There are an estimated 40,000 general medical, specialist medical and dental practices in Australia. With 3.7 physicians per 1,000 people (27% more than the OECD average of 2.9 physicians per 1,000 people), 67% of Australian’s can get a same-day or next-day appointment with a healthcare professional.

The point here is clear; for Australian’s wanting to see a healthcare professional, there is an abundance of choice and the market is congested with options for consumers.

Traditional concepts of loyalty and customer retention no longer apply to the modern consumer and the medical practice is no different. Patients are informed consumers who make sensible and rational decisions about the value and benefits that accrue from their purchasing behaviour.

Consumers critically assess the end-to-end experience in a medical practice. For the practice, the measurement of patient experience and patient satisfaction is a very complex dynamic. For the patient, it is much more straightforward – if they don’t like it, they vote with their feet and look for a better experience at a different practice.

The challenge for healthcare professionals is; how to stand-out and differentiate themselves in congested markets with increasingly demanding consumers where switching from one practice to another is simple, straightforward and no longer an impediment?

BUILD A PRACTICE DESIGNED FOR SUCCESS

For modern consumers, many of the services they purchase have been significantly upgraded and improved over time – think about gastropubs, gourmet cafes, gold class cinemas and ridesharing services as examples. 3 out of 4 consumers would try a new brand or company to have a better experience, so for a medical practice, as the customer experience is critical to patient retention and growth, it has never been more important for the medical practitioner to understand what their patient’s want, need and expect.

Author Lewis Carbone identified that the patient experience is made up of sensory building blocks or clues that are delivered to the patient both consciously and unconsciously, and that up to 95% of what influences a consumer’s conscious choice is the unconscious interpretation of these clues. Because the practice environment is the primary location of these clues, design choices play a dominant role in influencing patient satisfaction.

TURN YOUR VISION INTO REALITY

Levitch Design Australia crafts high-end specialist clinics for doctors and surgeons. Established for over 30 years and credited with designing some of Australia’s most successful practices, Levitch Design Australia combines both the art and science of healthcare practice design.

Get in touch – call us on 1300 11 22 11 or email info@levitch.com.au