Providing patients with a unique care experience is no easy task. However, it is increasingly important for companies seeking to grow steadily.
After all, caring for customers and ensuring their satisfaction yields results. And these are directly linked to the goal of promoting health.
Therefore, a qualified manager must understand their patients’ pain points and have a broad understanding of the market in which they operate.
To help you, we’ve compiled some very important data. This will enable you to make better decisions.
So, take a look below at the main reasons for customer complaints at clinics, hospitals, and health insurance plans.
Patient experience
I'm sure you've complained about (private) healthcare in Brazil, haven't you?
But this pain is not ours alone.
In the United States, less than half of patients (45%) rate the quality of healthcare as good or very good, according to a survey by The Beryl Institute.
And the vast majority of them (67%) say that rudeness is a serious problem. In other words, a lack of courtesy and professionalism.
That means there is a LOT of room for improvement in patient care there.
But here as well, as we will see below.
Customer complaints at clinics and hospitals
According to data from Reclame AQUI, approximately 7,500 consumer complaints against hospitals and medical and dental clinics have recently been filed.
Of these, nearly HALF are related to CUSTOMER SERVICE QUALITY (46%).
Next are:
2) DELAYS IN SERVICE (19%);
3) SERVICE QUALITY (15%);
4) And issues related to BILLING AND PAYMENT processes (12%).
Other, less common complaints relate to failure to meet deadlines (5%) and misleading advertising (2%).
Below, you can view the complaints in detail.
Customer complaints at medical clinics
- Unjustified charge 156
- Refund of the amount paid 94
- Poor service 94
- Service quality 74
- Poor service from the service provider 72
- Misleading advertising 56
- I can't cancel 54
- Quality of service provided 45
- Failure to meet the deadline 39
- Excessive amount 31
Total complaints: 715
Complaints against dental clinics
- Service quality 313
- Poor service 288
- Schedule 252
- Unjustified charge 208
- Refund of the amount paid 186
- Poor service from the 161 service provider
- Failure to meet the deadline 128
- Misleading advertising 107
- Quality of service provided 83
- Delay in execution 72
Total complaints: 1,798
Reasons for Customer Dissatisfaction with Hospitals
- Poor service 1,262
- Wait time: 1,238
- Professional Conduct 502
- Poor service from service provider 499
- Quality of service provided 412
- Delay in the release of results 230
- Unjustified charge 216
- Staff shortage 214
- Delay in execution 207
- Low quality 173
Total complaints: 4,953
Customer complaints regarding health and dental insurance plans
When we look at health and dental insurance plans, the picture changes somewhat.
First of all, the total number of complaints is nearly six times higher than in clinics and hospitals, totaling 43,445.
Second, poor customer service remains one of the main issues affecting the customer experience, accounting for 24% of complaints.
However, delays in the scheduling, authorization, and implementation processes are an even bigger problem, as they account for as much as 40% of the total.
In addition, difficulties with payment and refund processes (15%) now outnumber complaints about service quality (6%).
Finally, consumers report difficulties related to plan coverage (13%). They also report issues with misleading advertising (1%).
Check out all the details!
Consumer complaints against health insurance plans
- Difficulty scheduling: 10,374
- Poor service 7,084
- Time required for authorization: 4,093
- Overcharge 3,490
- Accredited Network—Deaccreditation 3,384
- Poor service from the service provider 2,680
- Quality of service provided 2,579
- Delay in execution: 2,490
- Lack of coverage for tests: 1,933
- Refund of payment 1,583
Total complaints: 39,690
Customer complaints about dental insurance plans
- Unjustified charge 988
- Poor service 520
- Misleading advertising 548
- Difficulty scheduling 421
- Poor service from the service provider 279
- Refund of payment 224
- Refund of the amount paid 220
- Delay in execution 185
- Quality of service provided 183
- Accredited Network—Withdrawal of Accreditation 177
Total complaints: 3,745
What do you think of these figures?
Does the data presented help you better understand your market?
So, leave a comment. And help us help you, hehehe.
This way, we can provide more useful content and improve your reading experience. 😉
A chance to do things differently
Now that we’ve looked at the main customer complaints in the healthcare sector, let’s turn our attention to management.
Thermometer. In the U.S., only 43% of medical practices say that improving the patient experience is among their top three priorities. But 39% are cutting costs.
In this regard, identifying areas for improvement in your company’s customer service processes can be an excellent strategy for setting yourself apart from the competition.
In Brazil, 44% of clinics and hospitals do not conduct satisfaction surveys.
Does this data make you feel optimistic?
So, check out the two solutions below to help you improve your management.
2 ways to reduce customer complaints
Anyone in the healthcare field knows this. There’s nothing like a good diagnosis for determining the most effective treatment.
Here we are talking about the health of the relationship between a customer and a company—or between a patient and a clinic, hospital, or health insurance provider.
And the best way to assess the health of this relationship is through a survey. After all, a survey is nothing more than a diagnosis that guides a manager’s decision-making.
In this regard, there are two types of research that can be helpful.
Satisfaction Survey
Because it is a quantitative study, the satisfaction survey provides a reliable picture of the customer experience. However, it lacks depth.
Learn more about the satisfaction survey here.
Mystery Shopper Survey
The second is mystery shopping. Or rather, mystery patient research. Because it is qualitative in nature, it provides a detailed assessment of the patient experience.
This study is conducted by a single person (who remains anonymous and is well-trained). This person poses as a patient to describe and document (through photos, audio, or video) the entire patient care experience.
Would you like to learn more about this study?
We wrote about the mystery shopper's evaluation process in this article.
Read on to find out how she helped companies achieve incredible results.
Note regarding the data from Reclame AQUI
The data from ReclameAQUI is constantly updated and was collected in May 2022.
If you want to stay up to date on your industry, visit the Reclame AQUI page using the links below:
