The success of many organizations is determined by how they treat their customers. The Healthcare industry is one of these organizations, and patients have always remained a key factor for the industry’s success. An organization with satisfaction will likely make huge gains and remain competitive in the industry irrespective of the strong and competitive force from the competitors. There are five reasons for classifying patient satisfaction as a key measure of the success of healthcare organizations. These reasons are that it results in patient loyalty, contributes to the establishment of care standards for monitoring patient results and opinions, gives worth and value to the overall quality of healthcare, creation of meaningful relationships between the healthcare provider and the patient, and lastly, patient satisfaction offers essential insights relevant to the organization’s growth.
The first reason is that patient satisfaction results in patient loyalty. Research has shown that the satisfaction of one customer automatically reaches four other customers, and if one doesn’t satisfy one of them, it spreads and reaches ten or more others depending on the seriousness of the issue (Carter & Silverman, 2016). This illustration demonstrates how important patient satisfaction is and the need for adherence to it. When the organization emphasizes patient satisfaction, staff will always focus on meeting this goal since their job dwells on this, and any reluctance on the issue may lead to employment termination. Staff will always stay committed to serving patients and work towards doing the best for them. Some healthcare organizations motivate providers when patients comment positively about them. Patient loyalty enhances the growth and success of the organization as they focus on achieving its goals.
The second reason is that patient satisfaction contributes to establishing care standards for monitoring patient results and opinions. Patients will likely give pinions to the organizations concerning their services when satisfied. This motivates the organization to establish care standards that ensure all patients remain satisfied and receive the services and care they desire (Bordoloi, 2020). With this point in mind, the staff is committed and motivated to work as per the standards, making them relevant in the organization. Staff will work knowing that they are monitored through the established standards, and all this focuses on patient satisfaction and the success of the organization.
Thirdly, the satisfaction of patients gives value to the overall quality of healthcare. Satisfying patients entails giving them the best services that they want. In healthcare, these services include proper communication, empathizing with them, and providing them with all their wants. A facility that maintains this remains valuable as it focuses on achieving its objectives. The presence of patient satisfaction surveys inspires staff to put more effort into their care and service delivery, and this contributes to the overall quality of healthcare (Carter & Silverman, 2016). Patient survey feedback will push workers to do their best to avoid embarrassment.
The fourth reason is the creation of meaningful relationships between the healthcare provider and the patient. When the focus of the facility rests on the customers, all the staff and healthcare providers will work towards achieving this, and in the process, meaningful relationships are created (Ferrand et al., 2016). Good relationships between patients and providers will mean that providers will offer their services and care as required and based on the client’s needs. Staff will be committed to optimizing all the healthcare processes. They will educate patients on maintaining cleanliness, following up with their medications, making processes simple, and ensuring that the patients have adequate rest. With these services, a strong bond grows between them, and this will always inspire them to love their work and concentrate on doing the best for their clients. In the long run, an organization with a good relationship between its staff and clients succeeds and makes maximum returns at the same time remaining relevant in the industry.
The last point is that patient satisfaction offers essential insights relevant to the organization’s growth. Patients will always give their opinions on the facility. Maintaining patient satisfaction will mean that patients will give suggestions and insights about the facility (Solomon, 2014). The suggestions may contain information on what they would like to be improved or done better. In this way, the organization can know the areas to improve and handle the issue correctly and, in this way, enhance its growth. This point has a great connection with the organization’s staff, who will always remain committed to working on the given insights and suggestions hence improving the overall outcomes of the organization.
Conclusively, patient satisfaction is a key issue in the healthcare industry that greatly contributes to the organization’s overall success. The five reasons identified for patient satisfaction as a measure of an organization’s success include improved patient loyalty, contribution to the establishment of care standards for monitoring patient results and opinions, it gives worth and value to the overall quality of healthcare, creation of meaningful relationships between the healthcare provider and the patient and lastly, offering essential insights relevant to the organization’s growth. All these points are connected to the organization’s staff since they will always remain inspired and dedicated to satisfying the patients.
References
Bordoloi, S. (2020). Modeling patient satisfaction in healthcare. International Journal of Services and Operations Management, 35(3), 339-358.
Carter, J. C., & Silverman, F. N. (2016). Using HCAHPS data to improve hospital care quality. The TQM Journal, 28(6), 974-990.
Ferrand, Y. B., Siemens, J., Weathers, D., Fredendall, L. D., Choi, Y., Pirrallo, R. G., & Bitner, M. (2016). Patient satisfaction with healthcare services a critical review. Quality Management Journal, 23(4), 6-22.
Solomon, M. (2014). Finding the heart of [hospitality]: patient satisfaction and the healthcare experience. Journal of patient experience, 1(1), 23-25.