patient pipeline 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.

4 Valuable Patient Flow Features that Positively Impact Team Performance and Patient Care in Your Weight Loss Practice

Posted on July 6, 2023 by Karol Clark

Quality care, enhanced patient satisfaction, effective engagement, optimal resource utilization, and growth of your weight loss practice all rely on efficient patient flow management.

The days of having to manually track new leads for your weight loss practice, referral sources, secure communication, patient conversion, requirements for weight loss surgery insurance authorization, and ongoing patient education are over. While manual processes may work for a period of time, they prove to be time-consuming, prone to errors, and in the long run, more expensive than streamlined options. And, if you are serious about growing your weight loss practice, such manual efforts can hinder your progress.

As you are likely aware, Patient Flow® is one of the most robust and reliable software systems available to practitioners and health systems that actually allows you to do all of this in one place. In addition, you can save money by consolidating some of your software systems. You can also integrate Patient Flow® into your current electronic medical record for added automation to easily keep everything secure and up to date.

You may be wondering what other valuable features are available that can positively impact your weight loss practice day-to-day operations as well as your patient care processes. Below are some of these features:

Real-Time Patient Tracking

Patient Flow® software enables healthcare teams to track patients’ movement in real-time throughout their healthcare journey. This feature provides an instant overview of the status of each patient as they move from being an interested patient to an established patient. You no longer have to worry about people ‘falling through the crack’. With real-time patient tracking, your team can better manage their workflows, allocate resources efficiently, and provide more efficient care and communication. This also enhances your patient experience and the likelihood of a positive review and more patient referrals.

Automated Task Assignment and Reminders

Patient Flow® software includes the ability for automated task assignment (for your team and for your patients) as well as reminder features to streamline communication and coordination of your care. You determine the automatic tasks based upon predefined rules and priorities. By automating these processes, you can make sure your patients know exactly what they need to complete – even their own customized ‘to do’ list. Your team can then focus more on delivering quality patient care with less time on manual coordination of tasks and tracking patient compliance.

Data Analytics and Performance Metrics

Patient Flow® software offers powerful data analytics capabilities for one location or across an entire business enterprise. These analytics tools can generate comprehensive reports with graphic representations that enable you to identify potential bottlenecks, analyze trends, and make data-driven decisions. By monitoring key performance metrics, you can identify areas for improvement and continuously improve nearly every important aspect of your practice. At any point, you can gauge the health of your practice.

Streamlined Patient Processes, Software and Communication

Are you tired of maintaining multiple databases? Perhaps a database for new patient leads, customized e-mail communication, text messaging, phone calls, website inquiries and more! Yet, none actually communicate with your EMR? It is very convenient for you and your team to have everything in one HIPAA compliant place. And, Patient Flow® is inter-operable with your existing EMR so you aren’t entering information more than once – saving time and precious financial resources. You can automate all documentation as well as patient education. While it may seem too good to be true, such comprehensive software improves the efficiency of your team while improving patient communication and satisfaction.

Patient Flow® software has revolutionized the way healthcare team’s manage patient care, leading to enhanced team performance and improved patient outcomes. The features outlined highlight the true power available to you and your practice today.

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.

Referral Sources

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