Why Should Sleep Centers Go All Out To Improve Patient Satisfaction

How Important is Patient Satisfaction in The Context of Sleep Centers Success?

Very very important would be a major understatement.

A 2022 study published on Oxford Academic, had established the “link between excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) and low satisfaction with healthcare providers” and the overall obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) care. Therefore, it should not be too difficult to connect the dots and conclude that sleep study clients are less likely to be satisfied with their sleep study institute even before they walk in for the test.

Another study by the Department of Family and Community Medicine found, “satisfied patients are extremely likely to be loyal to their healthcare provider and drive more referrals”.

Given these insights and the direct benefits, there is absolutely no justifiable reason for sleep centers to not go all out to improve patient satisfaction.

The direct benefits of improved patient satisfaction on sleep centers’ business

The benefits of improved patient satisfaction are numerous and significant. From getting more new patients referred to getting five star ratings on marketplaces, there are a host of additional benefits that sleep centers can enjoy simply by implementing processes that aim to improve patients’ satisfaction.

♦ Enhanced reputation
♦ Higher referral rates
♦ Positive customer reviews
♦ Greater patient retention
♦ Increased patient compliance

Easy-to-implement strategies to ensure greater patient satisfaction for sleep study centers

While decision-makers at healthcare centers are doing everything from investing in automation technologies to laying-off staff to ensure a strong bottom line, smaller efforts directed at improving patients’ satisfaction can go a long way in increasing revenues enough to offset the impact of increased expenses on the bottom line.

Let’s go over some easy-to-implement strategies for sleep centers to improve patient satisfaction:

♣ Effectively communicate the instructions: Doing everything to ensure all instructions are clearly communicated to patients can drastically improve the experience of patients and their family members.

♣ Streamline sleep study billing, registration and prior authorization processes: Registration, prior authorization, and re-authorization to determine eligibility or medical necessity can cause a lot of hassles for both HCPs and patients. Streamlining sleep study billing guidelines and other processes can reduce rework and expenses while improving patients’ satisfaction.

♣ Ensure a clean and comfortable environment: A major cause of concern for sleep study patients is cleanliness and comfort of the sleep study environment. Giving patients a glimpse of the test environment can help calm a lot of nerves and anxieties patients’ experience.

♣ Conduct staff training and regularly update processes: First-time sleep study patients are known to have a lot of questions about the procedure, and thus having somebody who is not only an effective listener but also a compassionate communicator can work wonders.

♣ Optimize appointment scheduling: Sleep clinics must avoid waiting for patients to arrive for their appointments to initiate prior authorization procedures. Preemptive registration or prior authorization can help improve patient satisfaction.

♣ Seek patient feedback: Asking patients for feedback to improve patient experience can provide fresh and multiple perspectives on things that can be done to enhance patient satisfaction.

♣ Strive for a patient-first culture: Sleep study centers should strive for a culture that prioritizes patients before anything else. If implemented successfully, patients will not be unaware of the efforts their HCP is putting in to improve their experience.

For more information on how optimizing sleep study billing and pre-authorization operations can improve patients’ experience, please contact Sunknowledge Services Inc., a trusted and HIPAA-compliant RCM company serving HCPs across the US for nearly two decades.