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Clinical Solutions Blog

6 Little-Known Trends That Are Helping Clinic's Grow Exponentially in 2018

Posted by Rick Lau on Nov 14, 2018 10:00:00 AM

clinic owner blog

I finally left my barber and went to a different one near me. She does a fantastic job but I had to wait at least a week to get a haircut because her schedule is always full. I’m a very impatient person so I kept complaining to her about it while getting a haircut.

I told her  “ I  just can’t wait this long to get a haircut. I’m traveling and working all the time…. She just nodded her head but nothing changed.

I went to a new barber who just opened up near me.  It’s right near my house so I can walk there. I don’t have to wait to get a haircut anyone. It’s just way more convenient.

I’d been going to her for 5 years and spent at least $3000 with her. I was with her when she was not as successful and until she became very successful.

I see this happen to clinics all the time. They get successful they become complacent and lose the hunger that drove them. They are okay with making their patients wait and stop looking for ways to optimize their patients’ experience.

In today’s busy society your patients have very little patience. Just as I did with my barber, long time patients may leave in an instant when a new startup clinic opens near them.

Or worse - one of your clinicians sees the opportunity and leaves to open up a clinic right down the road and some patients go too.

That’s why it’s critical you don’t get complacent and lose that hunger. Keep learning strategies to provide the exceptional patient experience that will grow your clinic.

How do you not just survive but thrive in today’s fiercely competitive marketplace?

I’ve identified 6 Little-Known Trends That Are Helping Clinic's Grow Exponentially in 2018

Here they are:

1) Maximizing the patient experience funnel

You can spend all the money you want on advertising on Facebook and Google but it won’t matter if you have holes in your “patient experience funnel”. If you maximize that, you could spend less or no more money on advertising... and still double your clinic’s business.

The patient experience funnel” starts right when they call your clinic. The way your front desk staff responds to their questions will make a difference.

Step 1: What’s your answer rate? Most clinics are only answering 70% of calls. That could mean missing 300 calls every month from new patients or current ones.  I’ve developed a call tracking software program called CallHero that will give you an idea of your clinic’s answer rate. Do your staff answer the phones? If not, find out why, and see what you can change.

Step 2: What’s your booking rate over the phone?

Of the calls answered, most clinics have a 60% booking rate. If you improved that to 80% you’d get more appointments without spending any more on advertising.

Optimize your booking rate by providing your staff with phone scripts so they are knowledgeable and can answer any questions. The most common questions they will be asked are:

  • “How much does it cost?”
  • “That’s more than I’d like to pay”
  • “Is this covered by insurance?”
  • Can I call you back?

Step 3: Win Back Lost Opportunities.

Do you have a follow-up system in place for people who called but didn’t book? Few clinics do this – and are losing new clients as a result.

Step 4: How do you handle self discharges?

Savvy clinic owners have a system in place for patients who self-discharge.  They know that self-discharges may mean the patient had a poor experience. Your system can be as simple as ensuring the clinicians give all patients a treatment plan on day 1 or by having them call a patient back when they stop coming.

By optimizing your call tracking metrics (answer rate and booking rate), you can increase the number of new patients you’re currently getting from the same number of calls.

By lowering your patient self discharge rate you can increase the lifetime value of each patient. When you maximize all of these steps you will see a steady improvement in referrals and appointments .

 

2) Savvy clinic owners are hiring people who understand the importance of the patient experience to manage their front desk. 

Patients have so many options now so it’s critical your front desk know the patent experience begins with a phone call and carries through from first appointment to discharge. They are able to convert more phone calls into appointments and rebook patients with future appointments. Clinics that have staff like this have a huge edge over their competition.

New patients like to shop around now and call different clinics to see which one they feel is right for them.

You want your front desk to be able to handle all questions so patients will book with you on that call instead of hanging up saying they will call back. That means they are looking around and you may have lost the patient you’ve spent your hard earned marketing money on. 

 

3)Multi-Disciplinary Clinic Model

Your patients have different healthcare needs and you can be a one-stop clinic for many of them.

For example, some may require a physiotherapy rehabilitation program, while others seek chiropractic adjustment. Still others may need massage therapy.

By offering each of these services, you'll increase the number of patients you attract and increase retention and return rate of those patients who will access the complementary services you offer.

In fact, all the big clinics and the fastest growing ones are multi-disciplinary clinics. Their patients are able to consult other professionals easily in one location.

 

4) Online booking the right way

Each new potential patient has a lot of questions and concerns about their care. So while online booking is great for EXISTING PATIENTS it may not be the best option for new ones.

Most clinic websites are not effective in converting online traffic to appointments.  For example, the average clinic’s website only converts 8% of traffic to appointments. However, if your front desk is well trained and knowledgeable, you can boost your booking rate to 80% over the phone.

Why? Websites don’t answer any of the questions a potential new patent has, such as:   

  • Do you provide this service?
  • I have this problem, can you help?
  • Is this covered by insurance? etc..
  • Why are you more expensive than ....?

The goal of your website is to have new patients call or to submit their email address so you can nurture them later.

 

5) Get a Business Mentor 

Shortcut your way to success by having a business mentor- somebody who GETS IT because they've been there (or are there) and can help you with your questions. They can help you avoid the costly mistakes they made so you don’t do the same. They know what works and what doesn’t, and can save you time and money trying things that won’t work.

Having a business mentor is the fastest way to grow your clinic with less stress. You will benefit from an easy to implement tactical clinic business and leadership training that keeps you focused and on track. Click here to learn more about the mentorship program I offer.

 

7) Keep Current on New Treatments 

People search the internet for treatment that will help or speed their recovery. For example, more and more patients have heard about Shockwave Therapy and are searching for information, according to Google Trends.  Shockwave Therapy according to Google Trends

Health care practitioners find they are getting faster and better results for many patients with Shockwave Therapy. It’s highly effective in the treatment of a wide range of acute and chronic musculoskeletal conditions, such as calcific tendinitis of the shoulder, tennis elbow, plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinitis, heel spurs, low back pain, neck pain, whiplash and many more.

 If you want to see the best selling shockwave units that top clinics use, click this link to check them out now.

 

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