Patient Experience: Our Core Focus
The Hand Center of Louisiana is Committed to Optimizing the Patient Experience
Healthcare remains notorious for making patients wait. The practice is so universal and accepted that nearly every ambulatory clinic refers to its lobby as a “waiting room.” As the first patient touchpoint, this reality is unfortunate and telling, foreshadowing an experience in which patients must accommodate the busy schedules of healthcare clinics, not the other way around.
At the Hand Center of Louisiana, we believe in making healthcare a timely, convenient, and efficient experience. An injury or condition creates enough anxiety and frustration; we believe in doing everything to minimize that burden. This explains why we have adopted unique systems and processes that differentiate us from other hand and upper extremity practices.
Patient Concierge Program
Several years ago, we introduced our Patient Concierge Program—a commitment to ensuring patients receive the best and most efficient experience before meeting with one of our excellent physicians. Our Patient Concierge Program encompasses several important components, including check-in and registration. When first arriving to our facility, our front desk staff greets patients, documents their arrival, and provides them with a pager—a technology used by the restaurant industry to coordinate the seating of patients at available tables. Once the pager begins to vibrate, patients are welcomed into a private area where they meet with a member of our registration staff, who helps them complete standard paperwork, while offering helpful information and answering any questions.
Pager system at Hand Center of Louisiana
Efficient Workflows and Technology
We also focus on optimizing the patient experience through efficiency. This comes from numerous innovations, including our workflows (processes) and use of technology. We rely on a team-oriented approach in which important tasks are delegated among members of our care team. Whether accompanying patients to rooms or taking vitals, our staff work together to ensure patients spend no time waiting. This coordination continues before, during, and after patients meet with our physicians. Our ability to function seamlessly also depends on technological enhancements. These include color-coded call lights to coordinate activities among staff, a wayfinding system to direct patients to their desired location, as well as computer imaging, allowing physicians to show patients results from X-ray and other forms of imaging and educate them on important aspects of their injury or condition.
Wayfinding System at Hand Center of Louisiana
At the Hand Center, our commitment to an optimal care experience even transcends our vernacular. Upon arrival to our clinic, patient do not find a “waiting room,” but instead a “lobby,” outfitted with comfortable and spacious seating, a beverage center stocked with coffee and tea, as well as a big screen TV. Our topmost priority remains ensuring the optimal health, safety, and satisfaction of our patients, minimizing the burden of healthcare while maximizing their ability to enjoy life beyond the shadow of their injury or illness.
Lobby at the Hand Center of Louisiana