Healthcare is broken and not in the way you think.
I’m not talking about insurance, drug prices or medical advancements. I’m talking about how patients feel when they walk into a hospital or doctor’s office or urgent care clinic.
Ever noticed how getting an Uber takes 30 seconds, but booking a doctor takes weeks? Or how Amazon remembers what you bought a year ago, but your doctor doesn’t even remember your name.
The healthcare industry acts like patient experience doesn’t matter. But here’s the truth. Patients are customers, and just like customers, they have choices. If you run a practice, clinic or hospital, and you’re not obsessed with the patient experience, you’re already losing.
Let’s talk about what needs to change.
Here are 6 tips for you to consider.
1: What healthcare can learn from retail.
The customer is always right, except in healthcare, where they’re treated like an inconvenience. Retail figured this out decades ago. That’s why companies like Amazon, Apple, and Starbucks dominate, because they don’t sell products, they sell experiences.
· Amazon makes shopping effortless.
· Apple makes buying a phone feel like joining an elite club.
· Starbucks turned coffee into a lifestyle.
Meanwhile, healthcare? Still stuck in 1995…
Confusing processes, frustrating wait times, zero personalization. Patients hate it, but they tolerate it until someone gives them a better option. That’s why new players in healthcare are winning. They’re stealing from retail’s playbook. And if you don’t start applying these lessons, you’ll be the blockbuster of healthcare.
Number 2: Empathy isn’t optional.
If your patients feel like a number, they’ll treat you like a commodity. Listen, people remember how you make them feel.
In most healthcare experiences, they feel cold, impersonal, and rushed. Retail understands this. Walk into an Apple store and you’ll get greeted immediately. Employees make eye contact. They smile. They listen. Why? Because people trust businesses that treat them like human beings. So, here’s the million-dollar question. Why isn’t this the standard in healthcare?
It costs zero dollars to train staff in empathy, to actually listen to patients instead of just running through a checklist, to treat them like a person instead of a problem to be solved. And yet, most healthcare workers don’t do it. Fix this and you’ll immediately stand out.
Number 3: Communication equals connection.
82 % of patients leave their visit not even knowing their doctor’s name. Let that sink in. They literally trust you with their life but can’t remember who you are. That’s a branding failure.
Why do people remember great service at a restaurant, but forget their doctor? Because hospitality equals connection. And right now, healthcare is doing the opposite. Rushed impersonal visits, zero follow-up, no effort to build trust.
Meanwhile, retail brands go out of their way to build relationships.
· Starbucks writes your name on a cup
· Amazon recommends things based on what you like.
· Gyms send texts when you miss a session.
Why doesn’t your doctor’s office send a simple follow-up message after an appointment? Something like, “hey, insert patient’s first name, just checking in. How are you feeling today? Let us know if you need anything.”
That one sentence could double patient retention. People remember who checks in on them.
Healthcare should be doing the same.
Number 4: Technology equals faster, smoother, better.
If Uber can match you with the driver in 30 seconds, why does booking a doctor take six weeks? Healthcare isn’t behind on technology; it’s just refusing to use it. Everything a patient hates about the experience is fixable.
· Wait times? Smart queuing can optimize patient flow.
· Paperwork? Digital check-ins can cut admin work in half.
· Lost patient history? Electronic records can fix that instantly.
Retail figured this out years ago. You don’t see people filling out paperwork to buy shoes at Nike, do you? No. Because they removed friction. Yet in healthcare, patients have to fight the system just to get basic care.
The solution? Make it effortless.
Want patients to stay loyal? Get them the same convenience they get everywhere else.
Number 5: Personalization creates loyalty.
People don’t stay loyal to businesses; they stay loyal to experiences. Ever notice how retailers remember your name, your preferences, and your past purchases? They make you feel important.
Now think about a hospital visit.
The average doctor’s appointment feels like a factory line. Patients want to be treated like individuals, not cases. Here’s how to fix this.
· Use their name. It sounds small, but it matters.
· Remember patient preferences, appointment times, medications, lifestyle details.
· Create a VIP experience, shorter wait times for returning patients, automated reminders, personal touches.
Retail masters this, healthcare ignores it, and that’s why patients keep leaving.
Number 6: Optimize the environment for better flow.
Your waiting room sets the tone. Is it a place of care or does it feel like the DMV? People hate sitting in a dull, depressing, uncomfortable waiting room. And yet most medical offices look and feel the same. Retail spaces are designed with intention. Walk into a luxury store and you instantly feel welcome.
But healthcare?
Cramp chairs, bad lighting, stale air, old magazines.
Fix this and you instantly change the patient’s perception. Clear signage equals less stress. Logical layouts equal smoother experience. Comfortable waiting areas equal higher satisfaction.
Make the space feel good and patients will associate that feeling with you. Make them feel special and they’ll feel good about their decision to be your customer, and they’ll come back.
Here’s the challenge:
These aren’t nice to have improvements. They’re essential. Retail figured out that customer experience is the key to business growth. Healthcare needs to do the same.
Because here’s the truth they didn’t tell you in medical school or PA school or nursing school.
Patients are customers. They have choices. They can switch providers, leave bad reviews, and talk about their experiences online, just like they do with any other business. And in a world where convenience and experience rule, you can’t afford to ignore this.
Making patient experience a priority and succeeding requires some guts. It requires top-down understanding, initiative, and leadership. You cannot expect your frontline staff to establish standards and manage this upwards without higher-level support. That is leadership by abdication and it’s a recipe for failure in spite of anyone’s best intentions.
So, here’s the question: Are you going to keep running your practice the same way or are you finally going to step up and optimize your patient experience?
It’s your move.