Think back to that disappearing healthcare patient who’s been tickling the back of your brain. You know the one – we all have them. The patient who you thought was doing well…getting better…seemed happy…and then one day, just disappeared from your private healthcare practice. Perhaps they were a relatively new patient, or maybe they’d been part of your practice for years. Why did they leave? Did they move away? Were you so successful in your treatment they didn’t need you anymore? Maybe they got laid off and now can’t afford your services.
The BEST Healthcare Practice Building Advice I Can Give
Meet Dr. Kelley
The BEST Healthcare Practice Building Advice I Can Give. I’m going to break a cardinal rule of Internet content marketing today. (Sssshhhhh…please don’t turn me in to the Internet content police!) What rule is that, you ask? I’m going to share – in my very first blog – the single best piece of healthcare practice building advice I could give to a healthcare professional. I’m not going to make you pay for it. I’m not even going to make you wait for it. Are you ready? Here it is: The absolute best piece of marketing advice I can give to a healthcare professional looking to grow their practice is to connect with your community. Sound simple enough? Let me explain. 
Maintain or Regain Your Healthcare Practice?
Maintain or Regain?
Maintain or Regain Your Healthcare Practice?
I had an interesting conversation with my husband Michael, last week. We were talking about how for most people…if they change nothing about their nutrition, exercise, and emotional health habits…today is the healthiest they’ll ever be. For the majority of people who don’t eat well…don’t exercise…and let stress run their lives…they lose health incrementally each day. Thus making today their healthiest day…pretty sobering thought, isn’t it?
You’re Being Watched!
Before we go off on a conspiracy tangent, let me clarify! While we certainly could have an interesting and compelling discussion about surveillance technology, drones, and Internet monitoring, that’s not the point of this blog. Instead, I wanted to remind you that our actions speak much louder than our words, and people are watching. (If you’re a parent, you probably have a few stories from your child-rearing days where this was embarrassingly obvious.)
Continuing Care
One of the best areas to focus your marketing and patient education on is continuing care, especially if you are running or hoping to transition to a concierge practice.
Cheaper to Keep ‘Em
Just as it’s less expensive to keep good employees than to continually hire new ones, it’s also cheaper to keep existing patients coming back than to always be marketing to find new ones. Happy patients also do a lot of the marketing work for you. They refer their family and friends to you. That kind of marketing costs you nothing and is the best endorsement you can receive.
The Cost of Good Employees
Employees can make or break a practice. Even the best doctor can’t overcome a bad staff. If you want to keep your practice successful, you need to understand the cost of good employees.
The Front Line
We all know the cliché that your staff is the front line of your practice. They’re the first impression potential patients and patients get of your practice when they call or come into your office. And many of us emphasize this ad naseum to our employees.
Metrics to Measure By
In order to gauge the success of your practice, you need to track certain data. In a sea of numbers, you need to know what metrics to measure by.
Revenue Per Visit
It’s never easy to raise your fees but sometimes it’s necessary. You don’t want to do it arbitrarily, on January 1 for example, because it will seem to your patients, well, arbitrary!
Marketing Among the Madness
Summer is over and everyone’s lives are hectic again. When you’re marketing among the madness, make sure your message doesn’t get lost. 
Vacation is Over
Summers tend to be slow for a lot of practioners. We hope you used your slow summer season productively. But summer is over now and we need to make up for the downtime and ramp up business through smart marketing. However, during this time of year, when people head back to reality, your marketing has to compete with all the other things vying for the attention of potential patients.
Transitioning To A Concierge Practice
To transition or not to transition, that is the question. What are the factors involved in transitioning to a concierge practice?
Education
The biggest fear most doctors have when they consider transitioning to a concierge practice is the loss of patients. When many patients hear the words “concierge practice” they think they can’t afford it.
This is where education comes in. Educating your patients on what this transition means is the single biggest factor that will determine whether your transition succeeds or fails. That means you will have to go above and beyond to help your patients understand that yes, they can still see you and no, they won’t go broke doing so.
Financial Challenges Facing Physicians
There are unique financial challenges facing physicians. We earn more than the average person but we have some problems that our contemporaries do not.
Student Loan Debt
The average student loan debt for recent medical school graduates is nearly a staggering $200,000. The average salary for a primary care physician is $195,000 per year, the average for a specialist is $284,000, the average for an “alternative care provider” can be anywhere from $30,000 to $150,000. Add on another $8,000 in non-education related debt (most likely due to credit cards) and perhaps a mortgage. Being a resident or new in practice may not pay well, and there isn’t time for a second job, so a lot of life’s expenses get charged.