Back to Basics: Creating Patient Loyalty through Social Media
Incorporating a Social Media strategy into an organization, be it healthcare or other various industry, can be puzzling. Questions ranging from, “What’s the point?” to “Are we even doing this right?” are bound to arise. Everyone begins their Social Media adventure with a different level of knowledge and expertise. For many healthcare organizations, we find this level is quite basic due to lack of exposure. With that said, Carrie... Read More
Where Does Responsibility for Patient Experience Fall?
An article from HealthLeaders August 2011 edition gives us a detailed look at where patient experience initiatives rank among importance throughout various healthcare organizations. While 55% of respondents ranked patient experience within their top five priorities; the more alarming statistic relates to the 22% reporting “an abundance of higher priorities” and the 11% deeming a “lack of funding or budgeting.” One variable which fluxuates... Read More
Taking the Plunge Into Social Media
At times, we find convincing a physician or practice administrator to jump feet first into the deep, unknown pool of social media is more difficult to accomplish than getting a child to eat their vegetables. Most give short, one-word responses; ranging from, “No.” to “Why?” So, why do we remain relentless in our push to involve healthcare professionals in the world of social media? According to the Pew Research Center, “61% of adults... Read More
A Healthcare Marketer’s View on Outbound vs. Inbound Marketing Strategies
A very interesting and informative piece circulated on Twitter this week and caught my attention. The post by Jeff Bullas, Social Media Marketing: 10 Inspiring Infographics (Great resource piece!) shares some great statistics and examples of the power and influence of social media on our behaviors and buying patterns as consumers. Jeff also dives deeper into the conversation related to the shift from outbound marketing efforts, or what I like to call... Read More
The Release of Patient Information: A Conversation on Outsourcing vs. In-House and How This Affects Patient Experience
Medical records must be dealt with in a professional manner. A practice’s patients should feel their medical information is being kept secure and being forwarded in a confidential manner. The choice of handling records in house or outsourcing to an independent firm is an important decision healthcare organizations must make. Although not well known outside the healthcare industry, companies providing the release of information have been present... Read More
Remembering the Basics of Customer Service
Recently, I read an article touching on how the doctor/patient experience has become an afterthought. Much like society today, many medical practices have shifted their focus to providing the latest gadgets and hi-tech items in an attempt to seem like the most profitable office in town. While patients find these aspects thrilling, does the actual human interaction they encounter merit the same impressiveness? While we all appreciate the intricate... Read More
Patient Experience Priority: Evaluate Policies Now
In healthcare, the greatest concern is always the safety and well-being of the patient, but unfortunately there are frightful circumstances when these priorities get over-looked. It happened in a doctor’s office in Rock Hill, South Carolina. A patient was left in an exam room, unseen by the physician, and locked up as the office closed it’s doors for the business day. The patient had her vitals checked and then she waited, all too patiently,... Read More
The DMV and the Patient Experience: Too Closely Related?
I had the pleasure of having both my driver’s license and my vehicle tags come up for renewal the same month, warranting a trip to my local DMV. I found myself dreading the experience and frankly, putting it off until the end of the month; the long wait, taking off from work in the middle of the day because of the less-than-convenient hours, the threat of poor customer service and the cumbersome paperwork all loomed like a heavy cloud over my... Read More
Word-of-Mouth Marketing: Creating Walking Billboards for your Practice
Word-of-mouth marketing can be your practices’ greatest asset or biggest downfall, depending on exactly what your patients have to say about you. People are much more likely to believe the word of a friend or acquaintance than they are to listen to a paid advertisement. In fact, 78% of consumers trust peer recommendations, only 14% trust advertisements. Word-of-mouth travels quickly if you have the right messenger. So what messages are spreading... Read More
Personalized Patient Experiences: Doctors Still Make House Calls?
I recently ran across an article entitled, “These Doctors Make House Calls—And Love It” These MDs had taken a cue from the past to create a personal touch for their practices. After a little bit of research, I realized this blogging doctor wasn’t the only one still making house calls. According to the American Academy of Home Care Physicians, Medicare reimbursed physicians for 2.3 million house calls in 2009, a half million more than in 2002.... Read More
