As healthcare reform progresses, patient experience and patient satisfaction scores will play an increasingly more important role in reimbursements. Now more than ever, it’s crucial that hospitals put the patient first. Service-Excellence Approach Offering the best patient experience is so much more than clinical care—excellent treatment simply isn’t enough in today’s competitive environment. By creating a long-term business strategy around a “ service-excellence approach,” patient experience will improve. Some of the most important factors for patient experience are respect, good communication, happy employees, and comfort. The “soft stuff” matters to patients and will definitely be used to gauge their quality of care. For example, while families and friends are in the waiting rooms, staff could come by and nicely ask if they need anything. It’s little experiences such as this that all add up to create a higher level of satisfaction. Comfort and Connectivity While waiting room times can be long, it’s important to keep patients and loved ones as comfortable as possible. Are the chairs comfortable? Is there a beverage station? Are there magazines and other reading materials? What about Wi-Fi? And perhaps most importantly… is there a way for people to charge their phones? In today’s connected world, people need constant access to their mobile devices. Even if there’s an ample amount of outlets in the waiting room, patients and their loved ones don’t always have their charging cords with them, particularly in an emergency waiting room. A mobile device is their only connection to the outside world—its how they keep friends, relatives, and loved ones up-to-date on the status of the patient, it’s how they keep their mind from going into overdrive; it’s how they stay connected. In order to keep patients and their loved ones connected, hospitals looking to increase their patient satisfaction scores can turn to charging stations. A charging station not only provides a way to charge multiple types of devices at once, but also a way to bring people together. They connect people with loved ones at home, as well as connecting people going through the shared experience of the uncertainty of a hospital visit. Gathering around a charging table or charging tower can bring people in similar circumstances together, ultimately creating a more comfortable and supportive environment. Charging in Small Spaces If your waiting room is not conducive to having visitors gathering around a table, perhaps a slim charging station would be better suited for your needs. Either way, providing a mechanism for patients and their loved ones to stay connected to the outside world will surely improve their experience, and ultimately, your patient satisfaction score. Contact us to see how our charging technology can help increase your patient satisfaction scores today.