We are all aware that patients can switch healthcare providers within a few years. In some cases, they may do this even if they are happy with the care you provide. The good news is there are a few things you can do to ensure they stick around forever.
Communication is Key
One of the best things you can do is to keep communicating with your patients. This is vital if you would like to keep your patients coming back. You should also make sure that the communication remains throughout their time with you. This is irrespective of how long they have been with you. Many healthcare providers communicate with their patients quite a lot when they first join them. However, it can tend to fizzle out after a while. This leaves the patient feeling slightly disconnected from you, albeit unintentionally.
Keep Reaching Out
Keep reaching out to your patients even if they don’t have an appointment with you. You could, for example, send them health tips or even a few rewards from time to time. These options will encourage your patients to feel engaged with you and as if they matter. You don’t have to offer any incredible incentives or keep bombarding your patients with health tips. However, a little every now and then can help.
Send Appointment Reminders
A relatively simple way for you to retain your patients is by sending appointment reminders. There are a lot of healthcare reminder systems out there that work very well. Your patients, for example, will receive a reminder 24-48 hours before their appointment. The reminder can detail the time of the appointment and who they are seeing. This can ensure fewer appointments are missed.
Keeping Waiting Times Down
No-one wants to be kept waiting for more than 10-20 minutes for their appointment. While it’s not always easy to ensure all appointments are on time. Consider bringing more staff in if you can. This will ensure your patients are less likely to feel frustrated. In addition to this, you should consider offering last-minute appointments to those who need to be seen with little notice.
Manage your Online Reputation
One of the best things you can do in this digital age is to manage and monitor your reputation. Potential patients will look at your website and see how good your reputation is. If your reputation isn’t great think about what you could do to make it better.
When it comes to your social media presence, make sure that all of your posts are positive. Respond to anyone who leaves a comment on your account so they feel valued. This can help you no end and it can help your patients to stay with you.
As you can see, there are a few things you can do to ensure your patients are much more likely to stay with you. While some of these options can take a bit of work, they can make a world of difference.