Best Tips for Improving the Outpatient Care Experience in 2021

What does the patient experience look like in your outpatient healthcare center? In the last few years, almost every industry has elevated the experience that people have with their services, products, and solutions, and healthcare is no different. In fact, with reimbursements tied to patient satisfaction, the experience that your outpatient care center delivers is more important than ever.

Think about each step of the patient experience, from the moment a patient arrives in your healthcare facility to the time they leave, to identify opportunities for enhancement. As medical apparel and linen specialists who are in and out of thousands of outpatient care centers every day, we have seen it all—and we know what a great outpatient care experience looks like in 2021.

Consult our best tips for improving the outpatient care experience to ensure every patient feels comfortable during their appointment and leaves with a positive reaction. We divided our tips into three categories: quick improvements that you can implement right away, thoughtful touches that you may not have considered, and strategic changes that will take your outpatient experience to the next level.

Quick Improvements

Sometimes the smallest tweaks can make the biggest difference.

• Clear Signage at the Start
  Clear office signage that starts in the parking lot (if your building allows) and directs patients directly into your facility is an improvement that can elevate the patient experience before it even starts.
• Prompt & Warm Greeting
  Greet patients with a prompt and warm welcome, avoiding medical jargon when possible to humanize their experience and establish a friendly connection.
• Online Forms Ahead of Time
  If possible, have patients fill out any forms online or through a patient portal ahead of time, so their experience can start off relaxing and hassle-free.
• Peaceful Waiting Room
  To decrease the perception of wait times, make your waiting room peaceful and engaging with a variety of seating options and content, low music, indoor plants, and complimentary water bottles.
• Clean Nooks & Crannies
  Ensure your waiting room is clean—every nook and cranny—as people will naturally look around while waiting for their appointment.

Thoughtful Touches

Thoughtfulness goes a long way, letting patients know their comfort is a priority.

• Linen Patient Apparel
  Choose linen patient apparel, such as linen gowns and robes, instead of disposable, paper apparel, which can make patients feel uncomfortable, cold, and exposed while in the treatment room.
• Wrapped Apparel
  In addition to choosing linen patient apparel, you can also choose to have gowns and robes wrapped in customized patient apparel bags for maximum cleanliness and a personalized touch.
• Professional Staff Attire
  Ensure your staff and clinicians are wearing clean, fresh, and proper attire to instill confidence and professionalism in your outpatient practice.
• Embroidered Touches
  Taking the extra step to embroider your facility’s logo and clinician names on lab coats, scrubs, and welcome mats to show patients that your facility takes pride in their organization.
• Neat & Tidy Supplies
  Keep your office supplies neat, tidy, and free of wrinkles with smart storage solutions and help from your medical supply specialist to hang, fold, and stock your supplies.

Strategic Changes

Strategic changes in vendors, suppliers, and partners can make all the difference.

• Sustainable Solutions
  People have a lot of choices when it comes to outpatient care providers. Choosing vendors that support sustainability can make patients feel good about choosing your practice.
• Inventory Management
  The right inventory management solutions can elevate the patient experience by ensuring clinicians and staff always have the supplies they need to deliver continuous care.
• Outsourced Medical Laundry
  By outsourcing your medical apparel and linen laundry to an HLAC-accredited laundering service you maximize the health, safety, and peace-of-mind for patients by eliminating risks of cross-contamination and spread of infectious diseases.
• Safe Protocols & Vendors
  Assess the safety protocols that your supply vendors are practicing as they come and go from your facility. Depending on the layout of your facility, patients may see your vendors and notice whether or not they are acting with safety in mind.

Ready to Elevate Your Outpatient Care Experience?

There’s never been a better time to overhaul your outpatient care experience. Use these tips for quick improvements, thoughtful touches, and strategic changes to take patient satisfaction to the next level. While some of these tips you can implement yourself, others require the help of medical apparel and linen specialists, like us. Nixon Medical can help you implement all the items on this list with fully managed laundry, product fulfillment, and inventory management for medical apparel and linens. Contact us for more information and for 10% off your first order.