Even established medical practices can struggle with patient retention. After all, in this hyper-competitive industry, patients have plenty of options at their disposal — and even if they’re broadly happy with the level of service you’re providing, there’s always a chance that one of your competitors will be a little more savvy than you are and snag them away. And if the patient isn’t fully happy with your practice? Then they’ll voluntarily seek out other providers.
Medical practices grow when they not only retain their patients but actively work to add others. In this post, we’ll look at some effective strategies that any medical practice can adopt to attract new patients and ensure they have no reason to leave once they’re onboard.
Invest in Local SEO
The best way to attract new patients is to meet them where they are. And in today’s world, that means on the search engines.
People seeking healthcare providers use the same strategy as when they’re looking for any other type of business: they make a Google search. It’s the strength of your SEO — or, should we say, your local SEO — that determines whether they’ll find your practice or your competitors. The ‘local’ bit is important. Local SEO is aimed at people in the local area, which is exactly the type of people you’re trying to reach. You can boost your visibility in your area by claiming your Google My Business page, encouraging patients to leave reviews, and having local landing pages on your website. Do that, and you should find that more people than ever discover who you are.
Simplify Your Processes
Sometimes, the issue isn’t that you can’t attract new patients; it’s that you’re simply overwhelmed with administrative tasks and you don’t feel that you’re in a position to bring new patients on board. In this case, work to simplify your processes. Hiring a virtual healthcare assistant, like the ones available at My Mountain Mover, can help streamline administrative responsibilities, freeing up time that healthcare professionals can then use to increase facetime with patients. By removing the complexities of appointment scheduling, insurance verification, and patient follow-ups from your plate, you’ll have more time to think about how you can grow and improve your medical practice.
Expand Your Services
The healthcare field is ever-expanding — and it’s usually the facilities that grow with that expansion that end up being the most successful. Adding additional services to your suite of healthcare services can help bolster revenue and make your facility the go-to option in your area. While the specific services that your facility offers will depend on its specialty, some potential services to explore include offering skincare treatments and weight loss programs. In doing so, you’ll be able to attract new patients and also extract more value from existing patients.
Boost Staff Retention
Medical practices can’t grow if they’re continually stopping and starting. Success requires momentum. An effective way to build that momentum is to, first, build a great team, and second, make sure they stay there. Poor staff retention not only leads to increased expenses — it costs a lot to hire a new healthcare professional — but also hurts patient relationships. Patients are more likely to stay with a practice and recommend it to their friends and family if they have a good relationship with the staff. And a good relationship simply won’t be possible if there’s always a new face when they walk through the doors.
Extend Your Hours
Patients are slightly more willing to accept inconvenience than other types of consumers, but not that much. If your practice can only offer them inconvenient appointment times, then it won’t take all that much for them to be lured away by a competitor. Offering extended or weekend hours can help attract patients who can’t make it to your practice during regular working hours. Even offering extended appointment hours once or twice a week can make a difference.
Enhance the Patient Experience
Finally, remember that the best type of new patient is one that comes to you via a referral from an existing patient. That’s a surefire sign that you’re doing something right. So, how do you get these coveted referrals? By delivering an unbeatable patient experience. How that looks in practice will depend on the type of facility you run, but a good starting point is to put yourself in your patient’s shoes and ask yourself, ‘what would I like to see?’ This mindset can uncover a few gaps that, once covered, can take patient satisfaction into the stratosphere.