The power of patient experience in fertility clinics and why it matters for your business

In this blog post, we’ll explore what the average fertility patient experience looks like today, why the patient experience matters for your clinic’s business, and how improving it can boost both patient satisfaction and your bottom line.

First, what is patient experience in fertility care?

Patient experience is everything a fertility patient goes through when interacting with your clinic - from their first consultation to their aftercare. For fertility patients, this journey includes multiple steps, from initial tests to fertility treatment which can take months or even years. And it’s not just about the medical results - it’s about how supported they feel, how smooth the process is, and how well your care team communicates with them.

A positive experience can make all the difference between a fertility patient feeling empowered or overwhelmed. Given how complex and emotional fertility treatments can be, ensuring patients feel cared for at every step is crucial for fostering trust and loyalty.

Why patient experience matters for your fertility clinic

A great patient experience isn’t just about being compassionate or doing the right thing - it’s good business. When we asked thousands of patients on our app, these were their responses:

• 75% of fertility patients say it takes too long to get a response from their clinic.
• 94% say a positive experience makes them more likely to continue engaging with a clinic, even if treatment isn’t successful.
• 80% will forgive a clinic for a mistake if they receive excellent service.

In fertility care, where patients are already dealing with high anxiety and time-sensitive decisions, providing a seamless and supportive experience can directly impact whether they stay with your clinic, return for future treatments, and recommend your clinic to others.

Positive patient experiences have also been linked to better health outcomes. NHS research shows that patients who feel cared for generally have better treatment results. For fertility clinics, this means that investing in patient experience can improve success rates, reduce costly readmissions, and lead to better long-term outcomes.

On the flip side, a poor patient experience can have serious consequences. Unhappy patients are more likely to voice their frustrations, which can harm your clinic’s reputation through word of mouth, online reviews (see here for examples), and social media. In today’s connected world, one negative review can spread fast, deterring potential patients and impacting your clinic’s bottom line.

Case in point. Check out this real scary patient review below.

It’s clear how a negative experience and review like this affects the clinic in question.

Most likely this person does not return for future cycles. And they might even tell their friends not to go here.

However, on the flip side, good experiences will set you up for future success.

The typical fertility patient journey is chaotic

Despite the critical importance of fertility patient experience, most fertility clinics still rely on outdated processes that leave patients feeling frustrated and disconnected. Here’s what a typical fertility patient journey looks like today:

1. Communication gaps: Fertility patients often struggle to book appointments or get onboarded, needing to call or email multiple times. On average, they speak to a patient intake coordinator seven times before they even reach their first consultation.
2. Lengthy wait times: Fertility patients wait an average of 100 days just to get started with their fertility treatments. During this time, their anxiety and stress can skyrocket, making the wait feel even longer.
3. Multiple systems: Fertility patients are forced to log in to 4-5 different systems throughout their journey - content platforms, patient portals, apps, and video calls - creating a disjointed experience. This fragmentation adds to their stress and makes it harder to stay organised.
4. Manual processes: Many clinics still rely on paper-based processes for treatment plans, prescriptions, consent forms and appointments. Fertility patients receive physical documents that they must manage themselves, and clinics spend hours scanning and inputting this information. The data is often unusable, leading to inefficiencies and errors. And it’s frustrating for patients to keep providing the same information again and again and they are left feeling, don’t you know who I am by now?
5. Lack of transparency: Fertility patients have no clear visibility into their treatment plans, appointments, medications, or even their financial responsibilities. They often don’t know what they are paying for or when payments are due, which adds to their frustration.
6. No partner involvement: Fertility treatments often involve partners, but many clinics fail to involve them in the process. There’s little to no connection between the patient’s experience and their partner’s involvement, which can create emotional distance and lack of support.
7. No cryo storage visibility: Fertility patients have no way to monitor their cryo storage or to see what they are paying for, which can lead to uncertainty and concern about the status of their stored embryos, eggs, or sperm.

Overall, patients are left with a fragmented, non-transparent process that adds to the emotional burden of fertility treatments. This is not just an issue of convenience; it’s an issue of care quality and patient satisfaction.

Enhancing the Fertility Patient Experience

So, how can fertility clinics improve the patient experience and, in turn, achieve better business outcomes?

1. Streamlining communication: Fertility clinics should invest in patient experience tools that allow for seamless communication between patients and care teams. Automated appointment scheduling, reminders, and easy access to patient records can reduce the need for multiple phone calls and emails, freeing up staff time and improving patient satisfaction.
2. Reducing wait times: By optimising clinic operations and streamlining the onboarding process, clinics can reduce the time patients spend waiting to begin treatment. Patient apps can play a significant role here, allowing patients to have virtual consultations and reducing the need for in-person visits.
3. Integrating systems: Fertility clinics need to integrate their systems to provide a cohesive experience for fertility patients. A single fertility patient app that consolidates all necessary information - treatment plans, appointments, prescriptions, and payments - can make a world of difference for patients trying to manage their care.
4. Empowering patients: Giving fertility patients control over their own care can significantly enhance their experience. This can be offering an app that allows them to track their treatment progress, view financial statements, and even involve their partners in the process. Empowering fertility patients with knowledge and transparency fosters trust and leads to better care outcomes.
5. Leveraging telemedicine: An app can improve the patient experience by offering the flexibility and convenience of consultations from home. This not only reduces travel time and costs but also helps patients feel more supported and engaged in their care journey.
6. Implementing patient experience surveys: Regularly assessing patient satisfaction through surveys is a simple yet powerful way to identify areas for improvement. Fertility clinics that are serious about improving the patient experience should invest in patient experience apps and tools that can handle data analytics and track clinical performance versus patient satisfaction.

The business case for patient experience

Improving patient experience is not just a moral imperative - it’s a smart business strategy. Happy fertility patients are more likely to recommend your fertility clinic, return for future treatments, and leave positive reviews online. This positive word of mouth is a key driver to how the best clinics grow sustainably.

Investing in patient experience not only enhances care outcomes but also boosts your fertility clinic’s reputation, drives patient loyalty, and ultimately improves your bottom line.

In the competitive field of fertility care, where patients have numerous options, providing an exceptional experience can set your clinic apart from the rest. By prioritising patient experience, you can create a clinic that patients trust, recommend, and return to - building a thriving business on the foundation of compassionate and effective care.