3 challenges, 3 solutions for patient acquisition and retention

1. Overcoming barriers to faster revenue

Challenge:

Securing payment from patients before their appointment is a common challenge for practices. It may be due to manual collections at the front desk, the reason given by the majority of participants on a recent webinar. Another possible roadblock is offering only one payment method. An InstaMed study found 69% of providers saw an increase in patient responsibility between 2017 and 2018, and 77% of providers took more than a month to collect payment. It’s never been more important for practices to offer simple, convenient methods of payment.  

Solutions:

Work with a partner like Phreesia. Its patient intake platform automatically prompts patients to pay using a tablet during check-in. You can also ask patients how they prefer to pay, and then offer multiple payment options — such as a patient portal, by phone, or mail — thereby increasing your revenue capture by making it easy for them to pay.  

Check out this blog in which we explore five habits that can hamper collections, including seemingly innocent practices you may not have considered.

“Greenway has helped a lot with the education, so we’re billing appropriately for our work,” said Jennifer Rioux, Nurse Practitioner and Chief Administrative Officer for New Era Medicine.

2. Eliminating pre-appointment inefficiencies

Challenge:

One of the most frustrating tasks for patients is data re-entry: providing information online when scheduling an appointment only to do so again on paper when they arrive for their appointment.

Patient engagement, especially managing your patients’ experience inside the waiting room, can be difficult for a practice to handle.

Solutions:

Partner with a vendor that can collect the full patient record through a medical history survey in advance of the office visit. This prompts patients for correct information up front.

Automating patient communications can help drive revenue. It makes sense to implement outreach and interactions to improve patient loyalty. Greenway Patient Messaging makes patient outreach easy with automated solutions such as appointment reminders and patient notifications of missed appointments. By automating these communications, you’re more likely to receive payment from patients up front.

3. Managing your online patient acquisition strategy

Challenge:

Although more physician offices have an online presence these days, not all have the resources to employ website design or search engine optimization (SEO) experts. This can result in practices not being found online — which can lead to missed revenue opportunities. You can’t get paid unless you attract patients.

According to Brandwatch, 3.4 billion active users spend an average of 116 minutes a day on social media. How do you determine which social platforms to use and how do you manage review sites to ensure your practice has positive reviews?

Solutions:

Typically, we recommend starting with Facebook. Dr. Michael Jordan, founder of East Lake Pediatrics, uses social media to reach both current and prospective patients. 

“The driving force behind our Facebook page is to give patients and families insight into how our practice works — before they get here,” Dr. Jordan said.

Consider enhancing your practice’s web presence through optimized web profiles and healthcare directories listings. Another solution is to partner with a vendor that provides websites built for SEO and that are specific to healthcare. These sites will help optimize the patient experience and allow your practice to grow.

In addition, paid search advertising services can help you attract patients and boost your reputation. Manage your online presence to ensure your practice is always seen in the best light. That’s something a partner like PatientPop can help you achieve through an all-in-one practice growth platform.

Our webinar explains how we team up with our Marketplace Partners Phreesia and PatientPop to uncover patient acquisition and retention strategies that will help you get paid faster.

For even more ways Greenway can help your practice achieve, visit our Knowledge Center.