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USE QUESTIONS TO HELP PATIENTS UNDERSTAND AND APPRECIATE WELLNESS

JAY BINKOWITZ

WHEN HAVE you asked your patient: “Are you happy with everything we have done for you today?” We must engage with the patient as often as possible when he or she is still in the office. Once the patient leaves, it is more difficult to redeem yourself — if needed. And why shouldn’t you give him or her time to praise you face to face as well?

At your next staff meeting, discuss how each member can improve engagement and increase the likelihood of a positive patient experience through these three questions:

1 “DID YOU EXPLAIN THE PATIENT BENEFIT OF TESTING?”

You want your patients to appreciate the incredible investment you have made in equipment, time and training to assure them of the best eye health examination, but too many patients leave feeling like you just beat them up with unnecessary testing and expense. To prevent this, explain to the patient in a meaningful, relatable way why the testing is beneficial to him or her.

For example, “Mrs. Jones, I am so excited to share with you how wonderful the technology and services we provide are. Our testing equipment is the very best as we are committed to your total eye health wellness. This particular device will allow us to see the back of your eye and assess your long-term vision health. We then compare the images year-to-year so we can stay on top of any changes that may take place. On many occasions we have been able to prevent loss of vision for our patients because of it.”

2 “DID YOU EXPLAIN THE EXAM FINDINGS IN AN UNDERSTANDABLE WAY?”

You work hard providing a solid, comprehensive exam for each patient to ensure his or her overall wellbeing. But, your patients may not understand all the services you provide. One sign of this is a complacent shaking of the head as you explain. To make sure they truly understand, question your patients — in a friendly way — regarding the results, their treatment and, most importantly, why and how the results are important.

For example, “Mrs. Jones, we just completed your pressure test and the results are great. We will always check your pressure as this is an indicator of glaucoma. Are you familiar with glaucoma? It will be my pleasure to show you.”

3 “DID YOU HIGHLIGHT THE BENEFITS OF THE VISION PLAN?”

It is critical to make sure the patient not only appreciates all you do, but the value of his or her plan as well. Most folks have paid extra for the benefit and do not want to be told their plan is terrible. To ensure patient comprehension, have your optician discuss the positives of his or her vision plan and how you will help maximize his or her benefits so the patient gets what is needed to support his or her daily activities.

PUTTING IT TO PRACTICE

When the rubber hits the road, did your patient appreciate all you have done? You and your team may say “yes.” But that opinion may not reflect that of your patient base. Make a point of asking questions to ensure the patient’s satisfaction and comprehension of his or her overall wellness. OM

MR. BINKOWITZ is the president of GPN, an optometric consulting company based in Huntington, N.Y. He has had extensive experience in retail operations, merchandising and marketing. Email him at jay@gatewaypn.com, or to comment on this article, visit tinyurl.com/OMcomment.