Research suggests that obtaining new customers for businesses costs upwards of five times more than retaining an old one. Although the exact figure looks different from industry to industry, customer retention is essential to running a business—even for medical practices.

To retain patients and encourage them to come to your medical practice for future medical concerns, you must streamline and boost the entire patient experience. From the quality of care to the financial experience, here are four ways to improve patient retention for your medical practice or healthcare organization.

1. Personalize patient care.

Before you worry about any other aspect of your patient experience, start with the quality of care you provide. If your patient care is not stellar, there are no other adjustments you can make to keep patients coming back.

Ideally, your organization should hire well-trained healthcare professionals who know how to take into account patient history, lifestyle considerations, and cultural sensitivity to create customized treatment plans for each patient. Every human is unique, so providers should expect care plans to vary from patient to patient.

Additionally, offer continuing education opportunities for physicians and other healthcare professionals to stay abreast of new updates and breakthroughs in the industry. For instance, for a long period of time, most healthcare research was conducted on men, leading to less information about how certain conditions affect women. Ensuring providers stay informed on the newest research helps them treat patients better.

For larger healthcare organizations and medical practices with the budget to spare, you might also invest in software solutions that facilitate better patient care, such as:

• Electronic health records (EHRs): EHRs enable you to conveniently take notes of patient encounters. You can also use them to access a patient’s medical history and previous encounter notes, giving you an end-to-end understanding of the patient’s medical needs for better care.
• Healthcare dashboards: According to Arcadia, healthcare dashboards are powerful analytics tools that accelerate performance by empowering healthcare professionals to incorporate relevant data insights into the care processes. Use these tools to simplify your data, forecast trends to monitor patient health situations, and improve care by boosting enterprise-wide performance.

Since healthcare data is extremely personal and sensitive, implement proper data governance policies before investing in these tools. Ensure your information is accurate, accessible, and secure so your patients never have to worry about the safety of their data.

2. Make scheduling convenient.

Imagine this: You want to make an appointment to see your general physician. However, you don’t see an option to schedule an appointment on their medical practice’s website. Instead, you’re directed to call their office phone number. But when you do, no one picks up.

In this situation, you’d probably give up and try a different medical practice.

Scheduling is one of the most common roadblocks for patients when they decide to see a physician. Lower the barrier to visiting your practice by:

• Allowing online appointment scheduling
• Enabling same-day appointments
• Offering to put patients on a waitlist and notifying them if an earlier appointment opens up
• Providing extended or alternative appointment hours, such as by offering appointments after 5 p.m. or opening on Saturdays
• Enabling telehealth options for patients to receive care without leaving their homes

Handling scheduling by manually entering appointments into spreadsheets or calendars is a viable solution for smaller practices, but as your organization grows, it quickly becomes unsustainable. Instead, purchase appointment scheduling software with features that allow you to offer everything we’ve discussed above, making appointment booking a breeze for all patients.

3. Improve communication with patients.

Building communications with patients allows providers to strengthen their relationships by boosting trust and rapport. It also reminds patients to stay engaged with and prioritize their healthcare, which can lead to improved patient outcomes. All these benefits work together to encourage patients to stay loyal to your healthcare organization, contributing to a better patient retention rate.

While there are plenty of ways to communicate with patients, the most convenient way is by streamlining communications through a centralized patient portal. PracticeSuite’s guide to medical office software mentions that patients can access these capabilities through patient portals:

• Appointment scheduling
• Provider referrals
• Medical records
• Lab results
• Prescription refills

Additionally, patient portals enable direct messaging between patients and providers, as well as text messages and email notifications for appointment reminders and follow-ups. You can use these systems to automate messages to patients, encouraging them to book their annual wellness checkups or access the results of any recent tests.

When patients see that you’re determined to keep them in the loop about their health, they’ll be more likely to continue receiving care at your medical practice.

4. Streamline the billing process.

Payment is always tricky in the medical industry. Between high costs and factoring in insurance claims, the whole process is complex and can be a nightmare for patients. If patient satisfaction and retention are your goals, streamlining the billing process can help your medical practice or healthcare organization stand out.

Here are a few tips:

• Collect insurance information before the appointment. This helps you collect patient copays and ensure their insurance covers any treatments or testing you provide. This step is vital for procedures requiring prior authorization from insurance providers.
• Submit timely insurance claims. As insurance claims may be denied, submitting them as soon as possible is best. That way, if there are any issues, you can address them sooner rather than later and go through the appeals process.
• Enable electronic payments: For the highest level of convenience, allow patients to make payments electronically through your website or patient portal. Younger healthcare consumers are much more likely to be frustrated with a poor digital payment experience, with research suggesting that 60% of them are willing to switch healthcare providers over a poor digital experience.
• Offer flexible payment options. Providers like AccessOne enable flexible patient financing, which is greatly appreciated by patients who may not have the funds to afford their procedures immediately. Plus, setting up payment plans for patients increases the payments healthcare organizations collect, resulting in better revenue generation.

You might also look for payment solutions that enable your organization to accept many different payment methods for a flat fee or a low rate. Choose a solution that integrates with your medical practice management software solutions and tools for a seamless experience.

Retention is all about delivering a high-quality experience that leaves patients feeling safe and cared for, which is especially important when they’re struggling with their health. Commit to a growth mindset and follow through by constantly staying updated on healthcare policies, the newest tech, and recent research findings to ensure you’re providing the best care possible.