How to use technology to measure and maximize retention

As a healthcare provider, your main goal is to provide patients with access to medical services that can benefit them. It’s not uncommon for new practices and clinics to put much more emphasis on acquiring new patients than engaging (and keeping) existing ones. 

Focusing on existing patients can help your practice maximize patient retention and ensure that those patients that have visited in the past will continue to depend on you. The right strategies will help keep your patients happy and re-engage dormant patients.

In the digital age, practitioners can leverage technology to boost patient engagement and retention rates by paying close attention to their entire patient journey. Not only does this drive the returns of each patient, but it also drives word-of-mouth marketing for your business and brings in new customers.

So…how can you use technology to measure and maximize patient retention?

Automate reminders and scheduling

It should go without saying (but bears repeating) that customers will appreciate a business that makes things easy. When a patient is seeking medical services, it’s crucial for you, as their healthcare provider, to make their experience as seamless and smooth as possible.

Setting up automated appointment reminders and clinic updates is one way to help enable your patients to have less stress and concern about upcoming visits and help ensure they don’t miss important appointments.

Having an automated messaging service can do wonders for your practice in keeping your patients engaged and close to you. In today’s hectic world, wouldn’t it be nice to get friendly appointment reminders so we don’t accidentally miss one?

It can also be helpful to have a record of all activity and communication so you can see which patients regularly miss appointments and require more follow-ups.

Keep them in the loop online

As telehealth becomes more and more popular, your practice can find new opportunities to connect with hard-to-reach customers with online appointments. You can effectively diagnose and provide care to your patients without them having to come into the office. However, it is important to do it right from start to end.

The level of convenience you offer to your patients is a significant factor in how often they’ll come back and what they’ll tell their friends about your practice. Intake forms, telemedicine, follow-ups and teledocuments are all part of making a patient’s online health experience as convenient as possible.

Having all documents and online forms in a safe and secure location, such as on a cloud platform, is also a great way to get rid of messy paperwork, reduce physical storage space, and securely maintain data.

Open a channel for communication

Patient communication, before and after visits, makes it possible to deliver quality experiences and sustain in the long term. Health can be a touchy subject, so it is crucial for your practice and your patients to communicate via secure channels.

Establishing this connection is an important step in retaining your customers. An open line of communication between you and your patients allows a level of personalization that shows them that you care and they’re not just another number on a sheet. This is especially important for dormant patients. Opening a line of communication and showing that you care can be the difference in reengaging someone who’s gone dormant or losing them.

Additionally, you’re effectively opening yourself up to feedback, which can help you find areas of improvement and new opportunities to expand your practice.

Here at intakeQ, we help healthcare professionals and their practice leverage the power of technology to bring their business to the next level. In today’s digital world, patients don’t just prefer a provider with robust technological solutions — they expect it. Practices using technology can boost patient satisfaction while saving the staff’s time.

With our digital intake forms and practice management solutions, show your patients you care by offering them convenience and personalization anywhere and anytime. Don’t believe us? Try it for yourself! Start with an intakeQ online forms and our integrated practiceQ patient-management system free trial today.