What if my retainer patients Underutilize?

Author: Bert Polacek 

In the concierge environment, it is no longer enough to wait for patients to call.  Part of superior service is to reach out to patients for both medical and non-medical reasons.  Medical follow up is crucial to instilling trust with the patient that his or her care is being closely watched.  Outreach also establishes the patient as a valued member of a practice focused on personal attention.  When done on a regular basis, this is another point of differentiation from the traditional practice and reinforces the value of a concierge practice. 

The follow up could come as a result of a prescribed regimen or simply as a call to monitor ongoing conditions and progress.  Every opportunity to connect with the member should be taken advantage of.  This includes the obvious post-specialist visit, test results, etc. Outreach should also encourage the well patient to visit for wellness and preventive purposes.  A member who hasn’t taken advantage of your unique services may not readily see value in your practice when the time comes to renew.

There are also a number of ways to make contact with your whole patient population at once. This could be a well-timed seminar like one of GSC’s client’s conducted recently on selecting a Medicare Part D Plan or through a periodic newsletter which includes relevant health information as well as the comings and goings of the practice.

Lastly, with the aid of standard customer relationship management software, non-medical outreach should recognize personal milestones in the lives of patients.  Recognition of anniversaries, birthdays, special events, etc. continue to enhance the patient-physician relationship.  The Concierge dynamic is most successful when patient and physician interact and it is up to the physician to be proactive in this activity.