Patient Education & Engagement in Support of Your Medical Practice

Vivacare’s digital tools are described in a recent article published in ‘Executive Decisions’, a monthly publication of the Association of Dermatology Managers and Administrators (ADAM).

“Patient Education & Engagement Service in Support of Your Medical Practice” by Dr. Mark Becker describes the availability of easy-to-use tools that can support key pradtice management objectives, including:
• Increased patient satisfaction
• Greater visibility online
• Improved clinical outcomes

1) Patient Education

Patients seek health information from the source they trust most…their own physicians. However, many providers fail to provide meaningful resources that help patients understand their condition and treatment options.

This is a missed opportunity for the practice to show its support for patients as they navigate their medical care.

Practice workflow and patient satisfaction can be greatly improved by educating patients BEFORE their appointment so that their time with the doctor is more productive and meaningful. For instance, a patient consultation for Mohs surgery is more efficient if the patient understands the basics of Mohs surgery before meeting with the surgeon.

It’s also imperative to offer patients resources that help them manage their care AFTER they leave the office. Providing patients with videos on self-care measures (i.e. skin self-exams) and medication rebates can improve patient care and strengthen loyalty.

Your practice website is an ideal channel for distributing patient education content and support tools.

2) Online Physician Directories

Patients query Google for a doctor’s name or practice name, on average, 20 to 100 times per month. Hopefully, their search lead them to your own website where you can control how your doctors are presented.

However, many online Directories have been able to insert their own pages into the search results that depict your doctors in less favorable ways.

Some Directories, such as Healthgrades and Yelp, offer increased online visibility for your providers, but the profile pages are cluttered with advertisements, highlight other physicians in the community, and, worst of all, give voice to disgruntled patient reviews that you cannot control. Ideally, you want your doctors to appear online in a professional manner where they can share their expertise and unique approach to care.

3) Patient Satisfaction Surveys

Patient satisfaction surveys are becoming increasingly important for building a satisfying experience for patients. It can help you discover hidden gems or problems and determine which issues your patients think are most important to address.

But getting patients to provide feedback can be difficult. Key steps for success include:
• Keep the survey brief
• Add the survey to your website for convenient online access
• Ask patients to take the survey immediately following the appointment

Don’t forget to publish positive comments on your website and doctor Profiles to share your accolades with the community.