As the calendar once again turns to January, many people look ahead and make resolutions for the upcoming year. Most commonly, they look to exercising and eating healthy. While using the New Year to reflect on personal goals is a great idea, this time of year should also be used to evaluate your practice. Detailed below, are the top four areas that your practice should resolve to improve upon in 2016.
1. Growth Strategy
While growing is likely an ongoing goal of your practice, have you defined a strategy to ensure that growth? What steps have you taken? It’s easy to identify where you want your practice to be over the next year but making concrete plans is another story. A great place to start is joining forces with a consulting company well versed in strategy development and execution. When vetting a possible partner look for expertise in business planning, geographic expansion strategies, and a strong background in branding and positioning. Many companies offer strategy consulting but seek one out that has direct experience and expertise in the healthcare industry.
2. Website Development
In 2016, more patients than ever will be heading online to vet future physicians and medical groups. Your website is the patient’s first impression and it is imperative that it stands out in a positive way. A practice website should have an up-to-date look and feel. It should be mobile responsive. And, it should have full and informational descriptions of all of your services. A subpar website could be impacting your bottom line in ways you do not realize. Look for a web development provider who understands the impact that healthcare trends have on web development; one who is experienced in writing medical content for the patient, minimizing industry jargon and complicated descriptions.
3. Reputation Management
In addition to finding your website online, patients will also scour the Internet to find your practice on rating sites. A common misconception with these sites is that physicians have no recourse or control over how they are respresented. That’s not always the case. Reputation management should be addressed both proactively and reactively by your practice via claiming profiles and monitoring reviews. If you look at your presence now and cringe, it is time to recruit support.
4. Patient Satisfaction
When thinking about your patient’s satisfaction, you most likely think of yourself and the level of care that you provide. While this is important to consider, physicians are not the only contributors to patient satisfaction. Your scheduling coordinators, administrative staff and even the layout of your waiting room have an impact on your patient experience. Practices that have a high level of satisfaction with their patients, do not get there organically. Furthermore, industry trends are predicting that patient experience will matter in the future more than ever before. Be ahead of the curve with evaluation, analysis and training.
In considering these tips, you might be faced with what seems like overwhelming decisions. Joining forces with a healthcare marketing and strategy consultant can help you develop and execute a plan that will grow your practice and allow you to get back to your patients. For more information about making 2016 your most successful year, contact Points Group LLC.
