When patients step into your clinic, the quality of communication before, during, and after their appointment profoundly impacts their visit. From first phone calls to follow-up emails to text reminders, consistent and effective communication is crucial to building trusting relationships and ensuring a positive patient experience.
But how can you prioritize top-notch communication when you’re at your busiest?
We’ve talked to a lot of practitioners about this topic and know that there’s a ton of different communication approaches and styles.
So we’ve rounded up some of the best practices that will help you maintain great patient relationships and, ultimately, grow your clinic. You’ll find one perspective here from Jane Ambassador and chiropractor Dr. Josh Satterlee — he’s got some great pieces of advice that he shared with us in his Jane Summer School session all about patient communication strategies.
Dr. Josh Satterlee, Jane Ambassador and chiropractor
The connection between communication and trust
At its core, effective communication comes down to transparency, empathy, and respect.
Transparency
“If you want to build trust with the members of your community, and you want to build trust to help grow your practice, it’s important to educate [your patients].” - Dr. Satterlee
When you’re transparent, your patients can put their energy into their wellness journey rather than figuring out logistics. On the operation side, this might mean explaining intake forms, appointment pricing structures, or following up after a session. And on the care side, you could provide more information about the session or treatment.
Empathy
Connecting with your patients is important to make sure they feel comfortable and safe in your clinic. Take time to get to know them and remember personal details that they willingly share with you—like if they’re into rock climbing or have a German shepherd. You might be surprised how much they really appreciate you remembering the little things! These moments of connection build mutual trust.
Engaging in respectful conversations that consider patients’ time restraints, limitations, responsibilities, and health goals allows you to understand the patient better and helps the clinic connect with them on a personal level.
Respect
Respectful conversations acknowledging patient time constraints, limitations, responsibilities, and motivations for seeking care provide insights into patients’ objectives and connect patients to the clinic’s mission. Patients want to feel heard, understood and cared for by a true partner on their health journey who they can trust to help them achieve their goals.
As Dr. Satterlee points out: “If we can build trust, we will have better outcomes with our patients and a better business going forward.”
Crafting better conversations: effective one-on-one communication strategies
On any given day, your clinic communicates with multiple patients—each with their own unique needs. We know it’s a lot to keep track of.
That’s why we’ve put together some helpful tips to make your one-on-one conversations that much easier:
Employ active listening techniques
Active listening techniques can help patients feel heard and valued. You can demonstrate active listening through positive body language and non-verbal cues like leaning in, nodding along, and maintaining eye contact. Taking notes or briefly summarizing conversations back demonstrates your focus and attention to detail.
Patient calls and front desk interactions set the tone for the patient’s entire experience, even when these conversations are brief. Avoid distractions and let patients speak without interruption so you can fully understand their needs and concerns. Ask thoughtful follow-up questions to identify core issues. This focused approach makes patients feel genuinely heard, even when it’s a busy day at your clinic.
Set clear expectations
“Simply put, there is a disconnect between patients and providers across all avenues of healthcare.” - Dr. Satterlee
Health and wellness clinics often have their own unique terminology or processes that new patients may not be familiar with, so it’s important to fully explain things like packages, treatment plans, timelines, and appointment options using clear and easy-to-understand language.
If you have more information or resources on your website that explain how your clinic works, share that with your patients. That extra context can also set expectations and alleviate future misunderstandings.
Offer empathy and understanding
Life happens, and when it does, appointments might take a backseat. So, if your patient is experiencing some obstacles — such as job loss, childcare issues, emergencies, insurance changes, or physical setbacks like injuries or illnesses — be flexible. Accommodate cancellations and delays with empathy and understanding instead of hard policies.
Showing compassion and respect for sudden challenges and disruptions will make patients feel heard and understood. Your brand exists outside the appointment window, and showing that you truly care about their situation will strengthen your relationship in the long term.
Addressing communication challenges
Here’s the thing — communication is a tailored approach.
Some strategies are more appropriate and effective depending on the context and situation. Cultural and language differences, technology or location obstacles, time constraints, and dealing with different personalities and needs can all affect how best to communicate with a patient.
Let’s take a look at these factors and how your clinic can adjust for the smoothest communication possible.
Know your client base
Knowing your client base is the best way to identify and overcome any potential communication barriers. For example, if your clinic services an area with a large population of Spanish speakers, you may want to find ways to facilitate better communication with those patients.
You could produce information online or in print in both Spanish and English, hire interpreters or multilingual staff members, or employ telephone or technology-based interpreter services like iTranslate or Talking Translator. Being in touch with your community and the people who use your services will allow you to make the best decisions about how to communicate effectively.
Beyond language, cultural differences can also impact communication. Having your staff attend multicultural training can teach them skills like observing patients’ body language, using culturally specific phrasing, and understanding cultural norms around health and wellness.
Manage your time
One of the biggest issues when it comes to talking to patients is… well… other patients.
Busy clinics can put pressure on providers and staff to limit discussions in the interest of keeping up with the schedule.
We get it. It’s hard to find the right balance between answering a patient’s questions after treatment and easing the next patient into their appointment. Time isn’t always on your side.
But you don’t have to cut conversations short, just make them count. Answer questions promptly and guide your patient to any additional resources they might need.
Some information might be better conveyed via email, a phone call, or even a text. Using different channels for different types of information can help save your front desk staff time and reduce waiting frustration for your patients.
Why good communication creates real value
Thoughtful communication directly translates into tangible value for both patients and clinics. As Dr. Satterlee talks about in his Jane Summer School session: “If we take trust as the measuring stick [to evaluate] our communication with our patients, a lot of great stuff can happen. People believe in you enough to sign up for care with you. They complete their treatment plans..they don’t no-show your office… they are more compliant patients.”
Trust leads to loyalty
Smooth appointments, efficient follow-ups, and seamless coordination give patients confidence and remove unnecessary distractions from their health journey.
Honesty is important. Don’t overpromise what you can’t deliver. Dr. Satterlee cautions, “Make small promises, and deliver on them.” This will establish the trust that will drive patient loyalty.
The bottom line? When patients have a good experience, they’ll come back to your clinic again and again.
Clarity means less confusion
Explaining administrative processes minimizes mistakes in policies, scheduling, forms, or fees that inconvenience patients and staff. Outlining protocols in a way everyone can understand makes them more likely to be followed, leading to more efficient operations.
Exceptional care leads to growth and referrals
Logistical issues like appointment scheduling, payment options, and coordinating care can be some of the biggest gripes for patients when they go awry. On the other hand, streamlined and easy-to-understand processes lead to glowing word-of-mouth and online reviews. These are your best sources of new patients and trial appointments that will drive sustainable clinic growth.
Efficiency equals higher revenue
Better communication also makes your clinic run more efficiently. Appointment no-shows, cancellations, and rescheduling due to poor communication are a drag on your bottom line, and staff is more productive when they aren’t resolving issues around billing confusion, appointment mix-ups, or repetitive questions.
How to communicate with your authentic voice
“Authentic language helps them [the patient] build a relationship with you as the person who is going to solve their problem, whatever they are coming to you for.” - Dr. Satterlee
When you communicate with patients, you want to be authentic and consistent — a familiar and trusted voice to the patient. But finding your voice first requires defining the tone, style, and messaging that aligns with your clinic’s values.
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