Why Survey?

Virtually every healthcare practice has ‘leaks’ in it. These leaks are what take place when new patients or existing patients do not return for future care. You have effectively employed a Marketing Plan to get them in the door; however, your inside polices and procedures didn’t keep them around. This means you have to work hard replacing leaky patients, just to maintain your current practice levels! Meeting and exceeding your patients’ goals and expectations will greatly reduce the number of ‘leaks’ in your practice.
Winston Churchill marshaled the best talent.

Let’s look at it another way: Let’s say your bottom lines grew by 20% last year, and you provided service to a hundred or so new patients. But you also had a 40% attrition (meaning that 40% of your patients did not return for further care). These numbers work out to reflect that your existing practice actually doubled in size, just not in productivity! And what’s even worse, is that if you don’t continue to work hard in finding new patients each month, your attrition rate is going to shrink your practice (and certainly your productivity!) in a very short period of time.

Think of the growth your practice will realize
when you don’t lose so many existing patients.

To reduce the high attrition rate, you’ve got to view your practice from your patients’ perspective, and you must know what your patients want from you and your services. You’ve got to get the right information and act upon it to shore up those leaks! Gathering this information effectively is what we do best!

There are many types of survey methods. However, our research shows that surveying with specifically targeted information, gathered by an outside agency (the honest broker) is recognized throughout the Organizational Management community as the most effective means to conduct a survey.

But there’s more to it that this.

You want to Survey when you realize ‘what your patients have to say’ is of vital importance to your practice and future growth. Don’t forget that where you are today is only a step on the path of where you will be tomorrow!

Please see ‘Management Guidance Concerning/Validating Surveys’

We also know that you Survey to discover specific information and answer specific questions. The PSS Survey is thorough in understanding your needs and is tailored to answer your toughest questions.

Who Should Survey?

Healthcare Providers, unlike other salesmen, typically do not create the need for their services. Healthcare Users have a need for your services and they are going to receive them from either you or someone else. Also, the User is going to return for care (and refer others) to the Healthcare Providers where they feel most comfortable and confident in the services received. As a Healthcare Provider, you need to know what are the expectations of your patients. The PSS Survey Method gets that information – honestly and effectively. We have customized our products and targeted our Practice Survey to Professionals who have been in practice for a number of years and have an established population of current and past patients. Our New Patient Survey is for Healthcare Providers who have control of New Patient procedures – regardless of years in practice.

Surveying your patients discovers their expectations. How can you meet (or exceed) your patients’ expectations if you don’t know what they are?

Many doctors believe they know exactly what their patients want. These are the practices with 100% annual growth with minimal (less than 5%) attrition or leaks. If you have a practice in this category, we salute you!

However, realistically, most practices have large leaks and work hard to get new patients. And there are some who have to scramble for new patients to come in the front door just to balance the numbers because there are so many patients leaving thru the back door. Do you want to know why are they leaving? Simply put, their expectations were not met.

SO MANY THINGS AFFECT YOUR PRACTICE!

Do you ever wonder what happened to those hundreds of inactive patients? Do you believe they are healthy and happy? Do you believe they are ready to return to you as soon as they perceive their health (nervous system, dental, or vision health) is poor? Are they capable of referring their family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers? Do they know you accept work related injuries? How about treating children, pregnant patients, sports related injuries, auto accidents, and slip and falls? Or do they know you offer cosmetic dental services, metallic filling replacements for health, discounted family plans, vision therapy, specialized eyewear, or perform or refer to a specialist for corrective vision surgery?

And what about the core of your practice? - Those active and satisfied patients? Do they know they can see you for golfer’s elbow, headaches, and even infant and childhood ear infections? Do they know you have teeth whitening services? Do they know how easy it is to get sports eyewear? Or, do they think you only provide the specific service for which they came in to see you?

Are you thinking of change within your practice? Maybe adding an Associate Doctor, changing locations, adding a additional location, or changing hours, or are you modifying your focus in a specialty within your profession?

Would you like to have inactive patients reactivate? Would you like to have a stronger, much larger patient referral and awareness programs? …Of course you would!
The PSS Survey Method will create a greater awareness in your patients (not only those patients directly surveyed, but your entire practice!) and, in turn, bring your practice to mind more frequently in their daily lives. The PSS Survey Method is an effective way to do all of this and more!

Why Survey with PSS?

We have seen many surveys and survey methods. They come in all types and styles – especially those created by the Professional for their own practice. The data and comments gathered are seldom focused on the information needed to make any significant decisions. Even worse, we’ve seen surveys sent to over 200 prospective participants, and less than 25 responses were received!

When generic response surveys are conducted, a vaguely focused, wishy-washy, and often slow-step or hesitant change takes place. Then, unconfident in the results, the doctor will try out a process or partially implement a change in their practice. This effort is typically short sighted and is either terminated or removes the focus from servicing the patients in the practice. And, more often than not, causes awkward emotions and actions within the staff. This in turn affects the procedures you covet so highly (because they are the lifeline to servicing your patients!).

Some professional service providers even attempt to conduct surveys themselves. – This is the most dangerous route! Not only are dozens of hours and hundreds of dollars spent in the process, but unfortunately, the reliability and the information gathered is poor and incomplete at best.

How much would you charge for 20 - 30 hours of your time? That’s the conservative estimate in effort and the costs of printing, proofing, assembly, postage, receiving, summarizing, and evaluating. Then, unfortunately, you get information that doesn’t really give you enough confidence to make ‘Practice Growth Decisions’. The result: you’ve lost the time, energy, and finances which could have been spent more effectively.

The PSS Survey Method benefits your practice by: (1) Acting as an outside gathering agency. This presents an honest broker for your patients to comment more openly about issues or topics they may not present directly to you. It also increases the level of confidence your patients have in your desire to meet their healthcare needs (now and in the future). When your patients see that you have hired an outside agency to professionally prepare and evaluate the survey, they give greater credibility to the survey. (2) Removes the emotion of results. It’s easy for a professional service provider to overlook one or two awkward comments, or to downplay the comments of an angry experience. However, they are significant and even more so when coming from a particular group of patients! You’ll receive all comments from an unbiased source and will be able to recognize, more clearly, the meaning of those comments and how to benefit from them. (3) Encourages you to incorporate your staff at various opportunities. Yes, your Chiropractic Assistants, Dental Assistants, Vision Staff, Billing Specialist, Office Manager, massage and support staff, and even your spouse needs to get involved at some level. Their participation elevates the effectiveness of the PSS Survey. They have an opportunity for input, patient group assignment, and acceptance of the survey results coming from a professional outside agency. This enhances their ownership and desire to participate in your practice! They are also more energized and excited about changes you implement after you receive the survey results. (4) Gets specific answers to your most difficult questions. The custom made PSS Survey addresses your questions – directly and indirectly. The PSS Survey also incorporates questions to plant reminders of your services. This allows the survey to not only gather information but obtain indirect information and responses as well. Then there are the obvious, big questions too. Our PSS Survey Method entices the survey participant to complete the entire survey and gets them to respond to the important issues! (5) Gets responses from patients in a variety of categories. The PSS Survey Method is effective because it gets responses from many patient categories (Best, Inactive, PI/WC, and more). Our surveys are targeted by divided percentages within each category of patients. This allows information to be gathered and weighted appropriately. We expect your favorite patients to say great things about you, but what is the significance placed on comments from the group of patients who have never referred a new patient to you? The PSS Survey is specifically targeted for best results. (6) Measures the results. The PSS Survey is effective in gathering information and data - which can be measured into effectiveness. We know there’s more to it than answering ‘yes’ or ‘no’! The PSS Survey Method even weighs the non-response rate as well.

 

How to Benefit from a Survey

Believe it or not, if your patients sense a ‘better deal’, they are very likely to check it out! Don’t believe the great theory that ‘Customer Loyalty’ can be had without taking any action to keep those patients. You must know your patients’ expectations and exceed them to maintain their trust in you and your services. Also, remember that your patients are not paying for your service per se, but rather they are paying for the results of your service. This is known as ‘Value’.

The potential benefits from a survey are tremendous! However, they are drastically reduced if the survey is conducted poorly, communicated incorrectly, or, worst of all, if there is no follow-on activity. The PSS Survey results will provide information and recommended activities to ensure your greatest success! We want you to have a great response, get the information you desire, and implement the changes your patients will appreciate!

We want you to Grow

Beyond your Goals!