Who Is Your Ideal Target Patient? – Eye Care Leaders

1. Who Is Your Ideal Target Patient? Medical offices provide health care goods and services, but they’re also businesses, businesses that require money to function. Attracting and keeping certain types of patients could help your practice medically and financially. To do this, think about patients who have the following traits. Change-driven Life doesn’t stand still. People who can adapt to the times are more likely to find success in various areas. The same holds true for patients who are willing to change. Their open- mindedness might bring them to your office looking for eye care assistance. Because they’re proactive by nature, these patients might promptly seek help for a current problem. They might also visit you before something happens for preventative care. Since they’re so current, you’ll need to stay current as well. Investing in the latest technology-driven practice management and electronic health records systems could help you manage their conditions and share what you’re doing with these patients. Be sure to tout this technology in your advertisements. To attract change-positive patients, consider placing these advertisements on websites that promote travel, cultural events, and other experiences that encourage people to learn and grow. Informed It may sound like a cliché, but knowledge really is power. Information benefits patients, which could ultimately help your practice. When patients are informed, they’re more likely to engage with you. They know what’s going on and want to be involved first hand with their care. As with your change-motivated patients, you’ll want to provide facts to the ones who prioritize information.

2. Do your electronic health record and practice management systems offer an online patient portal? If not, consider creating one. This portal could include information about patients’ conditions, medical records, and appointments. Just as importantly, it could include a section that allows your practice and patients to exchange messages. Portals could also be useful for exchanging links to relevant websites or articles as well as other information related to people’s conditions. They could help you and your patients learn about each other. To attract knowledge-hungry clients, you could advertise on sites targeting professionals and people who work in fields such as education. Sales-motivated People who are eager to buy eyewear and other medical products aren’t just patients, they’re potential customers. Capitalize on this eagerness by being ready to assist them in various ways. Brochures are old-school, but they’re still around for a reason. Many people like having information at their fingertips they can study now and refer to later. Tangible items such as brochures and pamphlets are easy to carry and show to others. At appointments, you and patients will be able to examine and discuss pictures and information on such materials. To take advantage of these advantages, create or obtain brochures that discuss eyewear, treatments, or other goods and services. Much of our current information also comes from digital sources. If patients prefer to go online to participate in the purchasing process, make sure your website and office software can handle their needs. Your website could encompass several steps of the process, such as product information about the eyewear you sell, information about prescriptions, and other pertinent deals. Digital information about your optical offerings could assist current patients who are looking for answers and convenience. It could also appeal to potential customers who are looking for knowledgeable assistance.

3. Meanwhile, your office software should assist your optical efforts. Eye care software solutions could help you fill your patients’ prescriptions, complete their orders, and incorporate billing and payment options. Literature and technology could help your office provide goods and services. They could help your patients find solutions to their problems. Insured When you’re designing your practice’s comprehensive website, you’ll also want to include insurance-related information and tools. Insured patients may be more motivated to visit. They may feel that their insurance providers will partially or wholly cover the cost of their health care. To assist insured patients and customers, consider creating a page that lists the types of insurance coverage you accept. Remind readers that the list may not be comprehensive or may be subject to change, so urge them to call or email your practice if they have questions about acceptance. Or, to help patients discover this on their own, you could create an online form. This form could allow people to input some information to receive verification. After they receive verification, they’ll be free to schedule appointments and pursue other opportunities with your office. Recurring “Other opportunities” could also refer to recurring or repeat patients who visit your office more than once. Their repeat visits could keep you in business. To find patients who may need ongoing business, keep your profile on online medical directories such as Zocdoc current. If your information needs correcting or updating, do it. Assign a staff member to handle your online presence and stay abreast of digital developments. Also, add information about you and your practice to local business directories if you haven’t done so already. People looking for health care assistance in certain geographic areas could find your information on these directories and be more likely to consider your services if they’re local and convenient.

4. Once patients have visited, do what you can to keep their patronage. If they call or send a message through your patient portal, make sure you or your staff members respond professionally and quickly. If they’ve purchased eyewear from you in the past, consider offering them discounts on future goods and services. Long-time patients are loyal. Rewarding this loyalty could increase their satisfaction, encourage them to keep coming back, and even recommend your services to others. Healthy Repeat patients aren’t necessarily unhealthy, they just have ongoing needs. Your role is to help patients find and sustain good health, or better health than they experienced before they started visiting. Healthier patients can physically interact with your practice (or engage in telehealth services) better than sicker ones. They’re better able to understand and implement your suggestions. Perhaps most importantly, healthier patients are a testament to you. Their improved medical status is an advertisement of your skills and your health care expertise. They’re illustrations of the beneficial assistance you provide. If you need assistance yourself, contact Eye Care Leaders. We’ll help you develop strategies to improve your practice as well as ways to implement them.