Increasing your dental patient base: The list you haven’t seen yet

You’ve read it all. Generic and repackaged advice such as, “Strengthen your social media strategy,” or “How’s your SEO?” is so prevalent that sometimes it squashes creativity and progression in the dental industry. Being experimental while strictly managing marketing dollars made me realize that we have yet to scratch the surface in terms of really understanding how to increase our patient base.

The industry standard is 20 to 30 new patients per month for every provider. But in a culture where dentistry is increasingly viewed as last in line among other health concerns, experiencing an overload of new patients can sometimes be uncommon. Deconstructing and addressing this culture is another story, however.

There are, in fact, new ideas that your practice can immediately begin instituting for monthly results. And I promise there’s nothing about social media on this list.

1) ZocDoc—Are you on ZocDoc yet? If you’re contracted as an in-network provider, you need to make sure your practice exists on the grid beyond the individual insurance’s website. Generation Y and Millennials rely on online resources that require minimum input with maximum output. They will log onto ZocDoc.com, answer three questions (What kind of doctor? What insurance carrier? What’s your zip code?), and then sift through a full list of doctors. The live-time schedule viewing system allows potential patients to see your availability and book an appointment with just a few clicks. ZocDoc’s software integration program saves your employee’s time, but most importantly, ZocDoc quantifies all activity to help monitor your account’s ROI.

I’ve found that the demographic on ZocDoc is perfect for your active, recall patient base. Insurance patients usually want to take advantage of their prophylaxis frequency.

2) Be more inclusive in your promotions—I’ve studied numerous practice promotions, from Zoom flash-sales on Gilt City to paper cut-outs, and offering a limited time 50% off deal may not always be the best option. Instead, a “2-for-1” promotion invites your patients to bring along a friend to your practice. These two promotions are equal in value, yet being more inclusive in promotions can help encourage foot traffic.

3) Train front office staff to ask one more question—When assisting patients with scheduling, have front office staff ask if anyone else in the family needs an appointment. This gentle question can help your practice crack open a new tunnel, seriously. This works extremely well, especially for insurance patients, because your treatment and insurance coordinator will already be familiar with the group number’s percentages, restrictions, and frequencies. This method does not cost any marketing dollars, and leads to employee efficiency if implemented properly. 

4) February is National Children’s Dental Health Month, and October is Dental Hygiene Month—Collaborate with local schools in the area, and have your hygienists/staff take a day to educate students on the basics of oral care. Because parents call the shots  for making appointment booking, be sure to send home some kind of reading material or “dental report card.” Pediatric dentists can really leverage both months.

5) Collaborate with living communities—Are there any living communities in your area with yearly rental contracts? New residents are constantly moving in and out, so positioning your practice to be their new provider is key. Contribute to the community’s welcome package in an attractive way. In my opinion, flyers get thrown out, but imprinted toothbrush kits are used, cherished, kept, and thought about (at least twice a day) during the move-in process.

6) Convenience for working professionals—Your front office or OM usually knows which patients come in during their workday lunch break. If you’re a multi-specialty group with a somewhat flexible schedule, offer patients simultaneous booking for them and any coworker. Patients enjoy this extra attention, especially when lunchtime should be a time of camaraderie, not a solo day at the dentist. Again, insurance and treatment coordinators experience increased efficiency due to familiarity of group plan information.

7) Run practice reports—While there are numerous metrics to be reviewed on a daily to yearly basis, take the time to scan through your basic practice report. From which zip codes are patients making the effort to come see you? Are they coming from any zip codes that surprise you? What’s the demographic like? Sit down and think about your data, and get creative based on your findings. All this information can translate to a geo-targeting strategy that optimizes your conversion rates.

Push the boundaries and get creative, because as a health-care professional you’re committed to improving quality of life. You’ve just got to let people know you’re here.

Jeanne Park is the business manager of one of Metro-NYC's premiere and largest multi-specialty groups covering over six disciplines of dentistry. She is an advocate of highly collaborative workplaces and sharing of perspectives between providers. Her interests include workplace optimization, high-end patient care, and predicting insurance trends.

Source: http://www.dentistryiq.com/articles/2015/10/increasing-your-dental-patient-base-the-list-you-haven-t-seen-yet.html

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