Top 3 Signs Your EHR is Hurting Your Patient Engagement
It’s no secret that most doctors are fed up with their current EHR. A recent survey1 by AmericanEHR found that physicians are more dissatisfied with their EHR than they were five years ago. Inefficient workflows, expensive hardware, poor customer support, and a hindrance to patient interaction are common reasons for doctors and staff to be fed up with their software.
But what about your patients? Are they as unhappy with your practice’s software as you and your staff are? Here are 3 ways your EHR could be leaving a bad impression on your patients:
EYE CONTACT
A common complaint of EHRs today is that doctors feel chained to their computer screen. A study2 found that a patient’s satisfaction level with a doctor was related to the amount of time the doctor ‘gazed’ at them, making eye contact and making them feel like they were listening to the patient. If your EHR requires you to stare and type a lot, your patients will notice.
EASY ACCESS
With each passing year, more and more patients are demanding access to their health records3. Allowing your patients to access their data improves engagement and satisfaction, which can result in increased revenue via patient referrals and additional procedures for that patient. If your software does not allow you to quickly share images, videos and files with the patients you choose, you’re missing out on a golden opportunity.
DELAYS
A survey4 by Profitable Practice found that the #1 cause of a negative patient satisfaction levels was a long wait time (35%). A complicated, difficult to use EHR slows you down significantly, which in turn causes you to run behind schedule, resulting in very unhappy patients. If your software has unnecessary fields and dropdown menus, you’re not the only one who is feeling the frustration; it’s impacting your patients too!
CONCLUSION
If you and your staff are unhappy with your current EHR, chances are your patients feel the same way. The key to great patient satisfaction is finding a software that works for you, not against you.
To learn how Symplast can improve your patient engagement through smart mobile technology, contact us at sales@symplast.com or visit www.symplast.com/madeforplastics.