It’s not easy being in the healthcare industry. While there’s plenty of opportunities to make money, it’s also true that competition can be fierce, and that running costs can be extraordinarily high. As such, it’s always worthwhile having one eye on ways you can develop your medical practice. If you’ve thus far been running on autopilot, then take a look at some of our recommendations below. They’ll hope you to attract more patients and boost your bottom line.
1. Who are you targeting?
You’re not going to be serving everyone in your community. More likely, you’ll be working with one set demographic, though this will depend on the services that you provide and where you’re located. For example, a medical practice that is located near to a retirement community will be more likely to serve older people rather than children; if you’re in an area populated by young families, then you might focus on children’s healthcare. So when it comes to your marketing, design of your interior, and so on, it’s important to keep in mind who you’re trying to attract.
2. Get involved with the community
You’re already providing a service to the community, but it’s always possible to do more. If you’re trying to get more people on board, then open up your doors, and let people see what it is you’re offering. Of course, you can’t just let people come in and walk around – that won’t prove anything, and in fact, also isn’t providing a service to the community. Things like hosting seminars on how to eat healthy, how to control diabetes and other conditions, and the like will imprint your practice in the minds of the people who live there.
3. Get personal
As we said at the beginning of the article, patients are not short of options when it comes to where they receive their healthcare. As such, you need to find ways to market your business to them in fresh ways, that will stick in their mind. One of the best ways to do this is to have a “personal” approach to your marketing. Rather than having a blanket approach, direct your marketing to the person you’re targeting. If you don’t know where to begin, then The Vomela Companies can help you. When you’re competing with so many other businesses, a sophisticated approach is needed!
4. Expand your services
You don’t want to lose a potential customer just because you’re not able to treat them. While there are some tests that can only be run at a large hospital, it’s possible that you’ll be able to expand the number of services you offer just by adding a portable machine or hiring a new staff member. In the process, you’ll be reducing the number of patients you need to turn away.
5. Your online presence
If you’re not currently making the most of the internet, then now’s the time to get it underway! A website is the obvious starting point, but you’ll also be well-served by running social media channels, and writing blogs on the medical topics in which you specialize.
6. Solicit and act on reviews
Your online presence isn’t just about what you put out there; it’s also about what your patients say about you. Like every other type of business, you’ll be subjected to online reviews. Hopefully, they’ll be positive, but you have to expect that a bad review will come eventually. Once you’ve verified that it’s a legitimate review (competitors do sometimes slander their rivals!), you’ll want to take action. While you should hope that bad reviews don’t come your way, remember that it’s always possible to turn a negative into a positive! Rather than getting defensive, listen to what they’ve said, and make any changes that’ll prevent the same complaint made in the past. If you’re correcting all those things that you’re getting wrong, you’ll be moving your practice in the right direction.
7. Invest in new staff
It’s not just about getting people into your practice, treating them, and then having them pay their bill. The entire process should be an experience. A doctor shouldn’t just be knowledgeable; they should also be caring, friendly, welcoming, and so on. If your staff aren’t all of these things, then you’ll be giving your patients a window with which to take their business somewhere else. So when it comes to bringing people on to your team, whether it’s a receptionist or doctor, then make sure they have the correct “human qualities” as well as the medical qualities you need.