While the Affordable Care Act has gone into effect, there are still bound to be changes occurring in the healthcare delivery system as the kinks are worn out. This is because implementation of the Act will cause a paradigm shift in patient attraction. This means that many people saw changes in their insurance premiums and coverages as the ACA rolled out.
The changing system also means that medical marketing and public relations have become more important in terms of how they attract more quality patients to different medical practices. This also means that patients will be researching specialists heavier than they typically would to ensure that they are paying for the highest caliber care that their insurance will cover.
All of these can affect your medical practice. Below are three tips to help your practice navigate these waters and to continue to be profitable.
Have Public Relations and Media Strategies
Two of the most underutilized tools that can help attract new patients are public relations and media. Most practices are not skilled enough in PR; therefore, they decide not to include it as a tool to attract new patients. However, having a well-executed PR /media strategy can help your practice yield incredible results. The best part is, if done correctly, it doesn’t have to cost you a thing.
One low-cost route you can take is making use of patient stories. Reporters, editors and producers are always in the market for patient stories that are engaging or innovations in medicine. The key with this practice is knowing what content reporters, editors and producers are looking for and then becoming the source they need.
Diversify Your Online Presence
In today’s connected society your practice NEEDS an online presence. This is because it is estimated that 72 percent of patients found the specialist they needed though online research. If your practice’s website has a high quality website (along with high quality content) you can provide your potential patients with the education and information that they need. Having a website is only half the battle, however. You also need to incorporate a creative mix of online ads, SEO and social media strategies in order to increase your chance(s) of attracting new patients.
Reputation Management
You need to make sure that your practice not only has a good reputation but can also keep this reputation. This is especially true with so many people finding specialist information through review sites like Vitals, RateMDs and Yelp. These ratings can mean the difference between a potential patient making an appointment or avoiding your practice.
One thing to remember is unhappy patients are three times more likely to leave reviews than happy patients are. Unluckily enough, when potential patients read negative reviews, they don’t have the physician there explaining what the review really means. That said, however, physicians should NEVER respond directly to an online review—it is in poor taste.
Like any other business or profession, the medical field makes use of professionally created content to spread knowledge about different aspects of the field. In order to put your best foot forward, you need the best resources at your disposal. SEOMedical can help provide just that. For assistance creating a website for your practice, help with developing your content or any other various aspects of running a healthcare practice contact us for more information.