It happens all the time – A patient cancels or reschedules
at the last minute. The therapist now has a large block of
free time. This time must be used effectively, and can be
transformed into a period of high productivity for the
practice. If the therapist has a clear directive on how to
use the downtime, the benefits for the practice and the
business are significant.
Introducing 7 quick tips to boost productivity during
downtime in your practice. If you can implement even one or
two of these ideas the next time a patient cancels, you
might find that downtime is the most productive time for
your practice.
1) Reconnect with 1 or 2 patients
Call patients who have had an initial evaluation in the past
week. Show them that you are always available to assist if
they have any questions and remind them of their next
appointment. The therapist may also want to call patients
who have shown the greatest degree of improvement and
congratulate them on a job well done. Remind them of their
importance to you, and your commitment to them.
Use this script: "Dear ____, I appreciate the opportunity to
work with you and want you to know that getting you better
faster is our number one priority. You can help us in the
process be arriving on time and doing your exercises at home
as consistently as possible. As always, we are always
available to answer questions and promise to go out of our
way to help you reach our goals. Your success is ours. Thank
you and have a great day."
2) Write a newsletter- 200-300 words is sufficient
Write a newsletter for patients. The content in this
newsletter should be simple, easy to understand and fast to
implement. Nothing build trust and credibility more than a
content rich newsletter. Ideally, you want to send this
newsletter out to patients and doctors twice a month. You
can ask doctors to keep copies of your newsletter in their
clinic, and they can make it available to their patients.
3) Generate awareness with 1 media channel
Write a press release, and research Google and other search
engines for the contact information of journalists in local
newspapers and TV stations. Skim through the local newspaper
and find the contact information of one journalist, offer
them an article or a press release on topics like this
"Local physical therapist to conduct seminar on pain relief"
"Local physical therapist to reveal low back pain prevention
techniques in free workshop"
4) Improve a single system of patient communication
Retrain and improve the phone script utilized by the staff
to increase interaction with patients and callers. Make sure
the front desk staff have a system in place to communicate
with patients. A sample script prior to new patient
evaluations could be
"Hello Mr./Mrs.____. This is Emily calling from ABC physical
therapy. We look forward to seeing you tomorrow, since our
calendar shows you have an appointment for 10 am. Please
remember to dress comfortably, since we will be evaluating
your movements, strength and flexibility. Thank you for your
time, and please call us at xxx-xxx-xxxx if you have any
questions.."
5) Identify the biggest need of a majority of your patients
Identify the single biggest topic that your patients want to
hear about and offer a free teleseminar to your patients and
prospects. Several services are available online, that allow
you to conduct a free teleseminar, usually up to 100
participants. You may also want to consider finding a
physician who is also an expert in the same topic and asking
him to participate in the educational teleseminar with you.
Provide general, universally applicable information and
refrain from any specific discussions of treatment. You now
position yourself as an authority with the physician.
6) Create a quick 'reports to give away to patients
Create lead generators for your website – narrate a 20
minute audio (using a simple voice recorder) advising
patients about the ‘10 best ways to ____’ and offer a free
download of the audio to your patients on your website, in
exchange for their email address. You can also repurpose the
content. Get it transcribed into a book that can also server
as a lead generator on your website, or an in-person bonus /
gift for patients in your clinic.
7) Introduce a loyalty rewards system
Provide ongoing ‘members only’ benefits for patients who
take the ‘most wanted response’ for your practice. (writing
a letter to their physicians, giving you a testimonial,
referring friends, family etc). Ask for a testimonial the
next time a patient indicates satisfaction with your
services. Ask in a way that appreciates the patient, instead
of obligating the therapist. Video and audio testimonials
can be used on your website and written testimonials can be
displayed in your clinic.
To learn more about private practice and marketing you can
visit Nitins' websites at
addnewpatients.com
where you can download his free 4 step formula on how to
attract new patients, increase referrals and grow your
referral network with a simple 4 step plan and
physicaltherapywebsite.com where you can download a
free book on physical therapy marketing.
Last revised: February 16, 2011
by Nitin Chhoda, PT, DPT
