An 82-year-old man with heart failure was presented with a difficult decision: undergo the high-risk surgery his doctors recommended, or die. As Kaiser Health News (KHN) reported, the patient’s daughter felt there was no choice but to go ahead with the surgery. Read More
For as long as email has been a part of our daily lives, doctors have been concerned about whether or not to use this method of communication with their patients. Even in 2019, the majority of doctors still are not regularly communicating with their patients electronically. Estimates show that only about 30 percent of doctors exchange email with their patients, while about 18 percent use text messaging to interact with patients.Read More
There is one aspect of health care that greatly impacts patient care, yet is often overlooked: caregiver engagement. There are more than 40 million unpaid caregivers of adults ages 65 and older in the U.S., according to Pew Research. Of that group, nine in 10 are family members providing care for an aging relative, often a parent. Read More
Is gifting patients stress balls branded with your name an effective way to build loyalty? Do giveaways on your Facebook page influence patients to promote your practice? It can be hard to know what strategies are worth your time and expense. Before you order a case of eyeball lollipops for your eye care practice, let’s take a look at the psychology behind patient loyalty and practice marketing. In a few simple steps, you’ll be on your way to more engaged patients and hopefully new-patient referrals as well. Read More
In a survey of 1,000 AARP members to assess patient perceptions of cataract surgery, three-quarters of post-op respondents reported a higher quality of life and said they wished they had had the surgery sooner. So why didn’t they? For the same reasons patients put off sinus surgery or other medical procedures: fear and anxiety. Read More
The average time patients spend waiting for a doctor is just over 18 minutes, according to a 2018 report. While that is a decrease from previous years, wait time remains a significant factor in patient satisfaction. Not only did 84 percent of people say wait time is either “somewhat important” or “very important,” but 30 percent of patients reported they’ve walked out of an appointment due to long waits, and one in five said they’ve changed doctors because of long wait times.Read More
