Chances are if your answer to our heading is yes you have gotten surprising results. This shows you how much people rely on the internet for, well, everything. Doctors now need to think of ways to improve online visibility.
Your patients aren’t an exception. Potential and existing patients now rely on the internet. Patients want to know the best doctors, where they are, what they offer, if they have good reviews and if they are drawn to your “look”. The internet has become the most reliable source and influencer of decision making in the world.
Why Doctors need to improve online visibility
As a medical practitioner, we needn’t tell you how important referrals are. Patients can sometimes need just one good review to decide. “The fact that 81 percent of patients will read reviews about a provider, even after they’ve been referred, indicates that we’ve entered a truly consumerist era of healthcare. Patients depend on online sources of information more so than ever, and are using all of the digital tools available to inform themselves and make healthcare decisions,” said Andrei Zimiles, CEO of Doctor.com. “While it is paramount for healthcare organizations to provide quality care, they must also focus on building a strong online presence and a seamless customer journey. It’s what today’s patients expect.”
Good online presence means you can interact with your patients without having them come to your practice. This increases the efficiency of your practice as you will not be overwhelmed with a full waiting room. Being online is not limited to marketing you as a brand. It also aids in making sure your practice offers the best service to its patients in every way.
Among the many reasons your patients go online is to have their curious questions answered. From the simplest, “…why does he do that?” to a direct doctor to patient questions can be tackled online. Investing in an interactive website, social media pages like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn can improve communication between you and your patients. This also makes your work easier as you can conduct follow-ups and be up to date on your patient’s progress.
How do your patients benefit?
The medical profession remains a noble profession but it is a business like any other. In order for a business to succeed it has to be visible and accessible to people. This reflects on the very quality of healthcare you will be able to offer your patients.
Information
Patients today prefer being in the know and making informed decisions about their health. Every patient today wants to feel empowered and in charge — over 92% of surveyed patients said they wanted a say in their healthcare decisions, and 24% said they wanted to be completely in charge of their own health decisions.
Blog posts, newsletters or an online library empower your patients. It enables your patients to make better-informed decisions on issues to do with their health. It also makes it easy for you to establish an open relationship with your patients.
“People that are actively engaged in their healthcare are more likely to stay healthy and manage their conditions, follow treatment plans, eat right, exercise and receive health screenings and immunizations.”—University of Oregon health policy researcher Judith Hibbard
Convenience
With an online presence, there is ease of doing business. Appointments are made at the click of a button. You can make more efficient follow-ups and take corrective measures. Verifications of insurance and billing can also be handled in half the normal time.
Security
Online servers offer better security and convenience for patients’ records. Cloud-based platforms offer easier data recovery and updates.
How you improve your online visibility
There are more ways than we can list in one article. Let’s run through the few we recommend.
Set up an engaging site
Patients always have questions. An FAQ enabled website will keep your patients wanting to come back to your website and coming to your practice. With this comes the need to keep patients engaged. Blogs and information articles make your website a go-to for patients.
Online transactions
Nothing gets better reviews than ease of use. The ability for a patient to make an appointment, change it, watch progress and communicate with you all from the convenience of their smart devices goes a long way.
Social media is key
One is never online unless they are on social media. This has become the most efficient way to teach a larger audience and show the true character of your business. When used along with a good website social media can make your business great.
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