High rates of patient engagement have multiple benefits for your health care practice. Higher rates of engagement are linked to better health care outcomes, better medication adherence, better disease management, improved patient-provider communications, fewer no-show visits, and increased patient loyalty, among other things.
If your organization is seeking methods to boost patient engagement across your practice, NewGen Marketing is here to help. Keep reading to learn six tools you can use to improve patient involvement with your practice.
1. Patient Portal
Having a patient portal platform that patients can access from their laptop or smartphone is one of the best tools to improve engagement. A portal makes it easy for patients to take an active role in their care. They can review care plans, request prescription refills, schedule appointments, and contact their physician and care team from a single location. A user-friendly portal platform has the power to improve patient engagement, medication adherence, and patient-provider communications. Finally, make sure your portal comes with a smartphone app or is mobile-optimized. Mobile apps and browser-based searches are the preferred way for patients to get information these days.
2. Telehealth
Offering telehealth services allows your practice to expand health care to a wider patient base. Patients have more flexibility to make appointments without worrying about finding transportation or taking several hours off work — two factors that can lead to increased patient reluctance to schedule and keep in-person appointments. The convenience of having a doctor’s appointment from the comfort of home using only a mobile phone or laptop eliminates many of the barriers that prevent patients from proactively seeking care.
3. Appointment Reminders
Doctor’s appointments are frequently scheduled several weeks or months in advance. In between appointments, it’s easy for patients to forget they have a follow-up visit soon. Automated SMS appointment reminders via text or email are an effective way to communicate important information and lower your no-show rate. SMS text messages can also be used to engage your patients with helpful info about upcoming events (like a webinar or seminar) or seasonal concerns (like flu season).
4. Email Newsletters
Email newsletters are an effective engagement tool to provide ongoing education and maintain relationships with patients. Newsletters encourage your patients to engage with your content by reading or watching the blogs, videos, and other educational media you deliver to their inboxes. Regular email marketing is a great way to establish your credibility in the field and ensure that you stay top of mind for patients between appointments. Like with your patient portal, make sure your email newsletters are mobile-optimized for better performance!
5. Social Media
Approximately 4.48 billion people worldwide use social media (for the record, that’s just over half of the world’s total population). Facebook, YouTube, and WhatsApp are the three most popular platforms, with over two billion users each. Needless to say, your patients are on social media, so you should be too. Organic social media outreach is a great way to engage your brand followers by providing educational content and humanizing your organization and the people behind it. Additionally, social platforms are the perfect medium for delivering more engaging and interactive content like videos, pictures, and infographics.
6. Surveys
Let your patients tell you what you’re doing right and where you can improve. Polls and surveys provide your patients with an open, welcoming space to give feedback, offer suggestions for improvement, and speak positively about all the good you do. Asking for feedback is a great way to engage patients with your brand and gain valuable insight into your processes and customer service at the same time.
Learn More About NewGen Marketing
The NewGen Marketing team has years of experience driving sales and business growth for industry-leading health care brands. We recognize the value of integrating multi-channel marketing campaigns with a proven acquisition and nurturing process that turns leads into patient conversions and treatments.
We provide broad-spectrum medical marketing services, including strategy and investment, analytics, paid media, social media, remarketing, content marketing, and acquisition and call centers. When you’re ready to hire a marketing agency that can drive more to your bottom line, contact NewGen Marketing for a free consultation.