Your patients are your practice’s lifeblood. But acquiring new patients requires a significant investment in marketing and resources, which is why it’s vital to keep new patients coming back. Here’s what to know about staying in touch with patients post-visit – and using their feedback to continue to shape your practice for the better.
Following Up Helps Everyone
Patient follow-up is critical to ensuring that your patients are following recommendations and discharge regimens. Checking in means that you can clarify and reiterate things like dosages, medications, and potential adverse effects. It also gives you an extra opportunity to build trust and give your patient agency in their own treatment and health. Additionally, every time you reach out, you’re helping to build the reputation of your practice or clinic as being invested in your patients’ care and long-term health.
How to Follow Up with Patients
It’s time to get strategic in your approach to patient follow-up. Here’s what to know:
- Follow up every time. Follow up after every visit, even routine ones. Checking in gives patients another opportunity to ask questions or raise concerns – and for you to provide reassurance if necessary. Be vigilant, in particular, about following up with test results.
- Make it empowering. Patients increasingly want to be involved in their own healthcare decision-making. Use your follow-up call to discuss plans and adherence and to make recommendations for ways patients can take control of their own health – for example, through apps or other tools.
- Automate it! Phone calls are just one way you can follow up with patients. Text-based surveys, follow-up messages in patient portals, and even mailers are all good ways to check in with patients post-treatment. You can also encourage patients to call up with any questions or make telehealth appointments if needed.
- Get their feedback. Patient follow-ups are a great time to get feedback on how they’re feeling about their care and where you could improve. Encourage them to leave reviews to boost your search visibility, and let them know if you’re taking new patients in case they have anyone they’d like to refer.
- Keep checking in. Don’t let the conversation fall away after that first post-visit check-in. Keep building that relationship by calling to remind patients of routine visits or to see how changes to medication or lifestyle are coming along. You can also use newsletters and print outreach to keep the conversation going.
Take Action on Feedback
When gathering feedback from patients, take note of recurring trends or themes, and see how you can incorporate them into your day-to-day approaches and processes. If themes such as location, practice size, layout, or accessibility continue to show up, talk to the team at Gittleson Zuppas Medical Realty. As experts in medical real estate, we can help you find the ideal space for you to keep building those all-important patient relationships.