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Patient engagement is a game-changing asset for scaling your medical spa or clinic.
But, only doing your part as a healthcare provider is not enough for successful treatment journeys — you also need your patients to become actively involved in their care.
Think of it as a dialogue, rather than a one-way communication, refining the decision-making process and strengthening patient-provider relationships. The result? Improved treatment outcomes and higher patient satisfaction.
61% of patients already prefer quality engagement, but what of the other 39%?
Well, that’s where implementing smart patient engagement strategies can come in handy.
With the right client engagement tactic, like using gift vouchers for new bookings, you can scale marketing efforts, build a stronger online reputation, and streamline daily operations, from payments to reports.
Let’s explore why patient engagement in clinics is a crucial tool for growth and how the right strategies can make your life easier and keep your clients coming back.
Why patient engagement is important for clinics
Engagement is king — benefiting both your practice as well as clients.
On one hand, your patients can enjoy a better experience, with maximum convenience and top-notch care. On the other, your business enjoys higher retention and improved sales, and revenue.
Whether you want to boost appointment attendance, simplify admin for your staff, or acquire new patients — it all starts with getting them interested enough in their care.
Let’s discuss some of the main benefits of automated patient engagement in clinics.
Improved health outcomes
Engaging clients is not only a high-quality marketing strategy but also a great way to ensure successful patient journeys.
You can send automated appointment reminders to inform clients of their next visit, making sure they show up. Or, set automated recalls so patients come back for a follow-up, or automated precare/post-care guidelines to optimize patient experiences and results.
Meanwhile, sharing lab test results, manage patient forms, or discussing their before-and-after treatment photos — securely and quickly — also helps providers. They can develop the next steps for each client’s treatment journey, ensuring fewer risks.
Increased efficiency and reduced costs
Being able to book appointments online or attend virtual appointments rather than traveling saves your patients time and money. This convenience makes them more eager to take care of their health conditions, remotely, but securely.
It also reduces the risk of readmissions or emergencies — which can be quite costly! — and gives your staff more in-clinic time for new clients. By sharing various details, from treatment plans to invoice breakdowns and prescription refill alerts, you can provide uninterrupted personalized care online, while also growing your revenue and efficiency.
Data-driven insights
Things like apps and electronic health records (EHRs) give healthcare organizations essential insights into their patients’ health patterns. This data is crucial for crafting personalized treatment plans and refining patient care as necessary.
For example, you can use patient feedback and add an incentive to it — like, a free product for their input. It will keep them interested enough to engage, so they’ll submit that 5-star review you want.
Other types of data — like checking how many patients are buying your recommended products — can show you what and how much patients like to purchase. Based on this, you can tailor your sales and include more personalized offers to spark their interest.
Helps build long-term relationships
Engaged patients are more likely to remain loyal to your clinic. And because retention is cheaper than acquiring new clients, you have to build trust to boost their involvement.
When patients trust you, they’ll gladly share health information and concerns with your health providers. The more details they share, the more your doctors can optimize their journey and satisfaction.
Incentivizing patient engagement with rewards can also make them feel valued, prompting them to refer your services to others and share positive feedback online. Educational resources, on the other hand, like training courses, also drive engagement, empowering patients to self-manage their journey by learning more about it.
Meanwhile, you save lots of time on repetitive explanations about the next steps of treatment, knowing that your patients are satisfied and well taken care of.
6 strategies to boost patient engagement in clinics
There are various approaches to help you enhance patient engagement, ensuring loyalty, no-show control, revenue boost, and efficient, paperless client management.
Let’s dive into 6 leading strategies that can improve patient engagement in clinics.
1. Take advantage of patient portals
Client portals are secure online spaces where patients can manage various aspects of their healthcare, like scheduling appointments, checking test results, and paying bills.
Online portals empower patients to take charge of their treatment journey remotely, allowing them to update medical information, adjust bookings, and purchase products and services, all without needing staff assistance.
Portals give patients online access to everything: lab results, intake forms, pre-care/postcare, previous visits, and medical photos/forms. Available with a click, patients get a more active role in their care, ultimately keeping them satisfied with your service.
Streamline clinic operations by reducing no-shows, all the while ensuring secure and swift online patient experience, and successful journey management.
2. Personalize communication with your clients
To encourage client engagement, be it for booking or buying, it’s crucial to add a personal touch to your communication. Personalization not only builds trust in your medical brand but also ensures that your messages are informative and relevant.
Instead of using generic texts or emails, leverage data analytics to tailor your messages to individual patient needs and preferences. This helps clients understand what comes next and encourages them to stick to their treatment plans.
Also, segment patients based on demographics, like age, or by their activity or engagement levels. Then, send engaging messages via text/email specifically designed for each group.
For instance, you could offer a special booking deal to patients who haven’t visited in a while. Or, send automated recalls to clients who often miss their appointments.
If you are running multiple locations, share personalized messages about any local events you have organized, so clients in that area can attend.
3. Put the right technology in place
Modern technology offers you the ability to seamlessly engage with patients. Eliminate paperwork by effortlessly sending automated appointment reminders and gathering feedback via automated text messages or email —without worrying about making mistakes or needing to double-check.
Technological tools, like telehealth appointments, help you conduct virtual consultations, so you can continue to provide uncompromised care for your patients. Whereas automated marketing campaigns help target the right audience on social media, enhancing your sales and lead-generation efforts.
In an age where patients seek more involvement in their healthcare journey, technology helps you meet these expectations while forging deep client connections and eliminating paperwork for staff.
4. Focus on education and empowerment
Engaging patients effectively involves providing them with comprehensive patient education about their treatment, medical history, and expected outcomes. When patients have a clear understanding of their health status, they become more interested in learning about it and make more informed decisions about it.
It’s important to offer various educational materials tailored to different learning preferences. Some patients may prefer video courses or webinars, while others may benefit more from reading guides or attending local workshops.
As a modern healthcare clinic or medspa, empowering patients to actively participate in their healthcare journey can significantly improve their treatment outcomes. It also facilitates their health management for your care team — so it’s a win-win.
5. Create a positive clinic environment
Creating a welcoming clinic is pivotal for effectively engaging clients. Nowadays, clients expect exceptional healthcare services delivered within an inviting environment.
They seek clean and comfortable facilities with well-equipped treatment rooms, complimentary WiFi, and educational resources readily available. They also value being greeted by compassionate and attentive healthcare professionals who prioritize their needs and respect their time.
Investing in enhancing the client experience demonstrates your commitment to their well-being. It also fosters trust and encourage patient activation.
When bookings and communication is streamlined, your staff can devote more attention to creating a relaxed and desirable in-clinic patient experience. Because, at the end of the day, no one’s looking forward to a jam-packed clinic.
6. Gather feedback to make improvements
To truly gauge the engagement of your patients, it’s essential to ask for their feedback. By soliciting their thoughts through reviews or surveys — on your staff, services, and treatment results — you gain valuable data about their experiences which you can use to improve.
If a patient isn’t satisfied with your level of communication, use personalized appointment reminders or after-care notes to increase patient activation and reduce no-shows. Or, if a client doesn’t enjoy their treatment results, schedule a follow-up appointment to address their concerns and explore alternative treatments.
Don’t be shy about asking patients to review their consultations with your doctors, too. It can help you determine if the client is a good fit, and ensure that everyone is on the same page about the results that can be achieved.
How Pabau’s software helps your clinic engage patients
Old-school patient care management will cost you time, efficiency, and resources, and prevent you from providing a satisfying client experience.
Avoid mishaps and poor patient management with Pabau’s all-in-one clinic management software. Reach out to patients in time, address feedback on the spot, and monitor their journey at every stage — all from the same system. Here’s how.
🔔 Automated reminders/recalls
Engage with patients before, during, and after treatment by sending them automated SMS or email notifications. Reminders keep your schedule fuller, boost communication and revenue, and fill up appointment slots by engaging inactive clients. They also keep clients in the know of what’s next and help them adhere to their treatment plans.
💻 Telehealth sessions
93% of patients say that telemedicine would help them show up for appointments and manage prescriptions and refills better. Convenient access to healthcare, effective management, and better patient outcomes are pillars of patient engagement in clinics.
📊 A robust marketing suite
Engaging patients starts with quality marketing. With Pabau, you can design, schedule, and send marketing campaigns on the spot. Design and send social media, newsletter, and/or SMS and email campaigns, or create vouchers, discounts, and loyalty points for patients.
🔐 Patient data security
Patients can become easily worried about how well their health data is protected. So, a great way to engage patients here is through reassurance. Namely, you can manage permissions and access to sensitive patient data, including before-after photos and consent forms. Keeping all data securely in one place builds trust with patients and puts them at ease regarding your quality of security.
📝 Automated feedback, surveys, and reviews
Creating patient surveys and tracking reviews can level up your engagement efforts. Spending 10 minutes a week addressing public patient feedback will reduce negative review impact by up to 70%. Pabau also lets clinics collect reports of completed patient feedback — and automatically publish it on social media, review sites, or your website.
📇 Client portal and client card
Pabau’s portal lets patients conveniently track their appointments, lab test results, and other treatment details, entirely online. They can easily make payments, see treatment photos, files, and forms, purchase products or packages, track previous visits, and even choose their preferred marketing or contact channels. With quick online access to everything they need, from treatment plans to gift vouchers and appointment alerts, patients can successfully manage their journey online, without having to call or visit.
📝 Detailed treatment notes
Patients can easily find specific treatment notes their clinicians have created. Treatment notes can include before-after photos, treatment guidelines, diagnoses, specific medication details, treatment plans, precare or aftercare details, progress notes, and more. Notes can be sent via email/SMS, offering full disclosure of the patient’s journey and making patients feel cared for.
Scale patient engagement for your clinic with Pabau
Take your patient engagement efforts to a new level with Pabau’s tailored solutions.
Pabau offers an all-in-one software solution that transforms how you engage patients. Keep your clients actively engaged with automated reminders and recalls via email or text, while also preventing last-minute cancellations and schedule bottlenecks.
Pabau also offers automated review and feedback management, and a comprehensive loyalty and marketing toolkit, so you can easily improve your efforts and reward clients for their engagement.
Leverage our effective patient engagement strategies for success — book a free demo to learn more!
