Patient expectations are continually on the rise when it comes to the quality of medical services. They want to ensure that their doctors, nurses, or any medical staff have their backs and won’t leave them into oblivion after the treatment is over. You don’t want your patients feeling that you won’t be there for them and that’s why you need an effective patient management plan. This ensures that your patients feel more cared for, more loved, and safer when visiting your practice. Keep reading our article to know more about its importance and some strategies you can implement for effective patient management.
Effective patient management helps to optimize the efficiency of your practice.
Patient Management And Why It Is Important
Patient management is basically a set of activities healthcare providers follow to fulfill the rising expectations of patients. It goes beyond the standard procedure of just treating a patient. Patient management ensures that there’s communication even when the patient has left the dispensary.
Healthcare institutions have recognized the importance of patient management. They have been implementing strategies to make the patient feel not just a mere body but more like a human being. When patients recognize how efficient and effective your patient management is, you’re likely to get them back again and they might even recommend your practice to others. So, if you want patient management to be successful, remember that customer satisfaction is key.
Methods For Effective Patient Management
Have Personalized Interactions
As a customer, you’ll look for that perfect product or service that’ll satisfy all your consumer needs. Preferably, a product or service that has more personal branding will surely make you feel more than just a customer. And since doctors deal with patients one-on-one daily, it would be safe to say that patients wouldn’t want to be just a mere body for treatment or another metric in the database. They want more than that, they want engagement and a deeper patient experience. Gone are the days where treating patients was just a matter of signing a few prescriptions or performing surgery.
To make your practice personalized, you need to set up a base on the internet space. And one of the internet’s most powerful tools for interaction is social media. With social media giants such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Tik Tok, you will not find yourself short of any platform to engage with your audience. You can create posts, stories, host live sessions, and all of this contributes to the experience that we’ve spoken about earlier. Here, the demographic that you choose to cater your services to has to be kept in mind while creating content. You will find a young audience on Instagram and Tik Tok, whereas Facebook has the older kind. So, keep that in mind while you’re brainstorming ideas.
Another way of personal interaction is by offering perks where possible. Whether it’s an Uber or Ola ride to the clinic, discounts on some special screenings, or gift cards of some sort, customers/patients enjoy that. It enhances the customer experience and encourages people to utilize your services.
Practice Gratitude
We mentioned earlier that patient management is all about patient relationships that create an extra sense of care. We may have the fanciest of tools to get a healthy amount of engagement from our patients, and although that is good, practicing simple human mannerisms such as expressing gratitude goes a long way in enhancing the patient experience. Just a simple “thank you for choosing our practice” can make the patient feel warmer and welcomed, accompanied by eye contact and a warm smile. Everyone loves a welcoming atmosphere, and by doing that, the chances of your practice being referred to, soar to a great extent. You have your old patients along with new referrals, which is good for business.
Implement Online Scheduling
Everything is done online these days. From booking movie tickets to buying groceries, everything is done with a click of a button. If there’s such convenience in buying and selling, why not include scheduling appointments online. It’s easy, convenient, and the patient also has some control over the timings and type of service they can apply for. By making scheduling online, you not only enhance the patient experience but also cut down the number of tasks for your staff. Money is saved since you don’t have to print long forms, and in all, you save a great deal of time as well.
If you haven’t taken your practice online, then do so. Set up a website and include online scheduling as one of the features. You’ll see how the number of no-shows dwindles in just a matter of time since they’ve been given the flexibility of choice.
Two Way Texting For Better Engagement
Everyone is on their phone! Many people prefer text messages to remind them about appointments, confirmations, or even health updates. If you can get a system that automates sending reminders, this eliminates the strenuous task of calling each patient. The number of no-shows also reduces since there is clear-cut communication. And text messages or timely notifications are the best way to inform people about their appointments.
Include Telemedicine In Your Practice
Telemedicine calls for effective patient management since it’s making the patient’s life convenient. Where telemedicine is concerned, it isn’t necessary for patients to drive to their doctor’s clinic for treatment. Everything is done virtually via a computer webcam or a smartphone. If you have a contagious infection, telemedicine helps to reduce the spread. It’ll protect you and your patients as well who are in the waiting room. Also, you’d be able to assess your patient’s conditions better since you’ll have a better look at the environment they’re living in and can advise on lifestyle changes if needed.
ImmunifyMe has this prominent feature on its app where parents can get on one-on-one calls with pediatricians.
Scheduling patients and consistently following up with them are some ways to ensure effective patient management.
Conclusion
So, now you know some of the strategies for effective patient management. Implement them and watch your practice grow! However, you’ll have to wait for some time to see its fruits as these aren’t shortcut methods to achieve effective patient management. Anything good takes time to build, so keep the faith. If you’re a pediatrician, you can check out our ImmunifyMe app. You can diagnose virtually, store prescriptions online, and even store and access patient health records.
FAQs On Effective Patient Management
What Is Telemedicine Used For?
Telemedicine uses technology to allow doctors to diagnose their patients via video call. This remote-based form of treatment becomes extremely useful for those who are outstation or infected with something contagious.
What Are Some Methods For Effective Patient Management?
You can do the following if you want to achieve effective patient management:
- Have Personalized Interactions
- Practice Gratitude
- Implement Online Scheduling
- Two Way Texting For Better Engagement
- Include Telemedicine In Your Practice
What Is Patient Management?
Patient management is the steps healthcare providers take in fulfilling the expectations of the patient. It’s an entire system where the healthcare provider looks beyond the traditional notion of just treating the patient by establishing strong patient relationships.
