Patient Retention: A Practical Guide to Keeping Patients Coming Back

Did you know that 95% of patients are satisfied with their primary care physicians? While that might seem like a fantastic statistic, that might not be true for your practice.

If that’s the case, then just like with customers, you need to have a strategy for patient retention. Otherwise, you’ll spend a lot more money and effort trying to acquire new patients instead.

If you need some help with patient retention strategies, then you’re in the right place. Read on for a quick and practical guide!

Improve Your Bedside Manner

Patients put a lot of trust into medical professionals, so they want to feel comfortable in voicing their concerns. You could be the best PCP in the world, but if you have a cold demeanor, you can bet that patients won’t return.

Take the time to get to know your patients and really hear them out. Be compassionate and offer follow-up treatment.

You should also train your office staff to be patient, kind, and warm. After all, if they’re abrasive and even borderline rude, patients will hesitate to even call to schedule an appointment in the first place.

Rethink Your Office Design

You might not think the appearance of your medical office matters much, which is why you haven’t updated it in a while. But how your office looks can really affect your patients’ state of mind, especially if they’re anxious already.

Consider some modern themes that not only help your patients feel more comfortable, but also improves the functionality of your space. For example, you can take advantage of modern technology to improve patient relationships. This can help your patients feel more at ease with you and your staff, which can encourage them to keep returning.

Go Digital

On that note, if you don’t have digital services available, you need to, pronto. Almost all of today’s patients are now adept internet users who practically live on their smartphones and other devices.

Back in 2015, 44% of medical patients prefer doctors with online appointment scheduling and 43% said if they could text and email, they’d contact their doctors more often. Fast forward 5 years, and you can bet that number’s a lot higher now.

By giving patients what they want, they’ll feel more comfortable getting in touch with you and returning. As a result, you’ll see your patient retention rate increase.

Up Your Patient Retention Rates Today

Now you have a short guide to upping patient retention for your practice.

Of course, there are many other ways you can make your patients happy. The most important thing is to have an open mind and encourage them to speak up about what they need. When you can accommodate those needs, then that’s when you’ll have the best patient satisfaction, and therefore, retention!

If you found this article on client retention services for patients helpful, then please take a look at our other blog posts now for more tips!