If you’re using Eclinicalworks and you care about how happy your patients are, you’ve probably noticed a lot of “patient engagement” features and dashboards. The problem? Most practices either drown in data, or ignore it because it feels like busywork. If you want a real-world way to track patient satisfaction (and actually improve it), this guide is for you. I’ll walk you through what Eclinicalworks can actually do, what’s worth your time, and how to avoid the usual traps.
1. Nail Down What “Patient Satisfaction” Actually Means for Your Practice
Before you open a single dashboard, get clear about why you care about satisfaction in the first place. Is it just about good reviews, or do you want to reduce no-shows, boost retention, or spot problems before they blow up? Here’s what I recommend:
- Decide on your top 2-3 goals. Examples: “Fewer patient complaints,” “Better online reviews,” “More patients who recommend us.”
- Don’t chase every metric. Eclinicalworks gives you a firehose of stats. Pick the ones that matter to your goals.
- Get buy-in from staff. If front desk and providers aren’t on board, nothing changes.
Pro tip: Write your goals on a sticky note, slap it on your monitor, and ignore everything else for now.
2. Set Up Eclinicalworks Patient Satisfaction Surveys (and Don’t Overcomplicate It)
The simplest way to start measuring satisfaction is with surveys. Eclinicalworks lets you send automated patient satisfaction surveys after visits. Here’s how to set it up without getting lost:
- Customize your survey. Stick to 3-5 questions. “How was your visit?” “Would you recommend us?” “Was it easy to make an appointment?” That’s enough. Nobody finishes a 20-question survey.
- Automate sending. Set surveys to go out automatically after visits (in office, telehealth, whatever makes sense for your patients).
- Pick a channel that works. Email is easiest, but Eclinicalworks can also do text (SMS). Text gets higher response rates, but only if your patients aren’t likely to see it as spam.
- Make sure your contact info is up to date. You’d be shocked how often surveys bounce because of a mistyped phone number or email.
What to ignore: Don’t bother with “advanced analytics” or fancy question logic unless you run a huge organization. Most practices just need a quick gut check from real patients.
3. Actually Read the Feedback (and Don’t Hide from the Bad Stuff)
You’ll start getting survey results in the Eclinicalworks “Patient Satisfaction” dashboard. Here’s how to get value out of them:
- Look for patterns. Don’t obsess over one angry outlier. If you see the same complaint three times, it’s real.
- Share feedback with your team. Don’t just forward the worst reviews to the front desk. Pick a regular time (weekly or monthly) to go over comments together.
- Flag real issues. Was check-in slow? Did someone feel rushed? Use this as a conversation starter, not a blame game.
Pro tip: If you get a lot of “meh” scores, call one or two patients and ask what would have made their visit better. It’s old-school, but it works.
4. Use Portal and Messaging Tools the Right Way
Eclinicalworks pushes its patient portal and messaging tools as “engagement boosters.” They do help, but only if patients actually use them. Here’s how to make these features work for you:
- Keep portal setup simple. Don’t force every patient to enroll if they don’t want to. Focus on the folks who are interested—they’ll actually use it.
- Promote the portal at check-in with a one-liner: “Want to message your doctor or check test results online?” That’s all it takes.
- Use broadcast messaging for important updates. Sending out appointment reminders, flu shot clinics, or closure alerts? Use the mass messaging tool—but don’t overdo it or you’ll get ignored.
- Respond to messages quickly. If patients message and never hear back, satisfaction tanks. Set a rule: respond within 24 hours, even if just to say “We’re working on it.”
What doesn’t work: Forcing every patient to use the portal, or spamming them with endless reminders. It creates frustration, not satisfaction.
5. Track the Right Engagement Metrics (But Don’t Drown in Data)
Eclinicalworks offers all kinds of reports—portal adoption rates, message response times, survey scores, and more. Most of it is noise. Here’s what to actually track:
- Survey completion rate. Are patients actually responding, or are your surveys going into the void?
- Average satisfaction score. Track this monthly, not daily. It’s about trends, not individual numbers.
- Portal usage. How many patients log in, send messages, or check results? (If only a tiny percent use it, it’s not moving the needle.)
- No-show rate and appointment cancellations. These are indirect signs of satisfaction—or lack of it.
Ignore: Fancy charts about “clicks per portal session” or “social listening” unless you’re a hospital system with a dedicated analytics team. For most clinics, simple beats sophisticated.
6. Close the Loop: Show Patients You’re Listening
Collecting feedback is pointless unless patients see that you act on it. Here’s how to close the loop:
- Let patients know you read their feedback. Even an automated message like, “Thanks for your feedback—we use it to improve care,” helps.
- Make one visible change. If everyone complains about the waiting room magazines, swap them out and put up a note: “You asked, we listened.”
- Follow up with unhappy patients. A quick call from a manager or provider can turn a 1-star review into a loyal patient. Don’t overthink the script—just be human.
Pro tip: Once a quarter, post a short “What we’re improving” update on your website or in your office. It shows you take feedback seriously.
7. Iterate, Don’t Overhaul
Patient satisfaction isn’t a one-and-done project. The best practices make small tweaks and see what works. Here’s how to keep it manageable:
- Review your top 2-3 metrics once a month. Make one change, see if it helps, repeat.
- Don’t chase every complaint. Focus on patterns, not one-off gripes.
- Ask your staff what they’re hearing. Sometimes the best insights come from hallway conversations, not dashboards.
Summary: Keep It Simple, Keep Going
Eclinicalworks gives you a ton of tools to measure and improve patient satisfaction. But more tech doesn’t always mean happier patients. Stick to the basics: send short surveys, read the feedback, use the portal for real communication, and make small changes that patients notice. Don’t get distracted by shiny dashboards or marketing promises. Patient satisfaction is about listening, acting, and iterating. Keep it human, and you’ll see real results—no hype required.