Healthcare Best Practices

Healthcare Best Practices Post COVID 2021 by XAMTA INFOTECH Healthcare, July 6, 2021

In every industry, the customer holds a supreme position. For healthcare best practices competing with retail giants like CVS, Walmart, and Amazon, enhancing patient satisfaction and nurturing patient relationships are crucial for success. Understanding the current needs of patients and meeting these preferences can be pivotal for your practice's growth strategy, ensuring that content patients not only discover your healthcare best practices but also return year after year.

Optimize Your Web Presence

When it comes to searching for and choosing a healthcare provider, a significant majority of patients (74.5%) conduct their research online. Hence, it is imperative to meet them where they are. The initial step involves refining and optimizing your website for both patients and search engines. Ensure it is user-friendly, mobile-optimized, and regularly updated with the most pertinent information related to your specialty or group. Furthermore, it's essential to focus on how you present and connect with potential patients on Google, given its dominant market share (88%). Optimizing your Google business profile through Google My Business (GMB) is critical. A well-optimized Google business profile enhances the visibility of your healthcare best practices in various Google search results.

Claiming all your online profiles, including WebMD, Yelp, Facebook, and others, is vital. Ensure that all information is accurate, up-to-date, and engaging. Include essential details like your practice address, operating hours, key services, and images or videos showcasing your office and providers.

Focus on a Stellar Online Reputation

Once a patient discovers you online, the challenge is to differentiate yourself from other care options. This is where a positive online reputation becomes paramount. According to a survey, 7 out of 10 patients claim that reviews significantly influence their decision-making process. Google reviews hold particular importance, with 72.9% of patients more likely to rely on them than those found on your website. Encouraging patients to share their feedback online is crucial, and patient satisfaction surveys can be instrumental in initiating this process. Patients who have been asked for feedback are 50% more likely to proactively submit an online review.

Consider Your Entire Patient Experience

Ensuring patient satisfaction might seem like an obvious and straightforward patient retention strategy, but in busy healthcare best practices, various elements can impact the patient experience. As per surveys, top patient priorities include a provider who listens, welcoming staff, and a short wait time. While controlling a patient's wait time may not always be possible, implementing tools and technologies to streamline aspects of the patient experience is a worthwhile investment in patient retention. Online scheduling, digital registration, automated appointment reminders, and telehealth options contribute to a more convenient patient experience, translating to better reviews.

Create a Patient Communication Strategy

Strengthening the provider-patient connection is integral to your practice's growth strategy. Communicating with patients in ways they prefer is a simple yet effective tactic. According to survey research, two out of three patients prefer appointment reminders via text messages. However, for more complex communications or queries, many patients (32.4%) still prefer a phone call. This emphasizes the need for a human connection in certain situations. To enhance patient communication further, healthcare best practices can implement email marketing campaigns to keep patients engaged, provide valuable condition-specific information, and share timely practice updates.

Find the Best Balance for Telehealth

The year 2020 witnessed explosive growth in telehealth, driven by the COVID-19 pandemic. As we transition into 2021, patients are becoming more comfortable seeing their providers in person again. This signifies a shift for telehealth, moving away from pandemic mode towards utilizing digital care as a long-term strategy. Evaluating which appointment types suit virtual visits best and adapting over time based on patient demand is a prudent approach.