In the majority of cases, patients choose your service or your practice because someone they know suggested it – the old “word-of-mouth” rule.  Whether that person is their primary care physician or their Aunt Millie, that referral gets the patient in the door.  That’s where the 80/20 rule comes into play.  That referral is only 20% of starting the relationship.  What happens next to that patient creates the bulk of their sentiment toward your service.  It sets the platform on whether they will come back and what they will say to their family and friends.

Fortunately or not fortunately, in health care, we have a pretty low bar when it comes to the patient experience.  While you might want to make a site visit to your competition and see what they are actually up to when it comes to the 80% factors, you can run down the following list and ask yourself the likelihood of any medical organization doing the following things well:

• Will your patient have an easy time parking?
• Will it be easy for your patient to make their way to your office?
• Will your patient be greeted warmly and with rapt attention?
• Will visit expectations be established and communicated to the patient so there will be few surprises for the patient?
• Will anyone coming in contact with the patient be polite and attentive and limit conversation to others if not relevant to the patient?
• Will the patient’s privacy be respected?
• Will the patient’s comfort be of the utmost concern for all who come in contact with the patient?
• Will the process and procedure be explained in advance of action and with the patient’s comprehension?
• Will the service being provided be for the patient’s convenience?
• Will the providers who come in contact with your patient act as if the patient were a close family friend?
• Will instructions and expectations for after the visit be explained, perhaps even written,for the patient?
• Will follow-up calls be made to check-in on the patient after they have gone home?
• Will family members or those accompanying the patient be kept apprised of the patient’s progress and made to feel comfortable?

You can make your own check-lists and be more specific, but the point is make a difference in the life of your patient by working on those 80% factors that will help the patient prefer your service to your competition’s service. This good and hard work will help the patient choose your organization for other services and establish the foundation for a long-term relationship.