It's a familiar story: you're running a busy practice and the phone rings. You answer it and the person on the other end says, "I'm sorry, but we're not taking any new patients." You hang up and feel relieved; after all, you don't have time for new patients right now. This may be true, but are you really doing yourself a favor by turning away potential patients? In this blog post, we'll discuss why practices should never turn away patients and how to better manage your schedule so that you can still take on new patients!
The first reason why practices should never turn away patients is that you never know when someone might need your help. Sure, you may be busy right now, but what if the person on the other end of the phone is dealing with a medical emergency? By saying that you're not taking any new patients, you could be turning away someone who desperately needs your help.
Another reason why practices should never turn away patients is that it's bad for business. If word gets out that your practice is turning away potential patients, it could damage your reputation and deter other people from seeking out your services. In a competitive market, it's important to do everything you can to attract new patients! Your availability and willingness to provide care are what help drive your positive reputation in the community.
So how can you manage your schedule so that you can still take on new patients? One way is to offer extended hours or weekend appointments. This way, people who work during the week can still come to see you for their medical needs. Another way is to offer a variety of services so that people can choose what works best for them. For example, some practices offer both in-person and virtual appointments so that people can get the care they need without having to take time off from work or school.
By offering extended hours and a variety of services, you can make sure that your practice is never too busy to help someone in need. So next time the phone rings, don't be so quick to turn away a potential new patient!
For more reputation management and healthcare marketing tips visit www.marinmediamarketing.com, we're helping practices and physicians become the best they can be to increase patient volume and manage patient retention!