Daily we talk with physician offices across the country and we often find that only the most advanced practices are fully utilizing the power of their patients and prospective patients email address. Obtaining the email address of your patients and 1st time appointment requests has the following advantages:
- Obtain a 21% improvement in the conversation rate of 1st time appointment to completed procedure.
- Improve your show rates for appointments by 20%.
- Improve return patient rate by 17%
- Improve your referral rates from patient to prospective patient by 19%
It seems kind of amazing that an email address is so powerful to your physician marketing and medical practice marketing needs. Yet – this is the case. The email address is a mighty powerful thing.
So let’s start at the most important and fundamental step in the process of using email to grow your medical practice — obtaining your patients and prospective patients email address:
- Upon check in simply ask your patient “What is your email address?” Then simply enter it into your EMR system. Then every time a patient visits simply make asking for an update-to-date email address as standard of a practice for patient check-in as asking if insurance, phone number and address are up to date. Any EMR system should be able to do this for you.
- When a patient calls to setup an appointment always ask for their email address and place it in your EMR system.
- Have a form on your website where patients/potential patients can schedule an appointment, be sure to capture name, phone, email and a message for the doctor. Make sure name and phone are mandatory and make email and message for the doctor optional.
- Setup a form on your website where patients can subscribe to receive medical news from you. In this case simply ask for their first name and email address in a prominent location on your website.
By following the 4 simple steps above you will have the foundation you need to build your medical practice and receive the 20% lifts that email can provide to you.
If you need help setting this up there are experts who can help you such as local marketing firm, ChoiceLocal.
