Saying thank you to patients is fun. I love doing it. It’s a good thing I enjoy it – because it’s a necessity in healthcare today. Our patients are consumers; they have choices in their care, and they should be thanked for their business…yes, even if their business pays less or not at all – because one day it might or their word of mouth advertising may lead to one (or many) who might. In addition, saying thank you is considered a “must” in regards to patient satisfaction scores – HCAHPS and CGCAHPS. Perhaps your health system utilizes the AIDET principle? The “T” in that sweet-power-packed communication acronym is…you guessed it…thank you. And beyond the business and patient satisfaction score aspects, saying “please” and “thank you” is simply good manners, no matter if you’re blessed to live in a southern state or not.

When I thank patients or family members, more often than not, I express my gratitude with the following sentence: Thank you for allowing us to care for you. Somewhere the conversation may also include, It’s been our pleasure to serve you. 

Not only do theses comments express gratitude, but they also remind everyone around – including myself – of the service we’ve provided – our care. It’s a lovely note to end any conversation of thanks.

Do you tell patients and families thank you after caring for them? If so, how do you most often say it?