As soon as a medical clinic begins to offer virtual medicine services, the goal should be to get as many patients interested in participating as possible. Once this has been accomplished, the next logical step is to keep these individuals coming back for more virtual visits.
Finding ways to make this happen helps a clinic better sustain its suite of virtual medicine offerings, as well as expand them over time.
According to recent findings from Sykes, nearly 52% of Americans explained that telemedicine allowed them to see their physician more often.
This is a great percentage, but one that could be improved upon if physicians continue to motivate patients to consistently have virtual visits. Dr. Richard Tytus, Co-Founder and Medical Director of virtual medicine solution Banty Inc., believes this, and knows that in order to get patients to have more online doctor’s appointments, clinics have to:
Offer a great virtual medicine solution: Banty Medical is an easy and secure solution where patients can have virtual visits with their doctor. All clinics that sign up with Banty get to create a custom URL (i.e., Banty.com/MyClinic). This is the one and only link patients will need to access an appointment. What’s more, Banty is HIPAA/PHIPA compliant for online medicine, and keeps all interactions private thanks to the use of end-to-end encryption
Explain the convenience: As the statistic shared earlier indicates, patients like the convenience of virtual doctor’s appointments. However, not everyone will take that into account at first. Thus, a clinic should make every attempt it can to show patients how much easier it is to use a computer, smartphone, or tablet for an appointment, than it is to commute to one
Provide options: Let it be known that just because virtual medicine appointments are offered, in-person ones can still happen when necessary. If a patient knows they are not wholly obligated to virtual visits, they’ll likely be okay with attending them when recommended to do so. The reality is, not all appointments require an in-person element
Make assistance available: A clinic and its team will always have to explain how their telemedicine solution works. Having staff willing and able to provide such guidance to patients will help them understand and accept the technology much faster than if they’re left to fend for themselves
Keep in touch: When interacting with patients about their telemedicine experiences, find out how they are going for them. This will help patients resolve any troubles they may be having with it, and give the clinic an opportunity to further explain the positives of such technology
“As much as virtual medicine has proven itself to be a wonderfully helpful and progressive way of providing medical treatment, some patients will need encouragement to stick with it,” adds Dr. Tytus. “By approaching patients about this technology the right way, the more likely they’ll choose to continue using it.”
Thanks to Threat Technology for this coverage of Banty!
