{"id":15080,"date":"2017-07-03T08:00:51","date_gmt":"2017-07-03T13:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/about\/?p=15080"},"modified":"2023-10-30T14:12:47","modified_gmt":"2023-10-30T19:12:47","slug":"reasons-why-patients-break-up-with-doctors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/blog\/article\/reasons-why-patients-break-up-with-doctors\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Patients “Break Up” With Doctors"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nobody likes a break up. Although every relationship starts with the hope of <\/span>long-term<\/span><\/a> happiness, unfortunately for many different reasons, professional and personal break ups are common. The relationship between a doctor and a patient is no different.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sometimes despite years of seeing a doctor on a regular basis, patients decide to part ways with their primary care physician or specialist. This problem of \u201cpatient leakage\u201d is something that is important for all practices\u00a0to monitor.<\/span><\/p>\n

Our recent<\/span> Match Made in Medicine<\/span><\/a> study gleaned some insights into the top reasons patients decide to stop seeing a doctor. Take a look at our key takeaways below to better understand why patients may “break up” with a\u00a0doctor and tips to ultimately improve your patient retention rate.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lack of Trust<\/h2>\n

As to be expected with this type of relationship, having trust in a doctor is one of the most important requirements to maintain a relationship, and patients say that a lack of trust is a major deal-breaker in health. Seven in ten Americans say they would stop seeing a doctor (71%) they didn\u2019t trust.<\/span><\/p>\n

Poor Communication<\/h2>\n

Nearly two in three (63%) Americans say that poor communication skills in a doctor would make them reconsider the relationship. More specifically, patients revealed that when they met a doctor <\/span>for the first time<\/span><\/a>, they valued the doctor asking good questions (79%) and finding them to be a good listener (74%). \u00a0Ask good questions, listen carefully and your doctor-patient relationship could be <\/span>a long one<\/span><\/a>. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tardiness<\/h2>\n

Don\u2019t leave your patients sitting on the practice chairs reading last month\u2019s lifestyle magazines or next time they may be in another practice’s waiting room. Over half (56%) of Americans say that they would ditch a doctor who always showed up late. For years it was normal, even expected, to sit around and wait for a medical appointment to begin. Nowadays, expectations have changed. A delayed appointment reflects poorly on the efficiency of the whole practice and can lead to patients not wanting to come back.<\/span><\/p>\n

Awkward Bedside Manner<\/h2>\n

Fifty-five percent of Americans say that if a doctor makes them feel uncomfortable or awkward they will seek their healthcare needs elsewhere. Eight out of ten (79%) of Americans want their doctors to be easy to talk to. Everyone wants to feel comfortable in a relationship, so making your patients feel at ease will only help this relationship last.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rushed Appointments<\/h2>\n

Over half (55%) of patients say that a doctor who does not make time to see them may not be their doctor for long. People are busy and appointments can be a struggle to schedule, so if the patient finds that when they do get into the office, the doctor is rushed or distracted, their next appointment will be made in a competing practice.<\/span><\/p>\n

Negative Patient Reviews<\/h2>\n

These days reading the reviews and opinions of others takes just a few taps on your phone. Sites like <\/span>Zocdoc<\/span><\/a> show patients how a doctor is rated for things like bedside manner and wait time by other verified patients. \u00a0While not as important as communication and punctuality, nearly one third (32%) of Americans said that the fact that other patients do not like a doctor could lead to them ending the relationship.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the new world of doctor-patient relationships, where there is so much choice and accessibility, it is easier than ever for a patient to decide to pull the plug on their doctor. Keeping in mind these key reasons why a patient may decide to look elsewhere can help build a practice with low patient leakage and many happy, <\/span>long doctor-patient <\/span><\/a>relationships.<\/span>\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nobody likes a break up. Although every relationship starts with the hope of long-term happiness, unfortunately for many different reasons, professional and personal break ups are common. The relationship between a doctor and a patient is no different. Sometimes despite years of seeing a doctor on a regular basis, patients decide to part ways with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17191,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[113],"tags":[49,56],"class_list":["post-15080","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-patient-experience","tag-middle","tag-patient-leakage"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhy Patients "Break Up" With Doctors<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Reduce your patient-leakage by being aware of the top reasons why patients break up with doctors.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/blog\/article\/reasons-why-patients-break-up-with-doctors\/\" \/>\n<meta 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