Patient appreciation should be proactive, not
reactive. A small, unannounced surprise gift can spur actions from patients that
would otherwise have been withheld. If you were asked to fill out a survey which
included an incentive even before you took the survey (a discount coupon or
voucher for a product or service), the survey completion rate will increase.
Compare this with an after-the-fact reward which is less likely to work.
Sending patients an unannounced gift can be more effective than giving them an
incentive to take an action (refer their friends). In his book "Influence -
Science and Practice", Robert Cialdini cites a 1992 study that showed that
mailing a $5 gift check along with an insurance survey was twice as effective as
offering a $50 incentive for sending back a completed survey.
After accepting a gift, a consumer is more likely to take an action (that they
would NOT have otherwise taken) such as telling their physician about how happy
they are with your services or recommending friends and family to you. The give
and take social interaction is an ingrained feature since childhood.
Proactive patient appreciation can elicit a feeling of reciprocity that makes
patients and referral sources more likely to work with you. Appreciating and
nurturing existing patients to refer family and friends is as important as
getting new patients.
Once you have patients, you want to provider them with the highest quality of
care possible, using evidence based practices and advanced assessment and
treatment techniques. In addition, you want to systematically nurture each
patient to become a raving fan and a referral source for your practice.
The following strategies will help you retain more patients and increase
referrals from existing patients.
a) Talking to patients when they visit your clinic, addressing them by their
first name and being friendly. The sweetest sound for a person is the sound of
their own name. A phone call from the therapist to the patient at the end of the
day, after the initial evaluation has a far greater impact than a congratulatory
note to the patient at the end of their treatment. It increase patient
compliance and helps you to set your practice apart.
b) Calling present and past patients once a month and staying in touch, thanking
them for being a patient and reminding them that you are always available to
serve them.
c) Send patients unannounced gifts in the mail to maintain contact and encourage
reciprocity. Preferably, these gifts should be books, audio CDs and DVDs that
are original and created by your practice, so they position you as an expert.
You can also offer them educational reports, links to websites filled with
information that is practical and easy to implement.
d) Organizing an annual ‘patient appreciation day’ where you invite present and
past patients to attend. Have a stage or a podium, deliver a heartfelt, sincere
speech and thank patients for their trust in you and support of your business.
Remind them that your number one goal is quality patient care, since you adhere
to the highest standards of clinical excellence. Reiterate that the best way for
them to thank you is to refer their friends and family, and thank their
physicians for the referral. Invite success stories to come up on stage and
share their experiences so everyone attending can listen to the social proof and
testimonials. Reward patients for their achievements and promote your practice
at the same time.
e) Give patients an exercise and accountability journal and make it mandatory
for them to fill it out, so you can monitor and track their progress when they
are away from your clinic. Include gift coupons and complimentary consultation
offers in these books, and position them as “8 coupons worth $1000 inside – feel
free to pass them along to your family and friends”. You don't have to do an
evaluation, but a brief discussion with the prospective patient about the
benefits of physical therapy and what you have to offer can be termed a
complimentary consultation.
These low cost and no cost strategies will work well to proactively persuade
your patients to refer. Once he is able to master his own craft and clinical
skills, a successful private practice owner must explore systems to proactively
communicate with patients and referral sources.
To learn more about private practice and marketing you can
visit Nitins' websites at
addnewpatients.com
where you can download his free 4 step formula on how to
attract new patients, increase referrals and grow your
referral network with a simple 4 step plan and
physicaltherapywebsite.com where you can download a
free book on physical therapy marketing.
Last revised: March 15, 2011
by Nitin Chhoda, PT, DPT
