The medical field is a very in-demand, yet competitive industry. Working in one can also be a toxic career, because emergencies and ailing patients are a constant part of your everyday life. This makes it understandable if and when you’re unable to give as much attention to the business aspect of the industry, which includes effectively improving your revenue. Of course, saving lives and curing illnesses are taking much of your focus and time, and will require top priority.
Not to worry, as there are developments and solutions that have been developed to solve your management woes. Let’s have a look at five ways that can help you boost your medical business this year.
1. Evaluate your practice
Before you even start administering the cure, you have to know which parts of your business are in need of it. Whether it’s staffing, high patient turnovers due to wait times, patients not coming back because of missed appointments, or inefficient billing system — it’s advisable to audit your current process. If you find that something is clogging your process and slowing down your business, fix it immediately so you can move on to taking your business to the next level.
2. Update your technology
Technology doesn’t just play an important role in healthcare, it’s also crucial for the business management side of medicine. Updating your administrative computers and software will increase your productivity, lower human error and help your staff execute their tasks more efficiently.
3. Be visible to your patients online
Build your online presence. We all know that physicians are in high demand, but that doesn’t mean your potential patients know where to find you.
The Telegraph reported that Google receives more or less 70,000 queries related to health every minute. Meanwhile, Inc.com reported that three in five (of 1,700 U.S adults surveyed) said that they will choose one medical provider over the other based on how strong their online presence is.
More and more people are beginning to turn to search engines to look for their new physician, so even though you get patients from referrals or through your network, it’s important to also adapt to this change in the system.
Start with your website. Build a beautiful site that your patients can navigate smoothly and at the same time. Ensure that they easily find the information they need.
Next is to update your social media profiles. Social media allows you to interact with potential patients. Its ability as a platform to easily share photos and videos, as well as allow people to share and comment on them, make it a more intimate and engaging way to do business online.
Also, don’t forget to have your business listed on Google My Business. Google is the largest search engine in the world, and chances are, people who look for you will turn to Google for help. This is the exact reason Google My Business was created. It serves as an online directory for businesses and establishments, and makes it easier for people to find the services they want.
4. Optimize your website for Search Engines.
Building a beautiful website is useless if nobody can find it. That’s where search engine optimization (SEO) comes in.
It’s estimated that 93% of all web traffic comes from search engines, and not only that, but results listed on the first page get 71% off search traffic clicks. This means that you have to aim to place your website on the first page of Google to be noticed more.
Note that although SEO is a sure way to gain traffic and increase your online visibility, it doesn’t happen overnight.
5. Streamline your billing process
The medical field is unarguably one of the busiest industries, and it has the most complex billing process as well. You have to make it uncomplicated and easy for your staff to execute. Either hire a staff with the sole task of handling medical billing, or outsource your medical billing to an organization specializing in the field.
6. Outsource your management services
As a physician, it’s understandable that you would want to focus more on your patients. Another person’s life rests in your hands every day, and it’s your mission to provide quality medical care. On the other hand, there’s the business part of the job. Your patients might see you as a healing messiah, but juggling your on-call duties and overseeing your business can add to the stress.
One way you can have a streamlined administrative process is to delegate tasks you deem too taxing. There are companies that specialize in medical practice management services that you can work with towards optimizing your business.
Keep in mind that as time continues to change, and as technology improves, your approach to boosting your medical business should also adapt to change. Although no matter what these changes are, the most important thing will always be to take care of the patient to the best of your abilities.
