5 Ways To Improve Your Medical Practice
If you are the proud owner of a private medical practice, you know the hours of work, perseverance, and dedication involved in being successful and prosperous. Patients are certainly of first and foremost concern, and your goal is undoubtedly to ensure their satisfaction, trust, and loyalty with each visit they make to your office. It can be tricky to juggle your daily schedule, dedicating appropriate amounts of time to not only your patients but your staff and yourself as well. If you’re looking to streamline your medical practice and ensure it consistently runs smoothly and efficiently, read on to learn several helpful strategies to benefit your medical business.
1. Put Your Patients First
Research shows that successful private practice physicians spend at least 37 hours weekly with their patients. This protocol may seem extreme, but it is essential in ensuring your business is consistently meeting its bottom line.
Achieving 37 hours per week with patients is relatively easy to manage if you are part of a group practice, boasting several doctors on staff. Physicians who practice alone might have a tough time meeting this weekly allotment. However, it is a feasible goal with a substantial foundation of patients. Keep your client base engaged and involved with your practice by sending a weekly or monthly sales email to ensure they call your office before contacting your competition.
2. Hire Help
As a practicing medical professional, you unquestionably maintain years of education and experience. That said, your expertise alone is typically not enough to efficiently operate an entire practice. Hiring an administrative associate can help streamline the business end of your organization. This restructuring method will, in turn, allow you more time with your patients.
Remember, you do not have to give up complete control of your practice to an administrator. Maintaining open communication and regularly checking in with new processes and protocols will keep you as involved and invested in your business as ever.
3. Streamline Your Scheduling Processes
Doctors’ offices often appear to resemble a revolving door of clients constantly entering and exiting. A sophisticated scheduling system can ensure you are handling the right amount of patients per hour, wasting no time at all.
Several online programs are available to indicate patient traffic, and these systems make it simple to identify holes or gaps in daily scheduling. As a general rule of thumb, physicians tend to see around four patients every hour but make the necessary adjustments if this seems like too much or little for you.
Many of these newer scheduling systems are linked to clients’ phone numbers and email addresses, allowing them to make direct contact and remind patients of their upcoming appointments. This automation makes reminder calls easy and eliminates the potential for no-shows and missed visits.
4. Develop an Online Presence
Online review sites like Yelp are essential for business growth. If your practice has yet to develop an online presence, look into it immediately! Request your oldest and most devoted patients to submit a positive review and watch your phone ring off the hook with potential new clientele.
Customer reviews are not always glowing or positive, and often they might make you feel upset or defensive. Remember that the more critical comments indicate room for improvement in your practice. Listen carefully to the critiques, and implement business revisions accordingly.
5. Lead With Your Competitive Advantages
The healthcare industry is extraordinarily competitive. As such, you will need to set your practice apart from the rest by advertising your business’s strengths and advantages.
Use your online presence to showcase the aspects of your practice that are superior to the competition. Do you accept numerous insurance companies? Do you boast little to no wait times? If so, advertise these advantages to ensure you progressively keep and grow your current customer base.
Owning and operating a private medical practice takes a considerable amount of effort and lots of trial and error. Following these simple steps is a great way to enhance overall productivity to keep your practice advancing in the right direction.
