After deciding to bring a telemedicine component to your clinic, one of the first big steps you need to take is to introduce what’s newly being offered to current patients.
Once all doctors, nurses, and administrative team members have been thoroughly trained on the practice’s new virtual medicine solution, it’s time to get everyone thinking about promoting virtual visits with patients.
You want to get the word out, but you also don’t want to overload and intimidate patients with buckets of information. However, you still need to provide patients with sufficient details to encourage them to try your telehealth services and participate in video calls with the doctor. You also need to avoid both over-selling and under-selling what’s being offered.
This is both an easy, yet exceptionally challenging endeavour to embark upon. In order for your virtual medicine endeavour to start strong, you need a smart, coordinated approach by everyone on the clinical staff.
Here are some ways to get started:
Create and Hang Posters within the Clinic
This is arguably the most passive, yet direct way to make patients aware that you are offering telemedicine services. To start, you can either hang a couple big posters within the waiting room and/or sprinkle in laminated postcard-sized notifications on tables throughout the clinic.
In terms of messaging, keep it as straightforward as possible and outline only the most vital features and benefits that should interest patients.
Close out all pieces of printed marketing materials with a note that encourages patients to ask questions about doctor-patient video conferences.
Have the Front Desk Team Speak About Telemedicine
Those at the front desk of a medical clinic have very frequent contact with patients. As such, they, too, have established quality relationships with them along the way. Life stories have been shared between the parties, and a trust has been formed thanks to years of constant communication regarding important matters.
As such, your front desk team can be asked to casually bring up the practice’s leap into telemedicine. They can relay to patients how easy it is to book a doctor’s appointment online, then subsequently attend an online doctor’s appointment.
Since these staff members will also be fully versed in the video call technology the clinic has adopted, they should be able to explain features and processes to curious patients.
Doctors Can Broach the Subject During In-Person Appointments
Yes, doctors are tremendously busy during the day and sometimes there isn’t time to dive deep into the nuances of telemedicine with patients.
However, patients generally hold their doctor in very high-standing and take their opinions quite seriously. If the doctor simply brings up the subject of how a patient can have a live video chat online with them instead of travelling all the way in for an appointment, this could foster faster onboarding.
Emails Still Work
Not everyone is as hooked to their personal email accounts as they used to be. That said, many patients have agreed to receive email correspondence from their doctor’s office.
If this is the case at your clinic, sending the occasional telemedicine-focused email could be helpful. Additionally, mentions of your new services could also be tidily attached to emails confirming future in-person appointments.
Utilize Your Clinic’s Social Media Accounts
While having a website for your practice is still useful, a lot of people now turn to a clinic’s social media accounts to learn more about what they offer.
This is a perfect avenue to promote video calls with doctors. Regardless of the social media platforms your clinic prefers using, this is the venue in which you can be both serious and playful when pitching virtual visits for patients.
Banty Virtual Clinic would be an awesome telemedicine solution for your clinic to use and promote to patients. Tap here to learn more about its offerings.
