“How to grow my medical practice” is a question I’ve been asked many times, both by friends and family and even by my patients. I have tried to give the best answers possible and share them here. First of all, a large number of people do not have a family or close friends that are willing or able to help them get started in their new business. This limits the amount of options they have, but it also limits the amount of resources they have available to them. In short, what most people don’t realize is that starting a medical office or even operating a small specialty practice can be much easier than they think.
The key component to this is to have an excellent doctor who is enthusiastic about helping others. My favorite way to do this is to leverage the power of social media marketing tips. This means using social network sites like Facebook and Twitter to promote events and specials my doctor is participating in or speaking at. This is a powerful strategy because it helps connect my patients to the physician much more effectively than any promotional material I could send through email or newspaper ads.
In addition, there are some other things that I love to do as part of my social networking strategy. For example, I’ll post announcements about local events, free events my doctors are giving away, or special offers my doctors are running. I encourage people on Facebook and Twitter to pass these along to their friends. I’ve even asked my patients to “like” my posts on Facebook or tweets so that I can continue to receive their updates. I hope that this will allow me to have a better understanding of how my patients perceive my office, which may make them more willing to come in for a visit or make an appointment.
With social media, my biggest challenge is getting the word out. One way I do this is to participate in the various social media sites. I join the Facebook Group that I belong to, and I interact actively in that group. I also follow some of the local Twitter users, just to keep myself posted on the conversations going on in my community. On occasion, I’ll use Google+ to post a blog entry or link to one of my patients’ blogs, just to show up in my local community. All of this effort is very worthwhile because it provides me with some potential followers and prospective patients.
The second part of my plan is to participate in various forums and chat groups that discuss topics related to my practice. My primary goal is to build a strong network of peers. Many doctors choose not to participate in social media because they feel as if they are being “judged.” I disagree with this approach, and I believe that by participating in forums and chats, patients will be better able to gauge my professionalism. Additionally, participating in forums helps me stay abreast of the latest news and research regarding my practice. This can help me provide more accurate and helpful information to my patients.
It’s important for me to maintain an excellent relationship with my patients. Therefore, I plan to regularly communicate with my patients, and I try to make them feel as comfortable as possible with me. I encourage patients to contact me with any questions or concerns that they have, and I try to answer as quickly as possible. Since I receive a large number of phone calls each week from new and traditional patients, I continue to grow my list of patients to ensure that I am always able to serve them. This direct primary care practice ensures that my patients feel that I respect their privacy, and that I always put their needs first.
My biggest challenge has been to build this patient base so that I would not be considered “out-of-network” when it comes to receiving referrals or payment. New Orleans has a unique culture compared to many other cities. It’s important for me to always take care of the needs of each patient and customize my practice to meet the unique needs of each patient. New Orleans doctors need to understand that they must treat each patient as unique and special, as they will become family to them. Because of this, it’s been difficult for some New Orleans doctors to accept their patients without using a direct primary care physician.
In closing, if you are in New Orleans or anywhere else for that matter, I strongly suggest that you implement a referral management system. If you are currently not implementing a referral management system, you are missing out on patients and revenue. It’s time for you to grow your healthcare practice today! Please feel free to discuss any additional healthcare practice related ideas and/or resources with a trusted local healthcare provider.