A Consultant’s Approach to Improving Patient Experience

 
A 2020 American Heart Association survey found that patients defined value as communication and trust in healthcare providers and not simply cost and services. Building trust and improving patient experience is something that healthcare organizations learned first-hand over the past three years through an unprecedented health crisis.

Stellar customer service is not a choice in healthcare, and in this competitive market a lack of committed service excellence could cost. If improving patient experience and service prove elusive for a healthcare organization, they may turn to the experts for sound strategies.

I Don’t Care’s Kevin Stevenson spoke with Amanda Brummitt, founder of the Brummitt Group. The Brummitt Group specializes in strategies for executing stellar patient experiences, something Brummitt believes is more than a sound business practice; it just makes plain sense.

“Being good to our patients is vital,” Brummitt said. “I think it’s easier keeping existing patients happy than it is to acquire new patients.”

Stevenson and Brummitt discuss…

● Creating the expectation for great customer service from the top down in an
organization

● Generating a new organizational culture to redefine the patient experience

● How the right script can transform customer service and patient satisfaction

“The script is a jumping-off point,” Brummitt said. “Let’s say you’re new to a call center or you’re new to a front-desk position in a hospital. Let’s start with a script, and once you have your own magic style, tweak the script. And if your scores look good and patients aren’t complaining, you can say whatever you want to say. But I’ve yet to find an alternative better than scripting, and we use it in our own business.”

Amanda Brummitt is the CEO of The Brummitt Group, a boutique healthcare consulting company focused on operations, strategic development, and patient experience for hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, physician practices, and other healthcare areas. Brummitt received her master’s in Health Administration from the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy. Brummitt, a volunteer advocate, received the volunteer of the year from the ACHE of North Texas in 2022.