Are you hidden from your private practice patients?

I'd like you to picture this scene – you’re a patient with thigh pain, and you’ve been sent to see a physio by your private health insurer. You’re a keen runner, it’s only two weeks until you will be standing on the start line of that, now seemingly ridiculous, half marathon you signed up for during an evening of tequila shots.

You’re worrying because it hurts even when walking, and you’re starting to imagine that something pretty dodgy might be going on.

Fortunately, the physio you were sent to see is really on the ball. They tell you that they have a strong suspicion that you might have a potential stress fracture. That puts the fear of God into you and you start to wonder if your leg might mechanically ‘snap’ – maybe at an awkward time – like walking through Hong Kong airport?

So you turn to the web, you do a bit of Googling and read something about needing to get an MRI.

Your physio agrees with your sleuthing and recommends that you see Mr. X or Dr. Y.

That’s when the ‘fun’ begins and you turn to the web yet again.

First you have to find where such a clinician lurks geographically....

Then you have got to find out if they are approved by your insurers. Sometimes insurers tell ‘untruths’ (yep, just like Mr. Trump’s ‘post-truths’). They maybe didn’t mean to, but they somehow put you off because they couldn’t find Dr. Y on their list of approved folks, or didn’t look hard enough.....

You try to communicate with Dr.Y’s secretary, but end up communicating with an answer phone and a message that tells you she can ‘take calls between 9 am and 12 noon on Monday to Wednesday’. It’s now Thursday......

You’re not shy, so you leave a cheerful message with the answer phone, hoping that you’ll get an answer to that question about the possibility of an MRI scan, as well as a consultation ASAP. Five days later, you get a message on your answer phone, inviting you to ring during the hours of 9-12.....

As a patient in a hurry and in pain, will you carry on searching for Mr.X and Dr.Y?

Or...

Will you contact the first clinician offering your requirements with good ratings, who responds to your enquiry within 24hrs?

You might be the most dedicated, experienced, and most approachable clinician in the land, but it doesn’t matter two hoots if the patient has to perform the administrative equivalent of a ‘Tough Mudder’ to reach you.

So, here is my challenge to you:

Why don’t you perform a patient journey post-mortem, to uncover how many barriers are in the way of your patients coming to see you?

Better still, why not ask a relative or clinical friend to be a ‘secret shopper’ for you.

You might be surprised at what they report back......

•  They may find that you are not listed on a Google search of your specialty, and it’s only your private Facebook account that comes up - eek!   If so, you really need to do something about how you are found on the web (and you should probably remove those festival pics). Get that website of yours SEO friendly and connect it with ‘Google My Business’, making sure you detail your profession and location.

•  Become habitual about regularly engaging with your followers on social media. Learn how to link back those tweets and LinkedIn posts to your website, and make your ‘contact’ page easy for patients to navigate.

•  There’s no easier way to lose a patient than through details on the web that are not clear, current or even absent. Update them immediately! Do the same for ‘Bupa Finder’ if you are registered with them.

•  When a patient phones your contact number or connects with your team via an email, does your secretary need a new script to communicate your willingness to help, availability, expertise, location, and prices?

•  Patients will read other people’s opinions of you, to help them to decide if they will come to you for help. Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback from your satisfied patients. A simple follow up email to ask, "how was your experience?" gets the conversation started. Add those great testimonials into your website and make sure they can be seen.

•  Even if you believe you have all bases covered and you are up to date with your online presence and availability: In my experience, it’s always worth making regular checks.

Sometimes, we all need a little extra help in building our practices – from a business perspective, as well as a clinical one.

If you are looking for guidance and advice with gaining more patients and boosting your referrals then contact us at:

www.Private Practice Ninja.co.uk

We are running workshops which are perfect for you, come along to the Ninja marketing workshop in London 30th June.

You will experience our Private Practice Ninja Mentoring and together we can grow your private practice

There is still time to pick up your early bird tickets!

Click here to find out more.

Dr Cath x