When you improve patient compliance, you also improve patient outcomes and overall satisfaction with your podiatry practice. That makes it an important focus for practice managers, even if it’s tough to achieve.
At Foster Web Marketing, we work with podiatry practices to implement targeted marketing strategies and software automation solutions that enhance patient engagement and adherence to treatment plans. And, today, we’re here to share four key steps you can take to increase podiatry patient compliance and keep growing a profitable practice.
1. Educate and Engage Patients With Content Marketing
You can—and probably already do—reach out to patients individually to remind them how important it is to keep up with their treatment plans. However, you can enhance that compliance when you also use your website, blog, and social media platforms to share educational and engaging content.
Whether it’s quick tips, video FAQs, or compelling before-and-after stories, these kinds of messages help constantly reinforce your guidance and encourage patients to take their foot health seriously.
It’s also a strategy that’s easier than ever to achieve. Marketing automation software makes it simple to schedule and distribute content across various channels, and you can quickly repurpose existing content to be used across multiple platforms.
2. Make It Easy to Communicate With Your Practice
If your patients struggle to ask questions, get answers, or otherwise reach out to your practice, they’ll also struggle to keep up with their treatment plans and follow-up appointments. That’s why digital solutions—like live website chat, accessible contact forms, appointment reminder software, automated emails, and more—are so critical for modern podiatry practices.
These kinds of touches are quick to implement, and they can dramatically reduce no-shows while encouraging patients to stay on track with their treatment plans.
3. Personalize Patient Messages and Build Trust
A big part of increasing patient compliance is increasing trust in your practice and practitioners, and one of the best ways to do that is to tailor your email outreach to your patients’ interests and needs.
With personalized communication and more targeted outreach campaigns, you are constantly showing patients that you care and can help them work toward solutions. And patients that feel recognized and cared for are patients that trust you enough to show up for appointments and adhere to treatment plans.
4. Monitor Patient Reviews and Ask for Feedback
Patients won’t necessarily tell you directly that they’re confused, frustrated, or unhappy with your service. Instead, they’ll post negative reviews online and privately express their dissatisfaction to family members and friends. That’s why you have to go the extra mile and ask patients for feedback long before they give up on you.
You can use CRM software and automated email campaigns that reach out to patients after an appointment and ask for a quick rating or a brief comment on how it went. This gives you the opportunity to address issues before they become huge problems. It also gives you an opportunity to identify happy patients and ask them to post a review.
Don’t forget to regularly monitor your reviews, too. Even if an unhappy patient posts a negative review, how you respond to them and work toward a resolution can end up reflecting positively on you.
Build a Perfect Practice System That Constantly Improves Patient Compliance
Effective communication, education, and personalized care all contribute to happier, healthier patients. With smart marketing strategies and automated software solutions, you can streamline your efforts and create a supportive environment that encourages patients to more actively participate in improving their foot health.
Need a hand implementing a system that improves patient compliance and constantly moves you toward your practice goals? You can speak with our experts to get started with a complimentary analysis of your current marketing systems, as well as recommendations for easy changes that will make it happen for you.
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