Survey staff members, physicians to identify poor service

An insider’s perspective offers valuable information

Practices have long used patient satisfaction surveys to assess their customer service strengths and weaknesses. Although patient satisfaction surveys offer tremendous benefits, practices shouldn’t stop there, says Pat Kearney, RN, MPA, ARM, risk management advisor at Stevens & Lee in Lancaster, PA. Because patients visit your office only a few times per year, their insights can be limited or off-kilter.

On the other hand, staff members and clinicians have a firsthand view of what goes on in your practice every day and may be able to recognize poor performance patterns and recurring patient complaints.