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In 2016, a full 12% of all U.S. physicians practiced in Texas.
The majority of U.S. physicians practice primary care, and are a small private practice owner, partner, or associate.
As you're probably well aware, the physician market is highly saturated. Patients have their pick of private practices. How do you make yours stand out to get more patients and increase revenue? Here are 5 tips.
How to Get More Patients: Make Your Private Practice Stand Out
1. Involve patients in their own care via their Internet activity
No, that doesn’t mean let your patients bring you a WebMD "diagnosis" and treat that with no further investigation. But it does mean validating their ideas and concerns.
Gone are the days of the dictator doctor, where the physician alone holds the key to the world’s medical mysteries. Now, with the help of the Internet, patients are informing themselves about symptoms, ailments, and treatments long before they come in for their appointments.
2. Direct Them to Physician-Approved Resources
Take control of this power and channel it. Direct them to physician-approved online resources (or even better: physician-generated online resources) and help them work through their own conditions to increase patient satisfaction.
3. Keep Them Engaged With Events & Education
Millennial patients are less likely to make standing check-up appointments. To keep them engaged when they have no complaints, meet them when and where they're available. Offer educational events throughout the month, send digital resources, and answer specific FAQ they might have about your practice or services.
4. Provide a Variety of Open, Flexible Touch Points for Communication
Millennials are known to prefer access over ownership of goods, services, and information. They also expect near-immediate gratification, and are comfortable being “plugged in” to apps, vendors, and services.
Because of these qualities, many physicians are seeing great success with online patient portals. Online portals fulfill all of the expectations above - they’re accessible 24/7, allow direct contact with physicians (what seems like) 24/7, and provide a contained hub for their medical information.
5. All-around mobile friendliness
Not just with your website… but also for making appointments, reminders, queues, communication, and other services, including offering Wi-Fi in your office!
Most people don’t go anywhere without their smartphone - this is especially true for millennial patients. Make it as easy as possible for them to use their mobile devices in and around your private practice.
Meet & Go Beyond Patient Expectations
That’s all there is to it. Patient expectations have shifted and are continuing to shift. You’ll need to be flexible and agile to provide a modern patient-friendly experience.
Concerned about handling this AND all your other practice operations? You might benefit from private practice management, which takes the boring stuff off your plate (like finances and paperwork) so you can focus on what matters (treating patients). Learn more about practice management here!
Related: How to Increase Patient Volumes by Marketing to Millennials
