{"id":1917,"date":"2026-08-21T13:16:24","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T13:16:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wellreceived.com\/blog\/?p=1917"},"modified":"2026-08-24T12:34:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T12:34:33","slug":"6-patient-experience-metrics-you-should-track-and-how-to-improve-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wellreceived.com\/blog\/6-patient-experience-metrics-you-should-track-and-how-to-improve-them\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Patient Experience Metrics You Should Track (And How to Improve Them)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Patient experience is a major factor that sets successful practices apart from struggling ones. But without tracking important patient experience metrics, practice owners are simply working hard and hoping for the best. A great first impression, after-hours support, feeling listened to, and being treated with kindness all matter for patient trust. However, these core elements of patient experience matter for practice performance too. In this article, we take a look at 7 key metrics that all practices should track, and how to move the numbers in the right direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Front Desk Metrics Every Healthcare Practice Should Track<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So where do you start? Here is a list of 7 important metrics every practice can start tracking today. It doesn\u2019t have to be complicated; find the easiest route to tracking and stick with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Call Answer Rate<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Every missed call is a missed opportunity; that\u2019s why call answer rate<\/a> matters. Whether it\u2019s a new patient inquiry or an existing patient looking for updates, every missed call has an impact on your practice. Fortunately, this is a straightforward one to track and improve. Most phone systems can provide a report on missed calls. You can then improve staffing during your busiest call times, or work with a call answering service to ensure no calls are missed, even after hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Average Hold Time<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Patient wait times to reach your practice can be the biggest source of frustration. We recently surveyed 6,000 consumers about patient experience, asking what they found most frustrating when contacting a practice. The number one answer was being placed on hold.* People are often calling before work, on a lunch break, or while juggling childcare; long hold times could result in delayed or missed care. Most VoIP providers track hold time as a standard average metric. You should look to reduce hold times overall, but dig deeper into when they occur. Could you increase staff availability at these hours? You might also consider an overflow answering service to handle calls when all of your internal staff members are busy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*We asked:  Which, if any, of the following scenarios do you find most frustrating when contacting a business? Being placed on hold (31%) (c) OnePoll 2026; base n = 6000<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. First Call Resolution<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Reducing the number of repeat calls your practice receives can have a huge impact on both practice efficiency and patient confidence. Consider the routine questions patients often have to call to ask. It might be simple things like parking or whether your practice is accessible. Try to provide information that answers these common questions on your website and in patient emails. You might also consider how you send appointment confirmations and reminders, to avoid patients calling to confirm their appointment time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Appointment Scheduling Efficiency<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

No-shows are one of the biggest challenges faced by healthcare practices, so it is likely you already track the number of no-shows each month. But how does measuring no-shows impact patient experience? If anything, the patient has let you down, right? Not necessarily. When you make it easy to reschedule appointments and make it clear to patients how to do so, they are more likely to reschedule than to simply not show up. Similarly, when you send timely appointment reminders<\/a>, patients are less likely to forget about their appointment. Busy phone lines, lack of online scheduling and rescheduling tools for patients, and confusing information about how to cancel an appointment all fuel no-shows \u2013 and make for a poor patient experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Patient Wait Times<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If your patient wait times are stagnant, or you are seeing an increase in the time patients are waiting to be seen, you are not alone. A new MGMA Stat poll from July 2026<\/a> showed that 28% of practices report that patient wait times are longer than they were in 2025. Add to this that a patient survey from NRC Health<\/a> found that 63% of patients would choose a new healthcare provider if they faced consistently long wait times. However, part of the challenge with wait times can be overcome simply by managing expectations, communicating clearly, and improving the patient experience.\u00a0 An NRC Health Market Insights Study uncovered three things providers can do\u00a0 to minimize frustrations with wait times:<\/p>\n\n\n\n