“While hospitality in healthcare is a process, the goal is not to make the patient feel processed.”

By Editor, Concierge Medicine Today

In summary, most patients don’t wish to navigate a maze of gatekeepers before finding the safety of the exam room. What systems have you implemented that might be contributing to the unremarkable, challenging, and frustrating patient experience you’re striving to improve?

Here’s your task: How can you transform potential disappointments along the journey into moments of surprise and delight for the patient? How can you and your staff find ways to work around restrictive policies in a legal, moral, and ethical manner that positions you as allies rather than obstacles?

If our goal is to cultivate a practice filled with “lifelong patients,” we must recognize that each patient is on an incredible journey. It’s not fair that these paths converge at your practice. It’s not fair that every patient journey is entirely unique and that some are more challenging than others. Patients are traversing different scenes right now, and within those stories (or scene transitions), there are moments of decision, tensions to manage and problems to solve. All I’m saying is they (we or I) are hoping for a friendly face on the other side of the exam room or counter. A refuge if you will. More often than not, patients do not find one in medical offices today, but I believe in you, and I know you are different! This presents you (and your team!) with an opportunity, especially if you’re in concierge medicine!

Patients don’t expect perfection, we do expect progress however, so focus on building relationships over transactions, and understand that you and your team play a crucial role in shaping whether a patient’s story is remarkable or unremarkable.

Remember, the more personable you and your team become, the more meaningful your roles will be in their story!

I want you to reap the rewards of what I like to call “Remarkable Wins” and have lifelong patients and desire to hear them brag about you, (and your team!) must give patients a reason to return. Now more than ever, you and your team need to provide your patients with something remarkable that they will share with others if you want new patients to walk through the door! I hope this book will give you one or two ideas to simply get started … then, you can take the wheel!

Also important to mention, CMT asked when do most new patients join a concierge practice? Our online and informal poll revealed that January is the standout month with 41.30%; followed by December at 13.04% (perhaps holiday cheer?); February at 10.87% (love is definitely in the air!); and November at 6.52% (the underdog?).

“Gain some customer service experience– try a service industry job as these skills are not taught in med school. Moving into Concierge Medicine is not solely about providing excellent medical care without the restraints of insurance industry mandates. You have to also appreciate the lost art of customer service so long ago forgotten when visiting a healthcare institution. Many times my clients (notice I do not use the word “Patients”) have noted why they refer their friends to my practice. It is the attention to detail, always delivering exactly what is promised and then some, and keeping their unique needs positioned first with a flexibility to offer new programs or meet needs as quickly as they are identified. This is the cornerstone of customer service.” ~DR. B., CONCIERGE MEDICINE PHYSICIAN, ARIZONA AND ENTREPRENEUR

As you can see, understanding patient preferences and using smart marketing strategies targeted at their needs and wants can significantly enhance the appeal and growth of concierge practices. Many medical practices struggle to guide patients through their services because they don’t truly understand their patients’ needs and wants. They think they do but all too often the assignment of marketing and growth in a medical office is delegated to the practice administrator and we all know how busy they are managing the practice. Don’t make the mistake of using a “basket approach,” lumping patients into categories based on your assumptions.