Your organisation needs a clear, strategic online presence to engage and retain patients in today’s tech-savvy world.
If you don’t have a great website enabled with teleconferencing, chat and online booking software, your clinic, spa or business will fold to those adopting health technology. Thankfully, there are a number of tools you can use to build your clinic’s online presence to save you time and money, and help bring your business into the age of digital health.
Teleconference appointments are growing in popularity
Teleconference appointments, also known as Telehealth, are already being adopted by doctors, physiotherapists, dieticians and health coaches around the world thanks to new technology. In a survey of a number of developed countries, including Australia, just 12% of patients in 2016 were using remote appointments instead of in-clinic appointments. In 2018, that figure rose to 16%, and of those who accessed virtual care, 75% were satisfied with the experience.
The popularity of Telehealth can be put down to patient experience: It’s easy to access, saves them time and money, and when incorporated with wearable data from a Fitbit or Apple Health, can be just as effective as a face-to-face appointment. Plus, patients get care when and where they want it. In the study above, nearly half of those patients who had received remote care said they would prefer a more immediate, virtual appointment over a delayed, in-person appointment.
In other words, patients want quality care but they want it straight away. By integrating telehealth into your business, you’re giving patients what they want, while optimising your clinicians’ time and resources. All you need is the right software.
Teleconferencing increases caseloads and has no overheads
To incorporate Telehealth into your clinic, don’t waste time integrating traditional video calling software, liable to stall or cut out with data load changes. Instead, adopt new digital health platforms that incorporate video conferencing with online booking tools and digital health records to make the process clean and simple for your team. When your clinicians use a streamlined eHealth product, like HotHealth, they are able to optimise their time. This makes them more likely to favour Telehealth appointments which use less of your clinic’s resources than face-to-face appointments, thereby saving you money.
Online appointment management helps prevent ‘no shows’ by empowering patients
Every clinic struggles with the cost and frustration of ‘no-show’ appointments. Even if you charge the patient a percentage of the treatment cost after a ‘no show,’ your business still loses out and your clinicians are left with a hole in their diaries.
Online booking tools allow patients to amend their appointment times from their own devices. By giving the patient the freedom to change their booking independently, they are more likely to amend it when a commitment comes up. Plus, they will receive reminders straight to their phone. This process prevents your clinician from losing out on an appointment, while also minimising the likelihood of patients forgetting or choosing not to attend an appointment due to schedule clashing.
When deciding to integrate online appointment tools into your clinic’s booking system, ensure you choose a product built fit-for-purpose. Online booking add-ons can be clumsy and have difficulty syncing immediately with your in-clinic appointment diary, which causes confusion. Instead, choose a purpose-built platform that offers online bookings, telehealth, and other online health tools for ease of use.
eHealth platforms make your marketing easier and more streamlined
An online presence helps clients learn about your in-clinic events, your clinic’s ethos and read about pertinent healthcare information on your blog. This virtual interaction with your business helps build trust and loyalty with your business, leading to a long-term relationship with clients.
Use your blog as a funnel for news related to your business. If you have an event coming up, feature it on your blog and website, but make your life easier by using integrated eHealth software.
eHealth software helps you market to specific client groups
Great eHealth software, like HotHealth, allows you to create client groups such as a Diabetes Group, an Arthritis Group or a Wellness Group. When your clinic hosts an event relevant to these groups you can add the entire group to the event, making your marketing simple and clear. You can also create posts relevant to these groups on your website and contacts within each group will have visibility of the posts, and receive notifications of updates via email. Plus, those who use the HotHealth app linked to your clinic will receive push notifications direct to their phone or tablet. This combination of an event notice, email tools and app notifications, ensures your event is marketed entirely through one piece of software.
Great websites attract new patients and drive patient retention
Don’t forget, in today’s world, even very medical-centred clinics need a great website. Instead of spending hours trying to create one on a confusing web hosting service, use a platform centred around healthcare. These easy-to-use ehealth platforms make it easy for you to update your website independently without a tech-guru at your side.
In the past few years, health technology has completely transformed the way patients engage with healthcare providers and businesses. Thankfully, your business can stay at the forefront of this development with easy-to-use platforms. These impressive health technology platforms incorporate a multitude of digital health tools to help your business engage and retain patients while enhancing the smooth running of your business.
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