Banty Co-Founder and Medical Director, Dr. Richard Tytus, provided the subject matter and direction for this article. The author would like to thank Adam Grant for his editorial assistance in writing the article. Dr. Richard Tytus takes responsibility for the content of the article.
When you decided to add a telemedicine element to your clinic, it was with both an eye to the present, and the future. Immediately, you’ll be able to catch up with others in the medical profession who have discovered the benefits of treating patients virtually.
In the years to come, meanwhile, welcoming online medicine into your clinic will do wonders for how your practice is perceived, and how agile it can be in terms of patient care.
Yes, it does take time to adapt to whichever virtual medicine solution you opt to bring into your clinic. However, once it is fully established with both patients and clinic staff onboard, anticipate years upon years of practice-wide improvement.
More specifically, making online doctor’s appointments available to patients can set up your clinic for the future by:
Helping Refocus the Practice
A number of medical clinics will not embrace telemedicine because they’ve become overly comfortable in the way their practice has operated for years. Whether you view these clinics as risk-adverse or content in solely having in-person patient consultations, they are missing an opportunity to reinvigorate their practice.
When you institute a system that allows the clinic to have regular video calls with patients, you are – by default – taking a deeper than usual dive into how your practice functions. By changing one significant element like how you see patients, you may discover deficiencies that would’ve otherwise flown under the radar.
Once you feel encouraged to refocus other elements of your practice, you are ultimately setting it up for a very prosperous future.
Setting The Clinic Apart from Others
As mentioned, not all clinics will take the initiative to modernize themselves by offering telemedicine services. Immediately, your decision to zag when competitors mull over whether or not to zig, will prove fruitful.
Yes, competitor clinics will still have its base of patients that’ll continue to make appointments no matter what. But, when someone is new to town and trying to determine which medical practice they should become a patient of, many considerations will be weighed.
Decisions could largely be based on patient reviews found online, or proximity to home. Still, there will be a faction of people who will like the idea of being able to have a video conference with a doctor and ultimately choose a clinic that offers such an option.
Being An Attractive Option to New Patients
Beyond those new to town, patients can become dissatisfied with their current doctor’s office over time. Either they have lost confidence in their current doctor’s advice, or have grown tired of carving out an hour or two just to make an in-person appointment they’ve committed to.
Either way, unimpressed patients sometimes need a reason to jump ship and begin anew with a different medical clinic. Some of these people will discover they can book a doctor’s appointment online at your clinic, then have a quick live video chat online with a doctor.
If these elements are appealing to the person in question, expect to be sought out and receive an influx of new patients.
Promoting Increased Clinic Staff Engaged
Not that you should assume your clinical staff is disengaged because up until now you’ve only held in-person patient appointments, but adding video call options promotes a new way of thinking.
Firstly, your team will have to learn the ins and outs of the telemedicine solution you’ve chosen to use at the clinic. Secondly, staff will have to work with it on a daily basis, thus breaking the monotony of solely handling in-person visits.
Sure, it will take time for everyone at the practice to get the hang of your foray into telehealth, but the effort will be worth it over time.
Preparing Your Clinic for Forthcoming Technological Advancements
No matter the industry you are in, technology is constantly changing. The challenge with this is that if you are not up to speed with what’s going on, you will have a harder time catching up.
In the medical industry, telemedicine is always evolving and giving doctors new, feature-rich solutions for their clinics. From desktop options to video chat apps patients can use to connect with doctors through, interesting developments are happening as you read this.
If you wait too long to get aboard the patient-doctor video call train, you could be left at the station.
Tap here to learn more about why Banty Virtual Clinic is the perfect telemedicine solution for your clinic!
