Improving the customer experience is critical in healthcare, as it directly impacts patient outcomes, satisfaction and loyalty. Clear, compassionate communication—both in person and through digital channels—can help foster trust and ensure patients feel valued and well-informed.
Below, 20 Forbes Business Council members share key strategies for healthcare businesses to build stronger relationships with clients. Follow their advice to promote a more positive, patient-centered approach to care.
1. Simplify Access Through Digital Platforms
Healthcare providers can improve the patient experience by simplifying access to care through digital platforms. Offering seamless scheduling, virtual visits and real-time communication reduces friction and enhances convenience. This is crucial because a smooth, personalized experience builds trust and improves patient outcomes, yielding higher satisfaction. – Sujay Saha, Acquis Cortico-X
2. Recognize Patients’ Challenges
At its core, keeping patients at the center of the mission means recognizing the physical, emotional and financial challenges they face. Every interaction matters, from the first consultation to the final bill. Healthcare businesses should constantly refine both their care delivery and their business practices to ensure that navigating the system is as seamless as possible. – Helmy Eltoukhy, Guardant Health
3. Put Yourself In The Patient’s Shoes
Business leaders can improve the patient experience by putting themselves in the patient’s shoes when evaluating any product or service intended for the market. Health is a fundamental human need, and healthcare is a fundamental human experience. As healthcare leaders, we must always view our business through this lens. – Dr. William Morice, Mayo Collaborative Services
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4. Go Beyond Clinical Needs
Patients need whole-person care, which must go beyond clinical needs to consider their health-related social needs as well. Studies tell us that clinical factors are responsible for just 20% of individuals’ health outcomes, so identifying and resolving social needs that impact patients makes a big difference for everyone. – Valerie Cerra, GroundGame.Health
5. Eliminate Delays And Barriers To Care
Instant relief and pain management are key areas for improving patient experience. Technology can reduce bureaucracy through eliminating repetitive paperwork and ensuring instant access to medical histories, allowing healthcare providers to focus on immediate care. Tech can also bridge communication gaps, helping patients describe their pain more clearly, as well as leading to faster, more effective relief. – Ashar Samdani, Code District
6. Streamline Appointment Scheduling
Streamlining appointment scheduling is a game-changer for reducing wait times. Offering online booking, telemedicine options and real-time updates on delays keeps patients informed and minimizes unnecessary waiting. This matters because long wait times are one of the top patient frustrations. Improving wait times would show you value their time, leading to better satisfaction and loyalty. – Joel Carboni, GPM Global
7. Ensure Seamless Digital Properties
How good is your digital presence or app? Is it accessible to people with disabilities? Ensure that your digital properties are as seamless as possible and provide access to information in a clean, easy-to-use way. – Nayan Padrai, EcomBack
8. Identify Specific Areas For Smoother Experiences
Healthcare can be fragmented and patients value seamless experiences. To truly enhance patient experience, healthcare companies should step into patients’ shoes throughout care delivery. This helps identify areas for a smoother, more personalized experience that leaves a lasting impact on patients’ lives. Improving this experience is crucial, as it builds trust and fosters better health outcomes. – Ahzam Afzal, Puzzle Healthcare
9. Utilize QR Code Solutions
Healthcare businesses can enhance patient experiences through secure, HIPAA-compliant QR code solutions. These tools streamline interactions, enable contactless operations and protect sensitive health data—especially as breaches increase. By prioritizing both convenience and security, QR codes help healthcare organizations modernize their approach while safeguarding patient information. – Sharat Potharaju, Uniqode
10. Talk To Customers
The key to creating better customer experiences is letting employees experience the customer through the customer’s emotions, thoughts and residuals. As an example, have a customer come in and talk to employees about what they felt, what was going on in their head and what they remembered after the encounter. A personal customer experience will make it real for employees. – Greg Zlevor, Westwood International
11. Simplify Insurance Processes
Simplifying insurance processes is one way to improve customer experience. It will increase transparency and help patients access the most suitable medical services to ease their concerns about medical bills. For chronic illness patients especially, providing upfront cost estimates and long-term health management can help them manage their conditions and reduce anxiety during treatment. – Janet Zhang, Boston Easy Biotech Inc.
12. Practice Empathy
People are missing empathy in this world full of AI and advanced technologies. Along with technological innovations and incorporation into the healthcare business, we should focus on offering attentive and empathic care to our patients. Providing emotional care will make them feel cared for and valued. If unwell people receive advanced assistance with more care, their experience will improve. – Amit Gandhi, NovelVox
13. Utilize Generative AI
By making use of new generative AI-based ambient listening tools like Dragon Medical One (DMO), healthcare staff can be more present during patient conversations and spend less time typing notes in real time. These tools automate some parts of the process, give patients a better real-life experience and cut down on busywork and burnout. – Mark Drapeau, RXN Group
14. Explore Technology And Digital Options
We are living in remarkable times of technology and digital growth that truly allow for making healthcare more patient-centered and sustainable. Access to medicines, without missing alternative distribution opportunities that ultimately can reduce suffering and improve well-being, unquestionably contributes to stronger economies, stronger communities and stronger business. – Radu Magdin, SMARTLINK COMMUNICATIONS
15. Provide Multilingual Materials
Improving the patient experience is just as critical as the medical care itself. It starts when patients encounter promotional materials and extends through every touchpoint, including interactions with staff. To make patients feel welcome and valued, healthcare businesses must provide multilingual materials and staff, especially for those whose first language isn’t English. – Aldo Quevedo, BeautifulBeast
16. Lower Time And Cognitive Demand On Patients
Healthcare is unpleasant and complex to patients who deal with it infrequently and reluctantly. The best customer experience decreases the time and cognitive demand on the patient. Focus on just-in-time information, and guide patients to the “next step” one task at a time. Information density seems efficient, but one well-explained and simple step at a time is the best experience for a patient. – Cameron Deemer, DrFirst
17. Personalize The Care
Personalized care is becoming the leading practice for a better patient experience. Tailoring healthcare services to make it personalized can significantly boost satisfaction. It involves understanding patient preferences and medical history and providing personalized treatment. A better healthcare experience can impact factors like patient health or retention. – Nachiketa Popat, EY
18. Give Patients Control
Clinical excellence is an expectation but it is not enough. What patients desire most is a sense of control—consistent encounters where they feel seen, heard and validated. Control is a stepping stone in an exceptional customer experience. As such, design the patient journey with moments that remove anxiety, confusion and tension. Allow patients a sense of control and empowerment in their care. – Loubna Noureddin, Mind Market
19. Provide Clear, Honest Communication
Clear, concise and honest communication is critical in healthcare. When stress is sometimes already at its peak, patients need healthcare professionals who can calm the situation by communicating clear solutions that alleviate the pressures. Simple, understandable healing solutions go a long way in already tense situations. – Georgia Godfrey, Foresight Strategies
20. Make The Experience Stress-Free
Treatment begins with that first contact. Chronic stress significantly impacts both physical and mental well-being. Therefore, making the journey to receive services as stress-free as possible is essential. Implementing user-friendly platforms with streamlined UX can simplify scheduling and facilitate quick communication with providers. – Jenna Glover, Headspace
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