Managing Marketing: Guidelines for Practice Success. American Dental Association

a free, customized survey that can be shared with patients via email so they can complete it anonymously.

      

While this option requires some investment of staff time, it allows for complete customization of questions and possible responses.

      

Keep in mind that basic surveys are generally free and that lengthier questionnaires, or in-depth reporting of results, typically involve additional costs.

      

Determine whether the vendor who fields your survey is a HIPAA business associate and, if so, make sure you have a business associate agreement in place.

      • Assign a staff member to compile and share survey results with you and the entire team.

      

Use that information for a team discussion about ways to improve processes, communications, or other areas where change might be helpful.

      • Consider inviting satisfied patients to provide post treatment feedback on social media.

      

Positive online reviews are today’s version of word-of-mouth advertising and can be an effective way to attract new patients.

      

This can be done at the end of your survey or mentioned by your front desk staff.

       Resources:

      • Sample Copy to Accompany the Patient Satisfaction Survey

      • Sample Patient Satisfaction Survey

SAMPLE COPY TO ACCOMPANY THE PATIENT SATISFACTION SURVEY

      Dear [Insert Patient’s Name]:

      We want your feedback. We’re interested in learning about your recent visit to [insert practice name].

      The information you provide will be anonymous and combined with answers we receive from other patients.

      Please let us know what we’re doing right, and how we can improve the patient experience, by completing this survey by [insert due date for responses].

      Thank you for your valuable input.

      Sincerely,

      Dentist Name

      Title

       If the email includes commercial content, such as advertising or a message promoting a product or service, comply with the CAN-SPAM Act (for example, CAN-SPAM requires that the email include your physical postal address and instructions for opting out of future emails from you). You must promptly honor any opt out requests.

SAMPLE PATIENT SATISFACTION SURVEY

      Please let us know how we’re doing. For each of the following topics, please rate [insert practice name] on a scale of 1 to 4, with 1 indicating the lowest level of satisfaction and 4 indicating highly satisfied.

	notsatisfied			highlysatisfied
1. I had an overall positive experience during my last appointment.	1	2	3	4
2. I was greeted in a prompt and friendly manner.	1	2	3	4
3. The treatment I received was clearly explained.	1	2	3	4
4. The person who provided my dental care was sensitive to my concerns.	1	2	3	4
5. It was easy to schedule my next appointment.	1	2	3	4
6. I would return to [insert practice name] in the future.	1	2	3	4
7. I would be comfortable recommending [insert practice name] to others.	1	2	3	4
8. The one thing I like most about [insert practice name] is:
_________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________

Fielding the Survey

      Your practice management software may include a feature that allows you to create and send an instant electronic survey to patients. Make sure you review the questions in that survey to ensure they’re relevant to your practice and your patients. If they aren’t, see if it’s possible to customize the questions and send them to a limited group of specific patients.

      If that’s not an option, several online survey vendors allow you to create a free, customized survey that can be shared with patients via email so they can complete it anonymously. While this option requires some investment of staff time, it allows for complete customization of questions and possible responses. Keep in mind that basic surveys are generally free and that lengthier questionnaires, or in-depth reporting of results, typically involve additional costs. Determine whether the vendor who fields your survey is a HIPAA business associate and, if so, make sure you have a business associate agreement in place.

      Make sure the email message that transmits the survey includes a due date for responding and that it offers patients the opportunity to opt out of future electronic communications.

Collecting and Using the Survey Data

      Assign a staff member to collect survey responses; if you used an e-survey tool, it will likely provide that information for you in a very user-friendly format.

      The information will also remind you and your team about the traits and benefits that really matter to your current patients, ensuring an optimum