Patients who are satisfied with their experience are more likely to eagerly endorse you and your practice in the community, leading to an increase in referrals and greater patient loyalty. If you want to grow your practice, implementing these four strategies over the next 12 months will help:

1. Become a Top-Rated Doctor on Google

Building your brand within your local community establishes trust and drives patient loyalty. A negative or nonexistent online reputation can deter individuals from seeking care at your practice since potential patients often rely on online reviews to assess a practice's credibility.

To build trust and attract new patients, you should showcase successful outcomes and the overall patient experience on your doctors individual Google Business Profile. Every doctor should have their own Google Business Profile. After each patient encounter, you can verbally ask happy patients to leave a positive online Google review. You can provide the patient with either a business card, QR code, or automate the review process with a software program. It is critical to have a positive online reputation matching the patient satisfaction you deliver.

2. Retain Existing Patients

Most studies show that acquiring a new patient costs five to 25 times more than retaining an existing patient, making patient retention the No. 1 metric a practice needs to track to optimize patient volume. To improve your practice's patient retention rate, start by identifying your top five opportunities for improvement through ongoing patient satisfaction surveys. Addressing long wait times is the top opportunity for most ophthalmic practices to improve patient experience. This is best addressed by setting expectations up front during scheduling and check-in. Once these new procedures are trialed and in place, you can then focus on each area of concern cited in your patient satisfaction survey.

How quickly you follow up with your upset patients will also play a part in determining if they revisit your practice in the future. Make sure your staff uses email templates when responding to upset patients. This promotes quality, consistent communication, and helps repair a damaged relationship. Retaining your existing patients vs. replacing them with new patients is the most effective way to optimize patient volume.

3. Implement Referral Program

Utilizing an automated referral program to accelerate growth is a significant money saver for your practice. Since referrals are a cost-effective way of acquiring new patients, automated recommendations from your most satisfied patients can significantly reduce marketing expenses because the trust established through personal connections leads to higher conversion rates.

When friends or family refer patients, they often feel a stronger connection to the practice, leading to increased loyalty and decreased likelihood of seeking care elsewhere. That’s why patients who come through referrals are often likely to stay with the practice longer and are more likely to remain loyal to your practice. Having a referral program run seamlessly in the background will gain new patients and strengthen your existing patient relationships, ultimately optimizing patient volume.

4. Gain Insights on the Patient Experience you Deliver

Understanding the patient experience you deliver is crucial for improving patient satisfaction and attracting new patients. Using tailored insights through patient feedback, you can identify areas of improvement and implement changes needed to meet patient expectations. By actively seeking feedback and responding to patient concerns, you can demonstrate your commitment to the patient experience and improve overall patient satisfaction at your practice.