In the digital age, patient engagement matters both in the office as well as before and after the patient visits your practice. With all of the communications channels available today like social media and email, practices can easily improve their patient experience and engagement at a scalable rate. By engaging with patients in and out of the office, your practice will see increased satisfaction among patients, leading to more returning and new patients.
If you’re looking to increase patient engagement at your practice, here are some tips.
Design a Website for Your Practice that Is Easy to Navigate
The first thing that any potential patient does when looking for a new doctor is searching for them online. This is why having a user-friendly and engaging website is crucial for your practice. Your website should allow visitors to easily request an appointment, learn more about the doctor’s experience, expertise and credentials, and should offer basic information like business address and hours.
Create an Email List for Patients and Send Regular Updates
Email lists are a great way to stay in touch with your patients outside of the office. You can send bi-weekly or monthly updates about your practice along with any information that patients may find interesting. To generate an email list, you can have patients sign up at the office. Just remember, you must have the patient’s consent in order to email them.
Create Video and Blog Content that Educates Patients on Topics Relevant to Your Practice
With social media dominating most industries, watchable and readable content is one of the best ways to engage with patients nowadays. By creating and posting videos and blogs, your patients can engage with your practice by just scrolling through social media.
These videos and blogs can be on any topic that is relevant to your practice but should still be interesting to patients that aren’t trained in medicine. Any content that you create can be posted on social media as well as sent out to your email lists.
Offer Appointment Reminders via Email and Text
The most obvious way to engage with patients is in the office during their appointment. However, this can only be done if your patients remember to show up. By sending email and text reminders, appointments stay on the patient’s mind so they’re less likely to forget. Appointment reminders also show patients that your practice wants to see them again.
Respond to Email Inquiries from Patients in a Timely Manner
You want to make sure that if a patient is trying to connect with you, you are consistent with your communication back to them. It’s important to respond to any inquiries you receive via email from either existing or potential patients. If you’re too busy, appoint someone at your staff to relay your messages for you so that no email goes unnoticed or unanswered.
Encourage Patients to Ask Questions During Appointments
An important part of engaging with patients in the office is making sure that they feel heard during appointments. By encouraging patients to ask questions, it shows that you are invested in their health and want to be as helpful as possible.
Give Patients a Place to Provide Feedback or Leave Reviews
Whether it be through Google, Yelp or a medical-specific site, your patients should be encouraged to provide feedback after their visit. This helps not only to increase engagement, but also so you know what you’re doing well and what can be improved. You should respond to reviews from patients, whether positive or negative, so that you appear more engaged online.
Offer a Patient-Friendly Software Solution that Focuses on Their Needs
The right software solution can help your patients navigate their journey and feel more comfortable communicating with your practice. An ideal software allows for online/app-based check-in and telehealth video and messaging capabilities. This makes appointments more feasible for any patient that does not feel comfortable visiting you in person.
Your practice’s software should also include a patient data portal for easy access to records and pre-registration for any necessary document/paperwork to save time during check-in.
Improve Patient Engagement with Pulsecheck
PulseCheck offers user-friendly software solutions that create an easy and engaging experience for you and your patients. Whether you operate an emergency room or a small specialty office, PulseCheck’s software allows you to comfortably engage with patients and cater to their needs throughout their medical journey. To learn more or request a demo, contact us today.