30 Oct 10 Proven Strategies to Increase Patient Volume in Your Medical Practice
A thriving healthcare practice should be accessible, flexible, and transparent with its patients. It can be difficult for patients to find trusted providers, and your practice should do all it can to present itself as a trustworthy medical caregiver. If you’re having trouble bringing in new patients, it may be time to evaluate your marketing and healthcare practices and improve in some areas. Learning about the most efficient practices to increase patient volume is the best way to start.
1. Establish an Online Presence
Prospective patients are more likely to choose a practice where they can learn information about your practice’s staff, policies, and reviews. They can only learn by booking an appointment or word of mouth if you have little online presence. These are not reliable recruitment practices. Create an accessible website with information about your staff, policies, and availability. Provide the services you offer and give patients an easy option to communicate with you via phone, email, or contact form (or all of the above). Provide transparent and updated information about pricing, insurance, and payment plans.
2. Read, Learn From, and Respond to Reviews
Receiving a bad review for your practice can be humbling and frustrating. Ignoring a review or responding negatively may be tempting, but you can learn from bad reviews just as easily! If reviews complain about unpleasant front office staff, do what you can to improve patient interactions in the front office. Of course, there will always be bad actors who will leave a bad review unfairly, but responding to both good and bad reviews promptly and politely can show that you’re listening and learning about ways to improve your practice. You can help patients feel heard and appreciated by reading and responding to reviews.
3. Enhance Patient Communication
It can be difficult for patients to contact their medical providers, even if they call the office. You can reduce this frustration by implementing more accessible communication options. Check-in before an appointment and follow up after to ensure patients’ needs are met. Provide multiple communication options, such as email, patient portal messages, texting, or calling to appeal to more audiences.
4. Improve Appointment Scheduling
Scheduling an appointment can be frustrating for both staff and patients. Finding free time in common can be challenging, not to mention the phone tag the patient and receptionist must go through. With the best healthcare and medical spa software, you can automate appointment scheduling and reminders, allowing your patients to see updated availability and flexible scheduling options. Patients can reschedule or cancel appointments as needed, reducing issues from last-minute missed or canceled appointments.
5. Include More Patient Payment Options
Even with medical insurance, coverage can vary, and medical bills can be costly, in addition to other responsibilities. Be transparent about your pricing for insurance and self-pay. Even when treatment costs vary on a case-by-case basis, ensure your patients understand their payment responsibilities. Consider adding payment plan options to appeal to a broader range of incomes. Everyone deserves medical treatment regardless of income!
6. Provide a Patient Portal
A patient portal is a centralized online hub where patients can receive information about their appointments, results, and providers. The patient and their providers can access patient portal software anytime, making communication and education easier. Patients typically prefer a modern approach to healthcare with patient portals.
7. Social Media Marketing
Social media is a constant feature in many patients’ daily lives. Prospective patients use social media to find information about many businesses they use, including medical. You can use social media to connect with millions of users anywhere. Providing helpful and marketable social media content can increase your online presence and draw more patients to your practice. Create social media profiles for your practice and start scheduling posts!
8. Comforting Office Design
Patients shouldn’t feel in trouble when they walk into your office. Include interior design practices that are pleasant, comforting, and welcoming. Decorate inclusively for holidays and include harmless and pleasant decor like artificial flowers. You can hire an interior designer to help capture the right mood. Make waiting room and exam room furniture comfortable and accessible for all patients.
9. Practice Transparency
Visiting a healthcare facility is often nerve-wracking for many people, even for routine care. Transparency from the practice and its staff can make the visit more relaxing. Patients should know what they expect to pay and experience during a visit. They should know that they are welcome and safe. If your practice provides care for all races, incomes, genders, backgrounds, and sexualities, make this transparent. If you have flexible financing options, advertise this.
10. Telemedicine
Telemedicine provides healthcare appointments over the phone or online through voice or video calling. Telehealth options are convenient and comfortable for many patients, and certain follow-up or consultation visits don’t always require an in-office visit. Consider adding telemedicine options to your practice if you haven’t already. Telehealth can free up staff resources as well.
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Last Updated on October 30, 2024 by Marie Benz MD FAAD