| Patient Loyalty | | | | generated using specific combinations of |
| Patient loyalty is key to continued practice | | | | procedures (CPT) and diagnoses (ICD) codes. |
| success in terms of both recurring and new | | | | - Patients with chronic conditions or permanent |
| revenue. As patients keep returning to your | | | | injuries need literature about recent progress in |
| practice, it maintains revenue stability and as | | | | treating their conditions |
| patients refer their friends and family, your | | | | - Patients that have had a long series of |
| practice billing collections grow. In terms of | | | | appointments need progress reports |
| profitability, new patient acquisition is by an order | | | | - Patients that receive good progress reports |
| of magnitude more expensive than loyalty | | | | need to be solicited for referrals |
| maintenance for an existing patient. | | | | - Patients with bad progress reports need special |
| Time delay is a major problem of eroding patient | | | | literature and special appointments |
| loyalty. By the time you discover that you have a | | | | - Patients waiting in reception area need access to |
| patient loyalty problem, it is typically too late to | | | | custom information about their specific condition. |
| do anything about the patients who already left. | | | | To generate such lists of patients, your systems |
| Patients typical desert without saying "good bye," | | | | must combine scheduling, medical notes, and billing |
| and your only way to discover patient attrition is | | | | data in a single database. |
| by observing lower collections and more free time | | | | Patient Communications Venue |
| on your appointment scheduler. | | | | While traditional phone and conventional mail |
| Frequent patient communication is the only | | | | systems are still in use, Internet is the most |
| effective way to reduce such time delay and | | | | obvious choice for communicating with patients. A |
| increase the likelihood of timely loyalty problem | | | | custom, HIPAA-compliant patient portal is the |
| identification and resolution. Such patient | | | | least expensive way to allow your patients |
| communications can revolve around any of the | | | | interact with their doctor outside the clinic at their |
| practice management components, starting with | | | | convenience and privacy. Patients can |
| patient scheduling, to SOAP notes, to special | | | | - Review reminders and schedule appointments. |
| health care literature, to medical billing, insurance | | | | - Review visit results. |
| payments, copays, and deductibles. | | | | - Ask you clarifying questions. |
| Patient Identification for Targeted Communications | | | | - Request prescriptions. |
| It's convenient to view targeted communications | | | | - Read special literature and progress reports you |
| from the patient visit perspective: | | | | sent them. |
| - Patients due for scheduled appointment or owe | | | | - Send you referrals. |
| you payments need a reminder. | | | | - Review medical bills and pay invoices |
| - Patients that recently had an appointment need | | | | - Track their medical costs |
| results, interpretation, prescriptions, and follow up. | | | | Active patient loyalty management based on |
| - Patients with prescriptions that are about to | | | | selective patient identification for targeted |
| expire may need to schedule a visit | | | | communications at the patient's convenience is |
| - Patients that have not had an appointment for | | | | one of the most effective way to improve |
| long time need a reminder to schedule a checkup. | | | | practice profitability. |
| A screening procedure schedule should be | | | | |