medical weight loss doctor Archives

How to Overcome Your Weight Loss Practice Being the Best Kept Secret in Town

Posted on November 15, 2023 by Karol Clark

Transforming your weight loss practice from the best-kept secret in town to a recognized and highly sought-after choice requires a few key ingredients, and 4 strategic actions.

There is no doubt that the weight loss market is in a major state of change. With patient demands for weight loss medications and overt competition from other healthcare practitioners, big box stores, and self-proclaimed experts, sometimes it feels as if uncertainty is the only certainty in this ever-changing industry.

However, this is precisely why it is critical for weight loss practitioners and their teams to take a stand. It is necessary for you to establish, or expand, your solid footprint in the market and be known as the go-to expert when it comes to medical and/or surgical weight loss information and treatment. Coincidentally, this also transforms an outstanding practice with great patient outcomes from being the best kept secret in town to the sought-out expert of choice. It can separate you from your competition and helps to keep you from being ‘out marketed’ by your competition.

So how can you make this happen? It requires some key ingredients and consistent implementation of 4 strategic actions.

Key Ingredients

The key ingredients for any known expert to be ‘seen’ and ‘chosen’ by those they wish to serve include awareness, authenticity, trust, and results.

Establishing awareness involves your patients being aware of their need for the services you provide. It also involves showcasing your expertise, and unique perspective in a variety of ways so they can easily discover what you uniquely offer and how you can help them attain the transformation they desire.

Authenticity entails staying true to your values, presenting a genuine image, and fostering a connection with your ideal patients.

Trust is the foundation of any successful professional relationship. It is built through consistent honesty, reliability, and open communication.

Finally, results serve as the tangible evidence of your capabilities, showcasing the impact and value you bring to helping overweight and obese patients attain their desired outcomes.

While competitors may have deeper pockets or flashy marketing campaigns, you are able to compete effectively by embracing these ingredients and integrating them into the following four strategic actions.

4 Strategic Actions

As a weight loss practitioner, the goal isn’t just to exist, but to thrive as the go-to resource for patients on their weight loss journey. Over time, four strategic actions have been shown to help practitioners create this reality.

Clearly Define Your Unique Approach

It all starts by clearly identifying and articulating your unique approach to weight loss. What sets your practice apart from others? It could be your personalized service, science-based methodology, experience, comprehensive care, or cutting-edge technology. Begin by embracing your strengths and what resonates with your ideal patients.

1. Assess Your Program/Approach: Evaluate your current weight loss protocols, methodologies, offerings, and success stories. Identify the elements that have consistently delivered positive results for your clients. What do you and your team find your patients raving about when it comes to your services, programs, and products?
2. Create Your Unique Value Proposition: Develop a compelling value proposition that communicates the distinct benefits of selecting you and your practice. Emphasize the aspects that make your practice stand out.
3. Tailor Your Messaging: Ensure that your messaging aligns with what your ideal patients are feeling and desire most. Understand the specific challenges and aspirations they face and how you and your practice directly address these concerns. This alignment and clear communication will foster a sense of connection and understanding which is crucial for building a trusting relationship.

Enhance Your Visibility Through Outcome Driven Marketing

To become the preferred weight loss practice, you must actively and consistently engage with your current and prospective patients. Strategic outcome driven marketing initiatives amplify your visibility and position you as the best option for long-term weight loss success.

1. Optimize Your Online Presence: Take a look at your website from a patient’s perspective. Is it easy to find? Is it easy to navigate? Is the next step easy to take? Talk to your web master regarding SEO optimization techniques to ensure your practice shows up prominently in online searches. Leverage social media platforms to share valuable content, engage with your current and prospective patients, and showcase your expertise and patient outcomes.
2. Don’t Forget Content Marketing: One of the very best ways to optimize organic (free) and paid marketing efforts is to use easy to consume content such as blogs, videos, testimonials and expert comment on the latest weight loss trends. This significantly helps with your SEO and positions you as a valuable resource and authority in the field.
3. Leverage Local Partnerships: Collaborate with local businesses and healthcare providers. You can cross-promote and/or be featured in front of their audiences through webinars, shared content, and events. Be sure to include your patients as referral partners through a formalized referral or ambassador program.

Prioritize Patient Experience and Outcome

One of the best ways to becoming the preferred weight loss practice is ensuring exceptional patient experiences, measurable outcomes, and positive review and testimonials. These endorsements speak volumes as to the transformation you facilitate for your patients and clarifies why you are the best choice.

1. Personalized Care Experience: Provide personalized consultations, assessments, and follow-ups to make sure your patients feel ‘heard’ and supported. Building a strong rapport with your patients starting with their first inquiry fosters trust and loyalty, setting the stage for positive outcomes.
2. Transparent Communication: Foster open communication with your clients. Clearly explain your program, your methodologies, set realistic expectations, and keep your patients informed at every stage of their weight loss journey. Transparency builds confidence and enhances their overall experience.
3. Showcase Results: Implement data-driven practices to measure the success of your patients. With their permission, showcase their outcomes with before and after photos, testimonials, and outstanding online reviews. Share this success both online and throughout your practice.

Establish a Streamlined Care Delivery System

As patients seek the ideal partner for their weight loss journey, their level of trust is paramount to their decision-making process. Another essential element is how they feel as they experience your services, programs, and products. Having a predictable, yet personalized, care delivery system is not only preferred, but expected.

1. Convenience is King: Patients are accustomed to convenience, even as it relates to healthcare. Be sure that your team and your software accommodates this expectation. Having convenient ways to communicate (secure text/e-mail/phone), track their progress, access education (video/written) that are seamlessly delivered can and will set you apart from your competitors.
2. Online and Onsite Care Coordination: Making sure that your care delivery system is seamless both online and, in your office, will ensure a positive patient experience.
3. Systems and Reporting: In addition to the care you provide, you will do yourself, your team and your patients a favor by having systems in place for maximum efficiency and predictable performance. In addition, having convenient reporting and tracking tools are critical for smart decision making.

It’s time to go from being the best-kept secret in town to the number one choice for weight loss transformation. Implementing these key ingredients, principles and strategies are a great way to make that happen.

If you are looking for an all-in-one streamlined software platform for tracking new and existing patients and communicating securely in all modes, there is a solution. You can learn more at https://www.pronexinc.com/ It is one of the few solutions that is inter-operable with most EMR systems and can serve as a powerful EMR as well – making it truly an all-in-one system.

About the Author: Karol Clark, MSN, RN, is a best-selling author who has a passion for helping physicians integrate effective, profitable weight loss services and retail sales into their practice while improving patient outcomes and enjoying the journey along the way. Her use of non-traditional (easy to implement) medical marketing strategies, along with her dedication to a positive ROI makes her a uniquely different and sought-after weight loss business consultant. Karol is the CEO of Weight Loss Practice Builder and the exclusive membership program for weight loss practitioners, www.BariatricBusinessAccelerator.com. She has more than 20 years of experience working with surgical and medical weight loss physicians and their teams helping them simplify creation of a profitable and enjoyable bariatric practice.

5 Ways to Improve Employee Engagement in Your Weight Loss Practice

Posted on October 9, 2023 by Karol Clark

Ongoing positive employee engagement is critical to the success of your weight loss practice. Thankfully, there are some fun and simple ways to make this a reality.

The benefits of having an engaged team of employees are many. Some noted benefits include:

– Higher level of productivity
– Lower absenteeism rate
– Increased motivation and creativity
– Greater degree of enthusiasm
– Improved customer service/higher customer loyalty

Yet, with the many changes in healthcare, it can be difficult to attract and retain top talent – let alone keep them engaged and excited to be an integral, long-term member of your team. Whether your weight loss practice is independent, or part of a multi-specialty group or large health system, nearly everyone has felt frustration when it comes to this topic.

Some practices are still recovering from the many disruptions that came with the recent pandemic. In addition, the competition for skilled team members and overwhelm for those that have stayed the course, filling in as needed, has contributed to leadership and team burnout.

So, what are some practical ways to improve employee engagement? Below are five effective strategies.
Understand What Motivates Your Employees

Understanding what motivates your employees is a great way to foster engagement and productivity. When leaders take the time to identify the unique drivers that fuel their employees, they demonstrate that they care about team motivation. Such understanding can also guide more productive interactions. Whether their motivators are recognition, a sense of purpose, career advancement, or a supportive work environment, aligning these motivators with your management style and their assigned tasks leads to higher job satisfaction. This also allows you to cultivate a work environment where individuals are inspired to put forth their best effort.

Create a Positive Work Environment

A positive work environment is the foundation of employee engagement. When employees feel valued and supported at work, they are more likely to be engaged. Some factors influencing a positive work environment include:

Open Communication: Encourage open communication when things are going well in addition to when there are troubling times. Make sure your team sincerely feels heard and valued. Provide prompt, positive and/or constructive feedback on their performance.

Recognition and Appreciation: Acknowledging the hard work of your teams’ accomplishments can go a long way in boosting morale and engagement. A simple verbal or written acknowledgement makes a big difference!

Work-Life Balance: Promote a healthy work-life balance by offering flexible work arrangements if possible and respecting employees’ time off outside of work.

Set Clear Expectations and Goals

Sometimes people underestimate the many benefits of clear expectations and goals for team members. It starts before they are hired and are reinforced throughout onboarding and orientation. When expectations and goals are unclear, team members can become disengaged and frustrated. Here are some ways to set clear expectations and goals:

Job Descriptions: Make sure that your job descriptions are detailed and accurate, outlining the responsibilities and expectations for each role.

Delegation of Outcomes: Try delegating your desired outcome. For example, two new 5 star reviews each week. Have a team member take ownership of the outcome, explore ways to attain the outcome, and coordinate implementation and measurement. Be sure to review their work and provide input as needed. Challenges, trust, provision of guidance, and any necessary resources helps employees engage, improves their confidence and creates a win-win situation.

Prompt Feedback: Provide prompt and regular feedback as well as positive coaching to help employees understand their progress and address areas for improvement.

Stay Interviews: If you haven’t implemented stay interviews, you should. They are a great way to openly and sincerely evaluate how your employees are feeling, what they feel is going well, what needs to be improved, and what their goals are for the future.

Cultivate Employee Development

If team training seems to be a thing of the past, employees may feel unmotivated because they are not learning anything new. Investing in their development not only enhances their skills but shows that you value their growth. Offer training programs, mentorship and coaching as well as cross-training as appropriate which benefits the team member as well as your weight loss practice.

Embrace Your Uniqueness, Values and Vision

Engaged employees want to be a part of a bigger vision, rather than just having a ‘job’. Be sure to share how your practice was developed, what your practice values are, and why they are important and how they fit into your vision. This helps guide their behavior and can set your weight loss practice apart from other competitors. Your vision is unique. Embrace what makes you different from your competitors and weave your values into your marketing and ongoing team and patient communication.

By implementing these strategies, you can create a more engaged and motivated workforce that creates success for your practice and your patients. Engaged employees are not only more productive, but also more likely to stay with your practice, reducing turnover and recruitment costs as well.

Essential Front Desk Etiquette for Growing Your Weight Loss Practice

Posted on September 13, 2023September 13, 2023 by Karol Clark

Focus is often put on software solutions for attracting, tracking, and converting new leads into established weight loss patients. However, your team has an integral role in personalizing each step for optimal success.

While software is critically important to streamlining your practice communication and operations, your team is the personal touch that can make or break your practice growth. In particular, your front desk team can greatly influence your patient’s perception of your practice. To build a thriving weight loss practice, it is important to prioritize front desk etiquette and ensure that such customer service is continued with each patient interaction.

Exceptional front desk etiquette can create a welcoming atmosphere that fosters trust and nurtures patient loyalty. Some guidelines for cultivating excellent front desk etiquette are outlined below:

Efficient Appointment Scheduling

Efficient appointment scheduling is crucial in your weight loss practice since patients often have busy lives and tight schedules. Make sure that your scheduling team is well-trained in your appointment booking system. While some appointments may be made online, many are scheduled through your team. They should be able to offer flexible scheduling options and assist patients in finding appointments that suit their needs. Of course, this needs to be balanced with the finesse to efficiently block schedule various appointment times/types to avoid long waits in the office.

Professional and Friendly Greetings

Gone are the days of slowly sliding the glass door open after a patient approaches the front desk. Your first impression and your impression at each appointment (virtual and in office) matters. Train your team to greet patients with a warm and professional demeanor. A genuine smile and a friendly greeting can make a world of difference. Whenever possible, encourage them to use the patient’s name and to maintain eye contact throughout the greeting. A polite and welcoming tone sets a positive tone for the entire patient experience.

Effective Communication

Clear and effective communication is key to maintaining patient satisfaction and trust. Your team should be fully knowledgeable about your weight loss programs, products and services so they can provide accurate information and any associated costs. Encourage them to answer phone calls and respond to e-mails and text messages within your EMR/tracking system as promptly (same day) as possible. Such personalized and transparent communication is appreciated more than you may realize.

Confidentiality and Privacy

Of course, in healthcare, confidentiality and privacy is critically important along with following all HIPAA requirements. Ensure that your team is well trained in these requirements for all methods of patient communication. Your patients should feel confident that their personal, financial, and medical information is safe and secure.

Conflict Resolution

Inevitably, for various reasons, conflicts and misunderstandings may arise. If and when they do, your team needs to respond with professionalism and empathy. A calm and empathetic approach to conflict resolution – fully engaging, listening and recognizing the concern – can turn a potentially negative experience into a positive one.

Maintain a Clean & Organized Front Desk Area

Cleanliness and organization go a long way when it comes to impressions and promoting a sense of calm – no matter how busy you and your team may be. Encourage your team to maintain a clean and organized workspace free of clutter and food. This not only reflects your professionalism, but helps with efficiency.

Open Communication

Encourage open and transparent communication with your team. Promptly address concerns and invite feedback from your team on how to improve productivity, customer service, and efficiency. If an issue arises, address it quickly and privately in a professional manner. Offer training and constructive feedback for continuous improvement and be sure to have a chain of command in place for the rare occasions when a situation at the front desk may escalate.

Front desk etiquette is a vital component to growing your successful weight loss practice. By following these tips, you can create a welcoming and efficient environment that not only retains existing patients, but also attracts new ones through word-of-mouth referrals.

Take the time to personally test and experience any automated communication from your office as well. Being able to have a personalized touch to automated communication is well-received. In addition, having multiple ways to communicate with your patients such as secure e-mail, test and phone calls goes a long way since people have varying preferred communication methods.

If you are looking for an all-in-one seamless platform for tracking new and existing patients and communicating securely in all modes, there is a solution. You can learn more at https://www.pronexinc.com/ And, it is one of the few solutions that is inter-operable with most EMR systems and can serve as a powerful EMR as well – making it truly an all-in-one system.

Making Remote Healthcare Trends Effective for You and Your Weight Loss Patients

Posted on June 6, 2023 by Karol Clark

Remote healthcare, especially for weight loss management, has emerged as a relevant and sought-after approach to care. Successful implementation requires contemplation, the right mindset, and effective tools.

June, 2023 marks 10 years since the American Medical Association recognized obesity a complex disease. As a weight loss professional, you understand that obesity is a complex disease that carries with it a wide range of health problems such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, sleep apnea, certain types of cancers and more. Thus, it is no surprise that, while in-person weight management treatments continue to be important, new technologies such as telehealth, wearable devices and mobile apps offer opportunities to enhance obesity care, while improving access to care.

While remote care is not for every patient or practitioner, when utilized properly, it can provide an effective and convenient way of providing education, real-time monitoring, counseling, support, and accountability.

Below are some of the emerging remote health care trends impacting nearly every aspect of obesity treatment by weight loss practitioners and their teams.

Virtual Consultations and Telemedicine

Telehealth consultations have become increasingly popular, offering a convenient and accessible way for healthcare professionals to connect with their patients. For weight loss management, virtual consultations allow you to conduct initial assessments, discuss goals, provide personalized guidance, and track progress. By leveraging video conferencing tools, you can maintain regular contact with your patients, offer timely support, and address any concerns they may have.

Wearable Technology and Mobile Health Apps

The integration of mobile apps and wearable devices has transformed the weight loss journey for patients. These tools enable individuals to monitor their physical activity, track their calorie intake, set goals, and receive real-time feedback. As a healthcare professional, you can recommend reputable apps and devices that align with your patients’ needs. By reviewing their progress remotely, you can provide personalized recommendations and adjust strategies to ensure effective weight loss outcomes.

Virtual Support

Support groups have long been recognized as an essential element of successful weight loss journeys. Remote healthcare now enables the creation of virtual support groups, connecting individuals who share similar goals and struggles. By facilitating online forums or video conferences, you can foster a sense of community among your patients. This support network will offer encouragement, motivation, and a platform for sharing experiences and challenges, making the weight loss process more enjoyable and effective.

Remote Monitoring & Data Analysis

Remote monitoring devices, such as smart scales and blood pressure monitors, enable patients to track vital health metrics from the comfort of their homes. As a healthcare professional, you can access this data remotely and analyze trends to gain valuable insights into your patients’ progress. By identifying patterns, you can make informed decisions, offer personalized interventions, and celebrate milestones. Regular remote monitoring empowers both you and your patients to take proactive steps towards achieving their weight loss goals.

Continuous Education & Communication

Remote healthcare allows you to stay connected with your weight loss patients through various digital channels, such as emails, chat platforms, or patient portals. Utilize these communication channels to provide continuous education on nutrition, exercise, and behavior modification strategies. Sharing relevant articles, videos, or webinars can help your patients stay motivated and well-informed throughout their weight loss journey. By being readily available to address questions and concerns, you can foster a strong patient-provider relationship, ensuring their success.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing remote healthcare by enabling advanced data analysis, diagnostics, and personalized treatment recommendations. AI-powered algorithms can analyze large datasets, identify patterns, and make predictions, aiding healthcare professionals in diagnosing diseases, identifying risk faction, and optimizing treatment plans. These technologies enhance the accuracy and efficiency of remote healthcare, leading to improved patient outcomes and more informed decision-making.

The implementation of remote healthcare trends in weight loss management opens up new possibilities for healthcare professionals and their patients. Embracing telehealth consultations, mobile apps, virtual support groups, remote monitoring, and continuous education can significantly enhance your ability to support your patients effectively. By leveraging these tools, you can empower individuals to take control of their weight loss journey, achieve their goals, and ultimately lead healthier lives. Embrace the power of remote healthcare and witness the transformative impact it can have on your patients and your practice.

If you are looking for an all-in-one platform for implementing such remote healthcare education and communication services, you can learn more at https://www.pronexinc.com/

How to Increase Referrals for Your Weight Loss Practice

Posted on May 8, 2023May 8, 2023 by Karol Clark

Referrals are an effective strategy for attracting new patients and growing your weight loss practice.

Having a consistent stream of new patient referrals is a great compliment to you and your team. Sometimes it may feel as if referral patterns are already established within health systems and medical groups. However, there are always opportunities to influence positive referral patterns for your weight loss practice.

Referral Sources

To start, it helps to determine your current and potential referral sources. This allows you to identify missed opportunities as well as what is working well.

When you consider your current and potential referral sources, think about where your patients seek advice or information prior to finding you. Most commonly this includes:

Patients/Word of Mouth: Patients who have had a great experience are likely to tell others and openly share their positive opinions.
Family & Friends: It is common for patients to ask trusted family and friends for their opinion regarding practitioners and related weight loss services.
Online Research & Reviews: Online research and reviews tends to be one of the most common ways people will discover you and your weight loss services. Patients tend to search for services, read online reviews, check credentials, make comparisons (and often decisions) before they ever reach out to you directly.
Other Physicians and Specialists: Referrals from other physicians and specialists is one of the other common sources of patients for many physician practices. This is more likely to be the case if they see repetitive positive weight loss outcomes experienced by their patients that utilize your services.
Drive-By: While location isn’t necessarily important for every specialty, it can be very helpful for weight loss practitioners since it increases awareness for those who have weight loss top of mind. When they see your signage on a regular basis, you readily come to mind as they contemplate their care decision.
Hospitals and Clinics: Depending upon your location and how active you are with your local hospitals and clinics, they can be a good source of new patient referrals.
Insurance companies: Insurance companies can refer patients seeking weight loss to a physician practice, particularly if they are in their network of providers.

All of these can be great referral sources for your weight loss practice. If you aren’t documenting exactly where your patients are finding you, begin there. This data is invaluable in order to determine the most impactful actions you can take moving forward and measure the impact of your efforts.

How to Increase Referrals

The process of obtaining referrals, processing referrals, thanking referrals, and nurturing your best referral sources often gets put on the back burner (or taken for granted). You are busy! This makes it easy to be bogged down with the day-to-day operations of your practice or get overwhelmed with determining how to create an efficient referral system. It is often easier to simply accept whatever referrals you get instead of actively seeking additional quality referrals.

The actions below will help you and your team accelerate your efforts when it comes to obtaining more referrals and growing your weight loss practice.

1. Back to Basics: While likely second nature for you, it is important to ensure that you and your team review the basics of what creates effortless and natural referral patterns. The basic ingredients include:

Provide Outstanding Patient Care: The foundation of your weight loss practice is your outstanding patient care. Delivering personalized, compassionate, and effective care to your patients leaves a positive impression and creates a natural desire for them to share their experience with others who seek the same outcome.

Establish Positive Relationships: Your patients remember how you made them feel throughout their journey to better health. Getting to know them on a personal level and providing the education, support and accountability they may or may not realize they need goes a long way.

Facilitate Desired Outcomes: Help your patients set realistic goals that guide them to their desired outcome. Provide them with the tools and resources they need to attain long-term success. When patients feel empowered and informed, they are more likely to appreciate your expertise and accountability. This also increases the likelihood of them sharing their positive experience and referring others who desire similar outcomes.

Involve Your Team: Your team is your reputation. They are also the best resource for establishing and systematizing your entire referral process. While one person may oversee the referral system, everyone plays an important role in making it successful.

2. Identify Your Ideal Referral Sources: It is important for you to determine your best referral sources. For weight loss practitioners, this typically includes successful patients, referring physicians and some local groups. For your patients, in addition to having ‘referral’ prompts such as literature around your office about how to refer friends/family and testimonials on your walls, you will want to identify what patients you (your team) wish to approach for a referral. The best time to ask for a referral is typically when they are the happiest. For surgery patients, this is usually at 6 months, 9 months or 1 year. For medical patients, it is when they are ecstatic about their results and telling your all about the positive impact weight loss has had on their life. For referring physicians/groups, select those that want/need their patients to lose weight such as prior to a surgery to improve safety and enhance the patient’s outcome. This tends to be plastic surgeons and orthopedic surgeons as well as bariatric surgeons if they do not have an established medical weight loss program. For local groups/businesses, select ones that are looking for educational offerings/programs and have the demographic you desire to serve.

3. Systematize Your Referral Process: Predictability comes with established systems. You and your team need to make it easy for patients and other providers to refer patients to you and your practice. Involve your team and make sure someone takes ownership for setting up the system and tracking results. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways. Since some people are more traditional and others more tech savvy, it helps to provide both written and electronic ways for the referral to be made. What is simple for THEM is what will get done. You can tie in an incentive if you desire. If you do, rewarding both the person referring and the person referred is a nice gesture. However, most referring patients and practitioners do not expect something in return for sending you a referral – often a simple written ‘thank you’ means the most.

4. Showcase Your Results: Another great way to obtain more referrals is to showcase the results of your happy patients. For patients, if they are happy enough to refer other patients to you, they are likely more than willing to write an online review that can be showcased online as well as in your office with their comments and photo. Always obtain their permission. For referring physicians, be sure to communicate regularly to them regarding the progress of the patients they have referred to you. Send them a kind thank you note as well.

Building a strong referral program takes time and effort. However, it is a valuable tool for growing your practice. You can also automate the process by leveraging technology. If you are interested in learning more about how to leverage all-in-one software solutions that simplifies your efforts, feel free to schedule a no pressure informative demo by clicking here.

About the Author: Karol Clark, MSN, RN, is a best-selling author who has a passion for helping physicians integrate effective, profitable weight loss services and retail sales into their practice while improving patient outcomes and enjoying the journey along the way. Her use of non-traditional (easy to implement) medical marketing strategies, along with her dedication to a positive ROI makes her a uniquely different and sought-after weight loss business consultant. Karol is the CEO of Weight Loss Practice Builder and the exclusive membership program for weight loss practitioners, www.BariatricBusinessAccelerator.com. She has more than 20 years of experience working with surgical and medical weight loss physicians and their teams helping them simplify creation of a profitable and enjoyable bariatric practice.

How to Streamline Patient Care & Education in Your Weight Loss Surgery Practice Without Losing Your Personal Touch

Posted on April 3, 2023 by Karol Clark

Do you ever feel like you are saying the same things over and over to your weight loss surgery patients, yet have avoided streamlining your education and other functions of your practice because it may seem too impersonal? Here are some effective ways to streamline your education and patient care while improving engagement.

As a busy weight loss practitioner, your time is one of your greatest assets. This is also the case for your entire team. And, while education is an integral part of a successful outcome for your weight loss surgery patients, wouldn’t it be helpful if you could provide the perfectly timed education and accountability your patients need while saving you and your team time? It has never been as easy as it is today. This applies to streamlining your patient care process as well without losing your personal touch.

While it may take some time to set your system up, it is well worth it. Streamlining your patient care and education can improve patient outcomes, increase patient satisfaction, improve office efficiency, create predictability, and reduce your overall costs.

Below are five ways to streamline your patient care and education while maintaining your personal touch:

1. Create Educational Assets: Creating standardized educational assets for the education and guidance you and your team provide every day. This includes assets such as webinars, videos, e-books, PDF guides, purposeful automated e-mails or a combination. A great use of such assets is timed distribution to your patients at just the right time in their journey to keep them informed and your practice top of mind. It is also a great way to address commonly asked questions, while anticipating their needs every step of the way. You can even leverage your content by putting your pre-operative and post-operative education into an actual book and use helpful tips from your content in your social media marketing plan to attract new patients. Leveraging your content in such ways also saves you time, increases the consistency of your message, allows your patients to review the information when convenient for them, and allows you to track their progress – all while setting your practice apart from your competitors. Start with creation of one type of asset and if desired, you can create additional educational assets that can be available in various learning formats. Then present them electronically or in person to your patients at just the right time before or after surgery. Automation, mixed with personal contact has been found to be extremely helpful.
2. Maximize Use of Technology: Technology can be frustrating at times. However, when you find what works for you and maximize its use, it can transform your life and practice. Technology is also an expectation of most patients who have grown accustomed to the convenience of online scheduling, patient portals, engaging video education, prompt text support and everything in between. Finding a solution that combines everything in one, easy to use HIPAA compliant application, simplifies the process even further. Some specific technology applications you can find included in one integrated software solution includes:
1. a. Patient Lead Tracking: Track the lifecycle of your patients from the moment they find out about you and your services. Keep them engaged and educated every step of the way.
2. b. Telemedicine: Offer the convenience of telemedicine appointments for those who prefer this type of visit as appropriate. Telemedicine can also increase your reach and ensure your patients keep up with their follow-up appointments.
3. c. Online Registration: Integrating online registration functionality helps improve demographic data accuracy, office efficiency and timely onboarding of new patients.
4. d. Ongoing Communication in One Location: All of your communication is in one place so you aren’t looking for phone messages, texts and e-mails in more than one inbox. Keep your entire team up to date and follow-up with your patients more efficiently.
5. e. KPI Tracking: You can monitor the progress of your patients with real-time dashboards and outcome tracking instead of multiple spreadsheets.
6. f. Patient Education: You can augment your in-office education with automated (or fresh off the press) educational materials delivered to your patients in your portal, via a membership site, your educational app accessible from anywhere as well as conveniently via secure e-mail or text.
3. Optimize Use of Your Patient Portal: Patient portals are an excellent way to provide access to educational materials, appointment reminders, health records, and obtaining any required documentation prior to submitting authorization for surgery. It is also a great way to keep patients informed of updates and providing ongoing support or links to convenient applications you use.
4. Train Your Team: Include your team on selection and implementation of any new technology. Your team will likely be an integral part of your educational asset creation. They should be aware of – and assist with creation of – your communication plan. Maximize the use of team talents and let them help create and document your implementation systems.
5. Measure Outcomes: As mentioned earlier, streamlining your patient care and education creates data points that are easier to track. You will know where your patients come from, actions completed at every step of your patients journey and key performance metric reports. And you can find these real-time metrics in one convenient location.

Your patients want and need streamlined care and patient education. You and your team need added efficiency and a way to track key performance metrics for your practice and your patients. Creating such a system will benefit all involved while allowing more time for your ‘personal touch’.

If you are interested in learning more about an effective all-in-one software solution for your practice, it’s time to learn more and schedule a demo by clicking here.

Top 3 Ways to Lower Team Turnover in Your Weight Loss Practice

Posted on March 13, 2023 by Karol Clark

There is currently so much focus on the struggle to find great talent that the importance of reducing team turnover in your weight loss practice can be overlooked.

If you have an open position in your practice, you have likely experienced frustration finding talented team members that are willing to work the hours you need at the salary you are prepared to offer. Or, you may have employees who are being actively sought after for other opportunities resulting in the need to make counter-offers that can create angst for everyone involved. Bottom line, recruiting, hiring, onboarding and training as a result of team turnover is costly.

The healthcare industry has been adversely affected when it comes to availability and longevity of quality team members – a predicament worsened by the Covid-19 Pandemic. In fact, Elsevier Health recently researched and compiled their ‘Clinician of the Future’ report with current problems, predictions and ways to bridge predicated gaps in the healthcare industry. These gaps are largely created by the almost shocking finding that 47% of U.S. healthcare workers plan to leave their current role within two to three years.¹

To further support this state of affairs, another study shows that ‘if the current U.S. healthcare workforce trends continue, more than 6.5 million healthcare professionals will permanently leave their positions by 2026, while only 1.9 million will step in to replace them, leaving a national industry shortage of more than 4 million workers’.²

Now more than ever, retention of excellent team members is critically important. Here are three proven ways to retain talent and reduce team turnover in your weight loss practice.

1. Acknowledge Accomplishments

While team members may be motivated differently when it comes to loyalty and longevity, knowing that they are doing a good job, a valued member of your team, and actively making a difference for patients means more than you may realize. Yet, acknowledging their accomplishments can be overlooked as the ‘busyness’ of the day takes over.

Studies find that employee recognition and acknowledgement is tied to increasing retention by 41%. In addition, it increases employee engagement by 34%.³If you have had the pleasure of experiencing this firsthand, you understand the power of taking the time to acknowledge the accomplishments of your team. This sincere communication helps create the high performers you need in your practice.

The main reason acknowledging accomplishments works is simply because it makes people happy and happy team members are much more likely to be loyal to your practice. They also tend to be more positive and likely to go the extra miles for the patients they serve.

Coincidentally, acknowledgement does not need to be a grand expensive gesture. What tends to mean the most is timely, sincere feedback on a job well done. This can easily be done during a one-on-one formal or impromptu discussion, publicly in a meeting, written in an e-mail or ‘old-fashioned’ card, sticky note or quick internal text. Additionally, peer-to-peer acknowledgement for team members going ‘above and beyond’ or simply ‘making a difference’ has been shown to be extremely effective.

2. Build Additional Skillsets

Gone are the days of training your team only for the position they hold today or upon hire. If you are hiring ideal team members, they will not only want to excel today but take on additional challenges and learning opportunities to grow personally and contribute to your practice vision and goals in greater ways.

It is meaningful to them when you are willing to invest in their personal and professional development. This includes mentoring them, providing additional training or certifications via in-house, virtual and in person events, as well as providing team building experiences. Demonstrating a sincere interest in their personal and professional growth tends to increase a loyalty towards you and your practice.

You can accomplish this in a variety of ways. First, you can take the time to meet with your team members and ask them a couple of questions (similar to a ‘stay interview’).
• What do you really enjoy about your position here?
• What is your top one or two frustrations?
• Do you have any ideas/ways to help solve those frustrations?
• Is there a way we can better support you in your position here?
• Where do you see yourself in 1 year?
• Where do you see yourself in 3 years?

Second, when you have new leadership or program development opportunities in your practice, look within first. Determine if there is someone who has an interest and talent for the new position. This also applies to stepping up your social media or marketing endeavors. Often, you will have a creative team member who is better able to capture the success of your patients and the uniqueness of your practice and then showcase it to attract new patients and celebrate current patient success.

Third, once you are aware of your team members goals, continue to support them and, at the very least, inquire about their progress. Investing in your team pays high dividends in the form of loyalty and longevity. And, if they are working towards a degree or passion that doesn’t fill an opportunity in your practice, they become ambassadors for your brand and can often recommend the perfect replacement while facilitating a smooth transition.

3. Clear Communication

Ambiguity creates confusion, misunderstandings and often a great deal of dissatisfaction. Your team needs – and wants – to understand your vision, practice goals and how they fit into the bigger picture. Essentially, they need to understand what ‘success’ looks like for their position and how they can contribute to make a positive impact. This starts in the interview process and continues through onboarding and ongoing communication channels.

Communication creates positive (or negative) human interactions. In your practice, clear communication ensures that your team has the information they need to perform well and helps them prioritize to minimize inefficiencies. However, this is not just about one-way communication. It is about creating an environment – and expectation – that allows and encourages your team to share their ideas, questions, and suggestions. When your team members are engaged, they are more productive and tend to stay longer with your company.

While you may not want to share everything, it is important to be as clear and transparent as you can with your team in good times and in challenging times. As a result, they are better equipped to celebrate the good times and problem solve in challenging times.

In addition to these three ways to lower team turnover, some other impactful initiatives include: critically evaluate your hiring process to ensure you are hiring the right people in your practice; review compensation and benefit packages and update as necessary; support a healthy work/life balance; be inclusive; demonstrate your company values while expecting the same of your team; and cultivate respect.

It all comes down to your team feeling valued, supported and able to contribute their talents for practice, team and patient success.

Another way to support your team is through an all-in-one online (customizable) system to calm the chaos of tracking your patients from inquiry to surgery, improve your conversion from inquiry to established patient, and streamline all patient communication in one HIPAA compliant software solution. For more information or to schedule a free practice assessment, click here.

¹ https://www.elsevier.com/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/1242490/Clinician-of-the-future-report-online.pdf
² https://www.oracle.com/human-capital-management/healthcare-workforce-shortage/
³ https://teamstage.io/employee-recognition-statistics/