance of star ratings. Consider the following:

  • A rating of 1 or 2 is a Zone of Defection.
  • A rating of 3 or 4 is a Zone of Indifference.
  • A rating of 5 out of 5 is a Zone of Affection.

Star ratings are essential. When people are searching for services, they can filter their search by star ratings. If your hospital has a lackluster star rating or a poor online reputation, your patient intake will reflect this.

Getting five stars means consistently meeting or managing patients’ expectations with kindness, care everywhere, which should always be the goal.

A study done by PressGaney, the largest patient survey vendor in the United States, found that there is no profitability unless you’re rated a four out of four, which is five stars. It is very hard to have a positive margin if you don’t have a positive star rating, so keep that in mind.

Good Patient Feedback Gets Your Hospital Ahead

By engaging, shifting, and educating your hospital staff members to implement best practices, you can improve your patient feedback and star rating.

A one-point improvement in your overall hospital rating equals a .4% profit margin increase. These funds can help your hospital get ahead. As the patient experience improves, operating margins improve, and nurse turnover goes down.

The patient experience makes a difference, draws your people, and gives you a competitive advantage. By putting the right strategies in place to improve patient satisfaction, your hospital can reap the rewards.

Everyone’s a Caregiver: Providing Education for Healthcare Workers

Everyone's Caregiver provides education to healthcare workers to better improve their patient's overall experience. We understand the time constraints placed in today's workplace and have customized microlearning videos to help you gain the skills you need to be a better, more positive healthcare worker. Contact us today to see how we can help, or click here to learn more.

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