At the very onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare businesses across the US were suddenly faced with new and intense challenges. For the majority, the spread of the pandemic meant an internal disruption. As the uncertainties continue to persist in 2021, the only businesses that will survive and emerge out victorious are the ones that look at new ways to pivot and quickly adapt to their surroundings. In this piece, we will be looking at a few ways healthcare organizations- both small and big- can think about growing their practice in 2022.
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Providing optimal customer service for your patient is your healthcare practice’s top priority. Patients expect this in a post covid world. There is a technological disruption that the healthcare industry is currently experiencing and it might seem that it’s time-consuming and challenging to develop new a different ways to market your practice. It’s important to have robust strategies to grow your customer list.
1. Streamline Workflows with Technology
94% of healthcare executives report that blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI), and other emerging technologies have sped up the pace of innovation over the past few years, according to a recent Accenture report.
The report further pointed out that 77% of executives believe their employees are more digitally mature than their organization at present, resulting in workers who have to wait for the industry to catch pace with digital innovation.
Embracing new technology is not only the need of the hour, but it can also help your healthcare business grow quickly amid the coronavirus outbreak by accelerating the pace at which you achieve your end goal.
For instance, businesses can leverage Machine Learning, a subset of AI, to provide data-driven clinical decision support (CDS) to their staff – paving the way for increased revenue potential. Similarly, automation and predictive analytics can also play a vital role in taking the excess workload off your staff so your resources can assign more time toward other important tasks.
When it comes to ensuring well-being through technology, wearable IoT devices can track vital signs. Chatbots can then make initial diagnoses based on symptoms identified by wearables.
Another disruptive technological innovation that has proven its potential in transforming care delivery and augmenting outcomes on the direct care front has been cloud hosting or cloud computing. Implementing cloud storage for safekeeping patients’ electronic health records has significantly streamlined collaborative patient care in the US. This directly translates to increased cost savings and greater access to quality healthcare.
The benefits that come alongside the adoption of this technology are endless- for providers and patients alike. Therefore, healthcare organizations that don’t already have this model should look at integrating it, and then ones that already have it should look at augmenting it further.
Exploring new ways to include technological innovations within your business model can work wonders for your organization and keep you ahead of the race.
2. Build a Strong Social Media Presence for your Practice
Today, close to 71% of consumers who have had a pleasant social media service experience with a brand or a doctor’s office visit is likely to recommend it further. If you wish to quickly grow your healthcare business, establishing your presence over social media channels or amplifying it is highly imperative if you already have one.
“Social networks will peel back every corner of the health system and drive transparency on cost, value, and outcomes,” says Jamie Heywood, Co-founder, and Chairman of PatientsLikeMe, a health data-sharing platform told Healthcare Finance in a recent interview. “The information asymmetry that patients experience will be leveled, allowing the average patient to evaluate and improve his or her conditions, as well as the system’s performance.“
One effective way to extend your reach over social media is by including content marketing within your growth strategy. The key is to reach out. You need to continually keep sharing valuable content on your healthcare practice’s social media channels to make sure that you are constantly attracting people. The more engagement, the better your chances of getting noticed and increasing your patient base.
You need to know how to create an effective content marketing strategy to get your healthcare practice more exposure. Your content needs to be relevant to the healthcare niche you cater to and one that appeals to patients. You can also maintain a blog section on your website and regularly share it over your practice’s social media channels to keep your customers updated.
Marketing over social media will expand your healthcare business’ reach and get more patients flowing your way even during these testing times since people are connected virtually now more than ever.
3. Expand Your Practices Products & Services
Adding new products or services to expand your existing model’s reach can prove to be a wise choice for your business. Pay attention to shifting demographics in your community and users, make changes in line with more significant shifts and promote your latest offerings through strategic, targeted advertising.
For example, if you’re treating many adults with young children or pregnant women, you can consider adding a dedicated pediatrician to your internal medicine practice.
Similarly, given the documented direct impact that Covid has on the heart, plus possible side effects from the treatments and public policy decisions to combat the virus, sudden cardiac arrest awareness should be at an all-time high. Therefore, if your healthcare business is product-based, you can easily accommodate AED machines into your offering to expand your reach.
If your practice doesn’t already have an integrated telemedicine platform, now would be the best time to adopt this state-of-the-art technological solution and get a telemedicine app developed for your practice.
Keep yourself well-informed about what people in your community truly need. By meeting a specific demand at the right time, you can quickly expand your user-base and boost your business’s success.
Lastly, don’t try to produce ideas in seclusion. Collect suggestions from outside and inside of your team. Work with your employees – they can be valuable idea generators.
Additionally, you can also share what other enterprises in your niche have done to pivot – seeing what your market counterparts have done can spark creative thinking. Then explore these places to look for pivots – networks, value, customers – and identify possibilities together. Try to get as creative as possible in the process and break loose from any traditional thinking about your business.
This step is extremely vital in deciding how effectively you grow since an organization can only be successful if each one of its employees is aligned with one common goal and provides maximum productivity at an individual level.
