Since the Affordable Care Act was first enrolled, approximately twenty million uninsured American citizens have gained health care insurance, giving medical practices around the U.S. the opportunity to increase their patient base. Since more individuals may now be seeking a primary care provider after previously avoiding seeking medical care due to financial constraints, it is a prime time for medical practices when it comes to increasing their patient base. If you are running a medical practice and have not seen an influx of new patients in recent times, try implementing these strategies to gain more exposure, increase interest and watch your patient base grow.
#1. Encourage positive reviews
If you are hearing good things from your current patients about the standard of care that they are receiving from your practice, then encouraging them to take this information online and make it available for others to see could help your practice to gain more patients. More than ever, people are turning to internet reviews when choosing a new service, including medical care. Making sure that you are active on several third-party review sites and having social media reviews turned on will help you spread the word about the care that you provide.
#2. Hire the right staff
Having the right team of staff working for your practice can make all the difference when it comes to the impression that you make on your new and potential patients. Bear in mind that patients will talk about their experience at your practice with their friends and family members, and talking about positive experience may encourage new patients to sign up. Ensuring that you have a team which is fully on board with bringing new patients into the practice and helping it grow is essential. Check out more information on what you can expect to pay members of your practice team at Salary Site.
#3. Be active on social media
Today, more and more individuals are using social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter to find the services that they need, including medical care. Some doctors are still uneasy about using social media tools to promote their business, however, the truth is that there are some great benefits to be had from expanding your online presence and becoming more active on these platforms. Along with the option to use Facebook and similar sites for customer service and engaging with your potential patients, you can also use them to share tips, advice, blog posts, videos and more to demonstrate your expertise and industry leadership.
#4. Get out in the community
Getting out into the community and engaging with your potential patients face-to-face is a great way to present an approachable and friendly image of your practice and incite the interest of more potential patients. For example, arranging a community fundraising event to help a charitable cause related to local healthcare, or spending time visiting schools and other community centers to talk about the importance of good healthcare will help to improve your popularity in your local area and get people talking about the care you provide.