Building a Five-Star Practice: How Communication Shapes the Patient Experience

By Tania Chevalier, CMPE

The Patient Experience Starts Before the Exam Room

A five-star practice is not defined just by clinical outcomes, but by how consistently patients feel informed, respected, and supported throughout their care journey. While podiatrists provide clinical expertise, the patient experience is shaped just as much by the support staff who assist them every day. Communication is the bridge between clinical care and patient confidence.

For patients, the experience begins long before the podiatrist enters the exam room. It starts with the first phone call, the first website inquiry, or the first question about scheduling or insurance. In most practices, these early interactions are handled by front desk staff, medical assistants, and administrative team members. The clarity, tone, and consistency of those interactions set expectations about professionalism, access, and trust.

Patients do not separate communication from care. From their perspective, how information is delivered is part of the treatment itself. Even a clinically sound visit can feel frustrating if a patient leaves unsure about next steps, confused about coverage, or feeling dismissed by the support team.

Where Communication Gaps Commonly Occur

In podiatry practices, dissatisfaction rarely stems from treatment decisions. More often, it results from uncertainty. Patients may be unclear about appointment logistics, authorization requirements, referrals, or follow-up plans. They may receive different answers to the same question depending on which staff member they speak with at the practice. These inconsistencies create frustration and undermine trust over time.

Most communication gaps are not intentional. They occur in busy practices where support teams are managing phones, check-ins, messages, documentation, and patient concerns, often simultaneously. The issue is not a lack of effort; it is the absence of shared communication standards.

Communication Training Is a Leadership Responsibility

Practices that consistently deliver strong patient experiences treat communication as a leadership responsibility. Rather than assuming staff will “pick it up,” these practices invest in educating their support teams by setting clear expectations, using shared language, and establishing repeatable frameworks. Education ensures that patients hear the same message regardless of who answers the phone or responds to a question.

This type of training addresses how to answer common patient questions, explain insurance and authorization processes, manage uncertainty, and respond effectively to frustrated patients. When staff know what effective communication looks like, they feel more confident and less reactive. That confidence is immediately felt by patients.

A Simple Framework for Difficult Conversations

The LAST Model

Support staff are often the first to receive patient frustration. Without structure, those conversations can feel personal and emotionally draining. The LAST model provides a practical structure for these conversations:

Listen without interrupting
Apologize to acknowledge frustration, without assigning blame
Solve by explaining the next steps or available options
Thank the patient for their patience or feedback

Using a shared framework like LAST helps staff respond consistently, reduce escalations, and reinforce a professional, respectful patient experience.

Training staff to use frameworks like LAST also protects the team. Many instances of burnout among front desk and clinical support staff stem from repeated difficult conversations handled without adequate tools. Education provides structure, reduces emotional strain, and helps staff manage challenging interactions with confidence.

Consistency Is the Foundation of a Five-Star Practice

Consistency is the foundation of a five-star practice. Patients do not expect perfection. They expect reliability. When communication feels consistent across every interaction, trust grows. That trust makes patients more patient during delays, more understanding when challenges arise, and more likely to leave positive reviews and refer others.

Consistency also improves practice operations. Clear communication reduces repeat calls, misunderstandings, complaints, and escalations. It supports smoother workflows and a more stable work environment for the entire practice.

Why Investing in Staff Education Matters

Communication training is often overlooked because it rarely feels urgent. However, negative reviews, staff turnover, and patient complaints are frequently symptoms of deeper communication gaps. Investing in staff education equips support teams with practical tools they can use every day and ensures patients experience the same level of professionalism at every point of contact.

The need for clinical care brings patients to a practice. Communication, delivered consistently by a trained support team, determines whether they stay.

The patient experience is built one conversation at a time. When those conversations are intentional, consistent, and supported through education, a five-star practice becomes the standard rather than the exception.

Tania Chevalier is a healthcare consultant who helps physicians and medical practice leaders strengthen the patient experience through consistent, practical communication. She is the founder of TurnKeyMD and creator of Everyone’s a VIP: Mastering Patient Communications for Excellence, a training program for medical teams. To learn more, visit www.turnkeymd.com/vip or email Ashlynne Tyler at [email protected].