3 Tips to Make 2022 a Successful Year For Your Healthcare Practice
Perhaps just opened your own orthodontic practice. Or maybe you have owned the best pharmacy in town for decades. Whichever field of healthcare you are in, there are certain steps nearly every practice can take to build a prosperous business. Follow these three tips to make 2022 a successful year for your healthcare company.
1. Evaluate Systems and Programs
When a customer calls in with a complaint, it is typically easy to identify the issue. Issues that may not be as simple to pinpoint are online problems with your systems and programs. If there are no glaring concerns, it is easy to keep using the same systems and programs because that is what you are comfortable with without really evaluating if they are truly meeting your business needs or if there are better alternatives.
For example, some companies use software that is set up at the place of business. However, a cloud migration setup can be much more beneficial; this structure utilizes cloud servers to upload data, making information remotely accessible via your phone and laptop. This setup is especially helpful if you travel often or have employees who work from home. Meet with your IT Department to evaluate your current computer programs and systems. Reach out to your staff for their feedback as well. Since they use the computers day in and day out, they may notice issues that you are unaware of.
Additionally, create a patient portal if you do not already have one. Patients use portals to schedule appointments, request medication refills, review lab results and more. Having one gives your patients a simple and convenient option for tracking their medical data.
2. Focus on Customer Service
While customer service is a key part of any successful business, it is especially vital in the healthcare industry. Your customers could be dealing with scary health concerns, making them much more sensitive to you and your staff’s attitudes. Therefore, you need to ensure your customer service goes above and beyond expectations.
Your receptionists are typically the first people at your practice with whom patients speak. Make sure these staff members are extra friendly, patient and organized. People do not always think straight when they are concerned about their health. Additionally, they do not always know the basics of insurance billing, so they might have lots of questions. Your receptionists should be kind, understanding and never make the patients feel they are being burdensome with their questions.
If you run a pharmacy, your pharmacists are likely the ones who speak with your customers. While this position requires certain qualifications, avoid hiring someone who meets the academic requirements but does not interact well with people. If a customer has a bad experience picking up medication, he or she will probably find a new pharmacy next time.
3. Implement Appointment Reminders
Between work, spouses, kids, school, volunteer activities and hobbies, people’s calendars fill up quickly; it is easy for them to overlook a healthcare appointment, especially if it is just a yearly physical. Save your staff and patients the headache of rescheduling by reminding patients of upcoming appointments. Send an email or text notice confirming the date when an appointment is made. Send a reminder a week in advance and then another reminder a day or two before the appointment. Clearly note your cancellation policy in the reminders so there is no confusion should the person cancel last minute.
Set up reminders in your system to let you know when someone is due for an annual physical. Many people forget the date of their last checkup and unless there is a concern, they do not make it a priority to schedule a new one. Give them a friendly nudge by sending a reminder that they are due for their annual physical and to contact your team to get it scheduled.
No matter what healthcare field you are in, these three tips can help make 2022 the best year yet for your practice.
