With warmer weather, longer days, and new health goals on patients’ minds, many people begin to schedule appointments they put off during the colder months, making spring a busy season for medical facilities.
For your practice, this means higher patient volumes, which can put a strain on resources if you aren’t planning and managing these insights ahead of time.
Here are 7 ways to prepare your office and staff for the fast-approaching, busy spring patient traffic.
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Building a sustainable, resilient practice is vital for dental professionals. If you’re looking for a dental office location for a new or existing practice, here’s what to consider.
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Practice growth is vital to your long-term sustainability. Adding new patients and new services are both key to ensuring growth, but eventually will require you to add new practitioners to your team. Here’s what you should think about when hiring a new doctor.
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‘Tis the season to focus on developing your practice! It takes about twelve months for a new medical practice to become profitable, and about 2.5 years to reach capacity. To keep your practice expanding in a sustainable, manageable way, try these tips.
Pie or shortbread? Why not both? Treat your patients like you would a dinner guest by expanding your menu of services. Explore services that differentiate you from other practices. Extra service offerings are great for your bottom line while providing more care for patients as well as advancement opportunities for your team.
Is your technology like a set of old string lights: ready to burn out at any moment? Don’t risk a National Lampoon situation. Now’s the time to upgrade to Electronic Health Records, invest in digital scheduling and practice management software, and embrace telehealth solutions. These can be the angel on the top of your practice tree, making life easier for your team and your patients – and giving new patients reasons to see you.
If you want your practice to grow, you need to make sure it has room. Ensure that your space is thoughtfully laid out in a way that ensures privacy, promotes efficiency, and that fosters a feeling of compassion and expertise. Engage a designer or architect to assist with t the use of space, patient flow, and green building techniques. Good design will make both staff and patients feel at home and help you get the most out of your space.
All right, so maybe caroling isn’t acceptable in a medical office. However, delivering an exceptional patient experience is a great way to nurture the kind of word of mouth that helps a practice grow. Focus on providing prompt, human care in a comfortable environment and striving for a seamless experience every step of the way. Happy patients will keep coming back, and they’ll recommend your practice, too (especially if you ask them to leave a review!)
There’s nothing like receiving a holiday card from a friend or distant family member. It’s a great way to know that you’re on their mind – and to catch up on what they’ve been up to. Think of marketing as a seasonal card list for your business. Use social media, your website, your newsletter, and a strategic ad campaign to let current and prospective patients know what you’re all about – and add some sparkle to their perceptions of you.
Even Santa can’t do it alone – and you’re no different. Your admin and medical support staff are critical to the success of the day-to-day running of your practice. Happy, supported staff are more likely to stick around and do good work.Stay on your team’s nice list by offering bonuses, hosting a holiday party, sharing “thank you” gifts, and working with each person to figure out their career goals and how you can help get them there. If you’re looking to hire, offer a signing bonus to staff members who refer great talent.
Don’t wait for practice growth to come down the chimney – invite it! The medical real estate experts at GZ Realty are here to help you prime your practice for growth. With extensive experience in lease negotiation and property sourcing, we can help you jingle your way to success this holiday season!
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Building a culture of care goes beyond how you treat your patients – it also encompasses how you support your healthcare team. Showing your support for your team has benefits that resonate throughout your entire practice, including a 14% increase in productivity, improved team dynamics, reduced burnout, and significantly reduced attrition.
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Running an efficient practice is vital to your bottom line and a significant factor in staff and patient comfort. Here are some simple ways to upgrade your medical office technology to remain competitive while improving the patient experience.
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Everyone loves a repeat patient, but new patients are key to practice sustainability. If you’re looking to win big when it comes to the new patient pipeline, lace up your acquisition skates and use these top tips to score the clients you need to keep your bottom line in contention!
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We live in an increasingly diverse nation. According to data from the 2019 US Census Bureau, more than 68 million people speak a language other than English at home. This figure represents a tripling of 1980 numbers and will only rise.
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Digital payments have become the preferred method of payment across most sectors, with consumers using cards or other digital methods to buy groceries, book travel and accommodation, update personal details, or subscribe to digital services. Digital methods such as in-app payments, peer-to-peer payments, and tap-to-pay have become the norm. While healthcare has long relied on legacy payments involving mailed statements and checks, it’s time to follow the larger consumer trend and shift to digital payments.
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Branding is a powerful part of your practice’s value proposition. It defines who you are, what sets you apart, and what kind of experience patients can expect. Branding is the promise you make to your patients. When branding and expectations are aligned, positive outcomes result. The opposite is also true: patients who have an experience that feels disconnected from a brand promise are more likely to have a negative experience.
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When it comes to healthcare, patient privacy is paramount. Most healthcare companies are required to keep Protected Health Information (PHI) safe and secure in a way that aligns with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Additional rules, such as the HITECH act and ISO 27001 offer further guidance for protecting and storing data, as well as reporting breaches.
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Like the ocean, medical practices are a delicate ecosystem. Your practice’s growth and sustainability can struggle without the right balance of new and repeat patients. According to the Review of Optometric Business, about 10% of existing patients die or move away each year. To grow, your practice needs to reel in additional patients. Here’s how to make sure those new patient nibbles turn into bites and those bites into a catch.
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