Optimize Your Practice for Increased Patient Acquisition
Attracting new patients to your healthcare clinic is a journey that begins with the patient’s first appointment and evolves through a series of positive experiences with your practice. Those positive experiences will typically determine how well your office is optimized for new patient acquisition and growth.
Today’s patient interactions are colored by your staff, your standard of care, the services you provide, your office hours, the insurances you accept, and other factors, not the least of which is the design, layout, and appearance of your office. The look and feel of your practice can either enhance or diminish a patient’s impression of you and the quality of your care.
Attracting New Patients Requires Conscious Effort
It’s not uncommon for a healthcare practice to invest hundreds of dollars to acquire one new patient. That investment can vary greatly depending on each prospect’s responsiveness to your office appearance and culture and your targeted marketing efforts. According to the latest research from BIA/Kelsey, hospitals and healthcare providers now spend nearly $12 billion on advertising and marketing each year in the U.S. just to attract new patients.
That’s a clear indication that choosing a health provider is firmly in the hands of patients. Your acquisition efforts must occupy a prominent place in their mind when they are making decisions about their own health or their family’s care. To gain their attention, your actions must be deliberate and intentional.
Consider the Office Environment You Have Created
Think about your physical space, office atmosphere, and overall appearance and culture. These can have substantial impacts on your patient acquisition efforts. Consider the fact that new patients are especially discerning when it comes to the specifics of your office environment.
Does your office space help mitigate their anxieties? Does it feel like a safe, comfortable, and welcoming environment?
Are you familiar with evidence-based design – the theory that you can achieve increased patient acquisition and the best possible healthcare outcomes by creating the right office environment? How does each patient feel the moment they first encounter your practice? Do they respond to the tone of a direct mailer, a glowing referral from a friend or an outstanding online review? Or is it the appearance and atmosphere of your office when they first walk in?
Your design choices matter more than you think. Experts estimate that up to 35% of a patient’s overall satisfaction is influenced by the design and decor of your facility.
How Design Details Influence Patient Acquisition
Interior design and decor are important for setting a mood in your office. Optimizing your office design extends from the exterior to the exam room. Your objective is to make a first impression that will last, beginning with your reception area. A pleasant, comfortable vibe invites guests in and makes them feel at home, the first step in establishing a long-term relationship with your practice.
Your receptionist is the first person your new patients interact with and the face of your practice. They should always welcome patients with a smile. Your design should include natural features such as plants, nature art, outdoor views, and soft lighting. Give your new patients a comfortable space to relax their minds. And don’t forget details such as up to date reading materials, TV entertainment, games for kids, and free wi-fi. These amenities can turn waiting time into a relaxing time while turning your office into a welcoming space.
A welcoming space will reduce new patient anxiety and have them looking forward to their next appointment. Ultimately, you should create a space that your patients enjoy visiting and want to return to when future health needs arise. Patients of all ages will appreciate the effort you put into their comfort and entertainment.
Don’t Overlook Your Examination Rooms
Extend your design theme beyond your waiting room into your exam rooms. Using bright colors and landscape or nature imagery promise your guests a distraction from their ailments and an overall positive experience.
Pediatric practices especially benefit from transformative decor in exam rooms. This helps young patients feel at ease and gives parents a great distraction for their children.
Ultimately, it is the vibe you create in your office that helps patients feel more engaged and more vested in their relationship with you as their care provider. Remember that a bland, cold, clinical environment and décor will do nothing to help you build the kind of relationships you really want with your patients.
First Impressions Begin With Your Building’s Exterior
This is especially true of standalone practices and those that are visible to the public. Your visibility, parking availability, ease of access, and exterior aesthetics all set the tone for your new patient acquisition success.
With the right exterior design theming, your building will advertise for you 24/7. Exterior theming will attract new patients and spread the word about who you are and what you do.
Relationship Details Also Affect Patient Acquisition
Once you’ve made the effort to create the right physical environment, you can match it with good interpersonal skills that will help dissolve your patients’ natural anxieties. Pay closer personal attention to your patients so they don’t feel like mere numbers on a long list of appointments throughout your day.
Remember that every interaction or conversation gives you an opportunity to deepen your relationship with patients. Your top interpersonal, and relational skill is being a good listener.
To enhance your listening ability, it’s always a good idea to have patient conversations in a designated, comfortable consult area. Patients will feel more at ease and you will be better equipped to truly listen to what they share with you.
In addition, making yourself available to your patients beyond office hours will help them feel more valued and connected.
Increase Patient Acquisition by Building Trust
Trust is a critical element in any relationship but it is particularly important for the patient-physician relationship. You can build trust by conveying your knowledge and expertise to your patients in ways they will understand. Patients who feel informed by their doctors are more likely to have a positive experience.
In addition to listening to their specific questions, find solutions that are unique to them and their situations. Encourage them to ask questions about your standard of care, technology, treatments, and outcomes. By giving patients the freedom to ask questions without judgement, you’ll enhances the doctor-patient relationship.
Share resources that they can take home or check out online after their appointment to help them feel more empowered. Patients who trust their healthcare providers are more likely to sustain longer relationships.
Build Consistency by Scheduling Their Next Appointment
Good relationships require consistency. So does maintaining good health. By making intentional efforts to setup follow-up appointments will confirm that you consider providing consistent care for their health as a high priority.
Keeping patients connected to you, your office, and their health helps maintain consistency that is essential to a long-term relationship. Remember that acquiring patients is fundamentally a two-fold process. It is one part environment design and one part relationship building. By optimizing your practice around each, you’ll surely increase your new patient acquisitions.