5 strategies to improve your client-centered care

For home care businesses, clients are at the center of what you do. Building strong relationships with your patients is essential. Not only does it help keep patients happy, but it can also help you grow your business and avoid lawsuits.

Why is the patient-carer relationship so important?

Building positive relationships in your home care business could help foster your success in many ways, including:

Better patient outcomes – Relationships where patients feel listened to and respected by their home health team can lead to faster recovery and increased wellbeing.

Business growth – Happy clients may be more likely to recommend your home care business to others. These referrals could become a way to grow your business.

Avoiding claims and lawsuits – Dissatisfied clients (or families) can lead to negligence claims. Positive patient-carer relationships may help you avoid frivolous lawsuits that could cost you thousands.

So, how can home care businesses foster relationships with their clients that benefit everyone involved? Here are five tips to help improve the patient-carer relationships in your business.

1. Put your patients first

Without patients, your home care business won’t last long! Putting their wellbeing first can help them feel respected and safe while under you or your staff’s care.

Here are some ways to put your patients first:

• Hire adequate staff to avoid long response wait times.
• Provide staff with proper personal protective equipment to show that you value safety.
• Encourage clients to provide feedback or lodge complaints about their care.
• Respect patient privacy and take steps to secure your computer systems against breaches.

2. Hire the right type of people

Not everyone is cut out to be a personal carer or home health aide. Those with a true passion for caring will put that enthusiasm into everything they do. Excellent carers tend to be empathetic, positive, clear communicators, active listeners, and good problem solvers.

3. Provide ongoing training

Carers who are confident in their on-the-job skills are more likely to provide better care. In turn, clients feel more comfortable being cared for by someone with the necessary skills and knowledge. This shared trust is the basis for many strong patient-carer relationships.

Ongoing training to consider in your home care business includes:

• Business policy reviews and updates
• Patient safety and carer skills refreshers
• CPR, first aid and other required certifications
• Changes to relevant laws and regulations in your area

4. Set clear expectations

Misunderstandings are often the cause of poor patient-carer relationships. Ensuring that clients and their families are clear on your business responsibilities can help you set clear expectations from day one. You may wish to include a breakdown of available services on your website and make these crystal clear with a written contract.

5. Ask for patient feedback

Getting feedback from each patient on an ongoing basis may help you identify issues before they become a problem. It can also help you tailor care plans and build the relationship between a client and their home care team.

Consider periodically sending out patient surveys by email, and ask your carers to report back client comments or complaints that are shared while they are working.

What if a patient-carer relationship breaks down?

While you may strive to provide excellent service every day, there might be times when you miss the mark. Unfortunately, one bad experience can ruin a patient-carer relationship. That’s why many home care businesses have an insurance safety net.

Professional Liability can be especially useful for home care businesses. Also known as Errors and Omissions (E&O) insurance, this type of policy protects your business against claims of negligence, misrepresentations, or mistakes. Professional Liability claims are typically made by clients who allege some form of financial damage as a result of your services, products or employees.

Even if you are not at fault, defending your business and reputation against a claim can be expensive. But Professional Liability insurance can help you shoulder the cost of legal fees.

Protecting your home care business

With BizInsure, you can compare Professional Liability policies online or over the phone and choose coverage that fits your home care business needs. You can also sort other essential coverage—General Liability, Workers’ Compensation, and a Business Owner’s Policy—at the same time.

Protect your home care business today with BizInsure!