Increasing Patient Retention Through Healthcare Marketing
Are you figuring out how to keep more of your current patients happy and increase patient retention? Patient retention is key to building and sustaining your business in the healthcare industry. So many practices believe attracting new patients is the best way to do this, when they should be nurturing their existing patients. While getting new patients is undoubtedly good, your marketing strategies should also focus on patient retention.
Studies show that acquiring a new patient costs five times more than retaining existing patients. And 15% of patients faithful to a single practice represent 70% of the appointments.
Below are several tried-and-true patient retention marketing strategies that have increased client loyalty and repeat business.
Proven Patient Retention Tips for Healthcare Marketing
Personalize Your Patient’s Experience
Personalizing your services helps you build your reputation in the industry. Engaging with patients one-on-one helps to understand their needs to tailor-make a treatment plan for them. Patients don’t like to be treated severally with the same approach for a specific disease. It’s essential to take time and explain why your chosen strategy meets their unique needs.
Also, you can extend these personal engagements online to improve your patient-doctor relationship and make them comfortable and confident in seeking your medical help.
Augment Technology and Automation to Improve Your Healthcare
Use technology to automate your billing and health systems to ease the patient’s experience when seeking medical help, claiming payments, or during billing. Seek to incorporate mobile apps and software for telehealth services. This increases your reach and availability, marketing your services. Also, standardizing your routine process enables you to deliver on promises to your patients.
Provide Excellent Health Services With Room for Feedback
Patients who get satisfactory and quality healthcare services at your facility have a higher chance that you’ll be their preferred medical facility. Look at how you structure your medical, billing, and customer care services to enhance their experience while getting treatment. Streamline your systems using the right personnel and technique to avoid delays and discontentment from the patient.
Listening to and addressing their complaints also enhances customer retention. In most cases, handling a customer who complains will likely return and make additional appointments.
Set Patient Expectations
In recent years, patient service has improved from attending to healthcare issues and complaints to meeting and exceeding their expectations. This will help you in retaining your patients. However, to achieve this, you must get to know your patients intimately, understand their expectations and use these pointers to empower them. This is important since patients want to be enabled and not controlled.
Why Is Patient Retention Important?
Patient retention keeps your patients for an extended period which builds your reputation and craft in the industry. It builds loyalty, trust, and understanding, which helps your medical facility grow and improve. Below we have discussed reasons why patient loyalty is essential;
- Long-term patients spend more generating more revenue for your practice
- It reduces your marketing costs
- Ensures repeat business
- Minimizes service costs
- Strengthens your brand image
- You get honest feedback from patients
- It helps you stand out from competitors
Use Patient Retention Methods for Better Healthcare Stats
Pairing your quality medical services with appropriate patient retention marketing techniques advances your medical practice. Understand what you need to maintain your patients’ loyalty and service.
Contact the team at Valet Health today to learn how you can use your marketing efforts to retain patients.