Reduce patient attrition with these retention-boosting strategies
You don’t necessarily want to think about patients leaving your medical practice to seek care elsewhere, but they do. Every day. In fact, with the proliferation of online review sites (e.g., Healthgrades, Yelp, and RateMDs), patients can easily compare doctors, read reviews, and decide whether they want to stay or switch. In today’s competitive healthcare market, there are many reasons why patients choose to see a different doctor. The more willing you are to address increasing patient attrition rates, the more easily you can promote financial sustainability.
Here are four of the most common reasons why patients may leave your practice and what you need to know about how to increase patient retention.
1. Poor clinical experience. Do patients feel rushed through their medical appointments? Do physicians turn their backs on patients while they enter information into the electronic health record? Are physicians rude or insensitive when discussing issues like obesity and smoking? What about administrative staff? For example, are they respectful and pleasant when collecting copayments at the time of service? All it takes is one negative experience for patients to part ways.
2. Poor patient financial experience. Today’s healthcare consumers want the same conveniences they experience in other industries. When was the last time you actually wrote a check to pay a utility bill, for example? If your medical practice doesn’t offer online bill pay, you’re at a major disadvantage.
3. Lack of communication. When patients have questions, they want answers. When they need an appointment, they want to be able to schedule it as quickly as possible. Implementing technology that promotes ongoing, convenient communication is paramount. This includes electronic appointment reminders, the ability to self-schedule appointments online, real-time secure messaging, and more.
4. Long wait times. Wait times are an ongoing challenge in many medical practices nationwide, and healthcare staffing shortages have only exacerbated the problem. However, patients lead busy lives and don’t want to spend their time waiting for the doctor. Expediting the check-in process using paper-free kiosks can help. Note that wait times on the phone can be equally frustrating for patients. Leveraging patient portals can help as long as medical practices have proper channels in place to respond to messages in a timely manner.
How to increase patient retention
Although you can’t completely eliminate patient attrition, there are many ways you can reduce it. Consider the following patient retention ideas:
Focus on providing high-quality patient care. Consistent delivery of high-quality care attracts patients and improves retention.
Know what your competitors are doing. Then do it better. Does the medical practice up the street offer extended hours? Extend yours by an extra hour beyond that. Have they recently renovated their waiting area? Do the same but kick it up a notch with even more amenities. Do they offer a patient portal? Do the same—but make sure yours provides an even better user experience.
Create a patient engagement strategy. For example, send out relevant, well-time email campaigns with seasonal health-related information and patient education; reminders to schedule routine appointments, annual physicals, screenings, and vaccinations; or deliver educational resources to help patients manage chronic conditions. Also consider highlighting new services or providers. Remember: Patients don’t know about the new and exciting work you’re doing unless you tell them. Patient engagement also includes the financial aspect of healthcare. For example, there are ways to promote online bill pay and keep patients engaged in paying their bills.
Conduct patient satisfaction surveys. Sometimes the best patient retention ideas come from patients themselves. You can automate electronic patient satisfaction surveys or even use the ‘old fashioned’ paper method with an anonymous drop box at the check-in area.
Book the next appointment at check out. Don’t let patients slip through the cracks. Ensure providers jot down when patients need to come in again so front desk staff can quickly glance at the check-out paperwork and book the next appointment before the patient leaves. If you offer online scheduling, remind patients if they need to change/reschedule it, they can do it themselves online.
Looking ahead: How to prevent patient attrition
As healthcare disrupters continue to ‘up the ante’ in terms of providing a stellar healthcare consumer experience, you’ll need to do the same. Refusing to embrace new technology and novel workflows will inevitably increase patient attrition rates in your medical practice. The more willing you are to innovate, the better able you’ll be to enhance patient retention and satisfaction. Healthcare is a business. Give your customers a positive experience, and they’ll keep coming back for more. Learn how edgeMED can help and be sure to check the Healthy Snacks blog for more expert insights, best practices and industry trends.
