How Can Healthcare SEO Improve the Visibility of a Website? Written by Jeff Tormey on June 15, 2021. Posted in Manage. You’ve heard that online presence is essential to building your healthcare practice, so you’ve done your best. You’ve created your own home on the web inspired by the best health and wellness websites; you’ve joined the bigger social media sites; you’ve even tried your hand at a little email marketing. Despite your best efforts, you likely aren’t seeing a big difference in patient traffic—if you are seeing any. Why is that? Most likely, a lack of healthcare SEO. What Is Healthcare SEO? SEO—short for search engine optimization—refers to many different strategies that help websites rank higher in search results, generating more traffic to them.The more traffic your healthcare website sees, the more likely you are to pull in new patients and become a medical authority in your area. It is important to note that SEO tactics change all the time as search engine companies change their rules and algorithms.Healthcare SEO services stay on top of these changes for you, giving you less homework to do on a monthly basis. Strategies that Improve Healthcare Search Engine Presence Encourage Online Reviews: As patients check out, encourage them to leave a review of your practice. You can also do this by text message or email. Try to be specific and direct them towards a specific place to leave a review—typically Google or Yelp. Create Informative Content: There is a lot you can do with this one. From informational videos to patient surveys to blogs, you can create a lot of content for your practice that stands out from the typical list of services and “about us” page. You are an authority figure in your field, and search engines love authority content. Take Your Google My Business Page: These are automatically generated once Google realizes where your practice is located. However, you can claim ownership over this page, and doing so is important. For many prospective patients, this will be the first thing they check to get to know you, and it can help you rank better in searches. Utilize Healthcare Keywords: Patients will only search your exact practice name if they already know who you are. You need to pull in the people who don’t. Healthcare keywords reflect common search engine terms people would use when looking for a practice like yours. When they are tied into your content, it helps the search engine land on your page as a top result. Could you use a helping hand in navigating healthcare SEO? Allow Sequence Health to serve as your guide. We offer solutions to healthcare marketing and patient engagement that put your practice on the map.
Four Reasons Why Your CRM System is Your Most Valuable Asset Written by Jeff Tormey on June 12, 2021. Posted in Manage. Customer relationship management (CRM) in the healthcare industry is essential to boosting productivity, eliminating errors, and enhancing the patient experience. They take all the paperwork and other forms of communication and tie them up into a neat little package that you can access quickly from wherever you or your patient might be. Of course, not all medical practices have embraced CRM operations as a concept or a practice. If you are still behind the times, now is the time to make the change. You will likely discover that your CRM is your most valuable asset. 1. They Are Part of Patient Engagement Solutions CRM systems don’t necessarily have a patient end, though they can. However, they still contribute to your healthcare engagement solutions. How is that? Since your CRM should help you track multiple data points for each patient you have, they help you learn more about them. From interests to common conditions to how to reach them, when you look at what you can learn from your CRM, you can quickly see how it can help you meet your patients where they are. 2. They Let You Share Everything Electronically With the correct setup, your CRM can make it easy to share information electronically. This can be within the practice, between yourself and the patient, and even between yourself and other providers. While you of course need to ensure you only share information in accordance with medical privacy laws, there are many cases when information must be shared for the good of the patient and with their permission. Your CRM can make this easier. 3. They Offer Important Shortcuts Specifically, they allow you to create and store electronic templates that can help you organize information, meet compliance standards, and more. Rather than opening files and printing forms, or searching for a paper copy, you just open the template, save, and start filling it in. 4. They Make Contact Easier Many patients are no longer interested in receiving phone calls from your practice unless the matter is urgent. So what about all other communication? You can handle it through your CRM. From emails and texts to sharing prescriptions, you can get in touch with your patients without needing to do anything complex. Customer relationship management systems can support targeted marketing. However, you need the right system and training to make this work. To learn more about CRMs and medical online marketing, schedule your call with Sequence Health.
5 Ideas to Drive More Patients for Bariatric Surgeons Written by Jeff Tormey on June 10, 2021. Posted in Bariatric Surgery, Connect. Bariatric surgery isn’t new, but interest in these procedures is skyrocketing. This means that many new surgeons are entering the field, making it more competitive than ever before. So, how can you drive more bariatric patients to your practice and get a bigger slice of the pie?We suggest bariatric marketing. What Is Bariatric Marketing? In essence, it is a subset of healthcare internet marketing that specifically targets those who are or might be interested in getting weight loss surgery. Through links and keywords, patients reach your website, then the content helps them see how your practice can assist them in reaching their goals. Most people considering surgery will spend a lot of time online doing their research, learning about procedures, lifestyle changes, and surgeons before they decide on surgery. You want to be one of the sites they land on during this stage. How Can You Enhance Your Bariatric Marketing? Our top suggestion is to work with a patient engagement company that has bast experience within the field of bariatrics. They will best understand the ins and outs of SEO and specifically what people interested in bariatric surgery are looking for. Their weight loss marketing strategies will likely focus on the following 5 ideas: 1. Build Your Online Footprint: Having a website isn’t enough. You also need to be active on various social media platforms and have your Google My Business place always up to date. Additionally, you’ll need to respond to patient reviews, both positive and negative. 2. Create Quality Content: Search engines aren’t interested in content that is too short, pure fluff, or otherwise not informative. Make sure your content on every platform helps patients feel more knowledgeable and answers important questions they might have. 3. Incorporate Keywords: And typically, this means incorporating global keywords and local keywords. Global keywords are those that anyone might search, while local keywords are specific to your geographic region. 4. Make Contact Simple: People considering bariatric surgery are often on the fence about making the jump. You don’t want to force them to make a call or go through a drawn-out process just to get in touch. 5. Embrace Visual Media: In the digital age, text alone is not enough. Look into medical video production so you can incorporate video content on your site and across your social media platforms. Of course, when you partner with the experts, it does get a little more complicated than that. To learn more about comprehensive bariatric marketing strategies, contact Sequence Health.
Why Is Telehealth Important for Rural Providers? Written by Jeff Tormey on June 3, 2021. Posted in Connect. Time has not been kind to rural healthcare providers and their communities. Over the last decade, numerous rural hospitals have shuttered, and medical practices have been unable to sustain the cost of running a practice in P.O. box counties. The result is a medical desert encompassing large swaths of the United States, leaving millions underserved. What happens when you need a doctor or hospital, but the closest one is over an hour’s drive away? And what about those who cannot spare three to four hours in their day to make the trip there, their appointment, and the trip back? Or those who lack transportation and rely on the kindness of neighbors to get around? In the past, these individuals simply suffered or even lost their lives. Now, telemedicine in rural areas is filling in the gap. Understanding Telemedicine When we picture telemedicine, there are two things that come to mind: the old school phone conferencing system and the more modern video conferencing that took hold during the pandemic. However, telemedicine is a bit more complex than that. It can be offered directly by a medical practice or outsourced to healthcare call centers. It might rely on phone calls or video conferencing, but it could also include remote monitoring apps, cloud storage for imaging, and patients education resources. It can even include group therapies and other non-one-on-one treatments. The Importance of Telehealth in Rural Areas Patients Can Access Specialized Services In many rural communities, the only doctor is a general practitioner who treats the whole family, offering everything from childhood vaccines to obstetrics care. But sometimes, you need a specialist. When this is the case, patients often have to commute to cities hours away, staying overnight to make their appointment. Telemedicine allows those in rural areas to speak with specialists and get their assessment and guidance without having to travel, book hotel rooms, and incur significant costs that insurance won’t cover. Rural Hospitals Can Increase Their Staff One of the reasons rural hospitals are closing is that they don’t have the staff to sustain them. In addition to paying less than hospitals in cities, many doctors just aren’t interested in relocating to work at them. However, telemedicine in rural communities allows doctors to work remotely. They can attend consultations virtually, with the in-person session being led by a registered nurse or other healthcare professional. The doctor can deliver instructions while the nurse carries out the exam and relays what they observe. Together, they can come to a diagnosis and formulate a treatment plan. It Serves the Underserved Ultimately, the biggest benefit of telehealth in rural communities is its ability to reach the underserved. While there is a lot of focus on poverty in urban areas, there is also plenty in rural areas as well. And unlike in cities, these individuals cannot just hop on the bus or metro to get to a doctor, and there are far fewer free clinics available to them. For them, telemedicine is often the only medicine that is accessible, and is essential to their wellbeing. To better serve your rural clients, look into virtual patient engagement solutions, including those related to telemedicine. For assistance in reaching these patients, speak with Sequence Health. We offer healthcare internet marketing solutions that work for providers of all sizes.
Ways to Improve Healthcare Workflow Written by Jeff Tormey on May 31, 2021. Posted in Manage. If you own busy practice, you likely struggle with workflow variations, transitions, and more. No matter how organized you and your office team are, you cannot overcome everything on your own. Barriers to efficiency include everything from driving patient engagement to keeping up with changes in technology. However, that isn’t to say that you cannot better engage in healthcare workflow management. In fact, there is a lot you can do to make your office run smoother. Switch to Electronic Health Records If you are still keeping paper files, now is the time to stop. From writing things out by hand to properly filing away forms, relying on paper will always slow down your workflow. Customer relationship management (CRM) in the healthcare industry relies on electronic records of all kinds that both you and the patient can access, and this means going digital. Give Patients Control The modern patient doesn’t just come to the doctor and hand over the reins. They want to take control. A great way for them to do that is through the use of an online patient portal. Not only can this give them access to the records mentioned above, but they can also upload their own documents, share communications from other doctors, schedule their appointments, and set their appointment reminders. This is one of the best ways to improve healthcare workflow since otherwise, all of this would fall on your staff. Answer Questions Online Much of your appointment times are spent answering patient questions. While this is an important part of developing relationships with patients, many of these questions can be answered just as well online. There are plenty of ways to do this, from FAQ sections on your website to chatbots that pop up to engage visitors. Whatever options you choose, they all stand to improve healthcare workflow. Offer Express Telemedicine Perhaps one of the most impactful changes you could make is adding express telemedicine as a service. For patients with minor concerns that can be handled virtually, you allow them to set up an appointment with a nurse practitioner or other suitable healthcare professional and meet with them online. This keeps your actual office more open and better able to focus on more urgent needs. Medical online marketing and other digital solutions can greatly improve the way your practice does business. If your goal is to improve your workflow, we are here to help.
Problems That Healthcare Technology Can Solve Written by Jeff Tormey on May 26, 2021. Posted in Manage, Specialities. Technology has radically changed every industry—healthcare is no exception. But these advancements don’t stop at robot-assisted surgery or advancements in prosthetic limbs—they cover everything from diagnosis and treatment to managing patient flow. Thanks to the pandemic, developments in technological solutions for healthcare has accelerated at a rapid pace, racing to meet the needs of people stuck in their homes or rural communities due to lockdown. But what are problems that healthcare technology can solve? And how could these solutions change the way your practice operates? Problem: Maintaining Compliance HIPAA is always at the top of any medical professional’s mind, but there are many more agencies with regulations you need to stay on top of. From Medicare to the CDC, there is a lot to know and juggle. In most cases, regulations change faster than you can learn them. Technology offers solutions for healthcare that makes it easier to keep track of what you need to do to be in compliance with the various regulatory agencies. From tracking apps to blockchain for patient forms, it makes it easier to avoid having things lost in the shuffle. Problem: Removing Human Error Computers aren’t perfect—we understand that. However, when it comes to processing paperwork, assigning tasks, and maintaining confidentiality, they tend to eliminate the vast majority of errors that humans introduce. Human error is the primary driver of healthcare problems and the need for solutions. This ties into the issue of compliance as well. Where a human can easily send the wrong file to a patient with the same name, an automated system will look at the unique patient number and prevent a HIPAA violation. Problem: Rural Healthcare Like most industries, healthcare is centered in the cities and suburbs. But millions of Americans live in rural locations where the nearest hospital or doctor can be over an hour away. Unlike those working in major metropolitan areas, these people cannot just pop over to the dermatologist on their lunch break. Telemedicine solutions have made it easier for healthcare providers to help this population. Through video chats, texting apps, and online patient portals, it is easier and more effective than ever before to treat patients at a distance. This is one solution to a healthcare problem that has long been needed. Problem: Medical Marketing Medical practices can no longer rely on word-of-mouth to survive. Now, you need medical marketing strategies that cover a variety of media. Technology can help make your marketing and branding easier to manage. From tools that determine the keywords for your healthcare SEO to tracking which services most interest your website visitors, there is a lot tech can do for you. Are you interested in technology solutions for healthcare? We offer customized packages to fit your needs and budget. For more information, schedule your demo with Sequence Health.
The Importance of Insurance Verification for Your Dental Practice Written by Jeff Tormey on May 22, 2021. Posted in Manage. As a full-service dental practice, you want to make the services you offer as accessible as possible and ensure the patient experience is a smooth one. Central to this is medical insurance verification. While a small task for your office, this has a significant impact on your patients, often determining whether or not they can afford treatment. Delays and snags with insurance verification can harm patient retention and earn your dental practice a bad reputation. At Sequence Health, we support dental practices in the insurance verification process with automated tools, human support, and accurate reporting that help patients understand their coverage limits and what they can and cannot afford. Why Insurance Verification Is Important for Dental Practices Compared to standard health insurance, dental insurance is often a bit tricker. The limits and terms are different, and patients are less likely to have a full understanding of what their policy covers than they would with general health coverage. Additionally, these policies are typically separate and might even be with a different company than their primary provider. Insurance verification for your dental practice is a central component of patient support. Your average patient isn’t equipped to navigate insurance jargon and doesn’t have the time to spend hours on the phone waiting to talk to a customer service representative. Many of them barely have the time to get to your office and receive treatment. This means patients rely on your staff to complete their medical insurance verification for them and let them know how far their coverage goes and what they will need to pay out of pocket. When you don’t, or you give the wrong answer and then they have to pay out of pocket, it reflects poorly on you. Why Insurance Verification Can Be Difficult for Your Practice At the same time, it isn’t always easy for your practice to take care of insurance verification themselves. This is especially true if your receptionist and billing department are one and the same. Your support staff already has a lot on their plate, and adding verification to this list can overwhelm them, creating a ripple effect that throws off more than your billing. This often leaves dentists in a difficult position: overwhelm the staff, hire someone just for insurance, or risk harming the patient experience? Luckily, there is an alternative. Outsourcing Dental Insurance Verification The importance of insurance verification for dental practices cannot be overstated. But if taking it on yourself has your ship sinking, you should consider outsourcing the task. Sequence Health offers solutions for healthcare providers that take the weight off their shoulders while ensuring patients get the well-rounded experience of a fully-staffed practice. As a healthcare advertising company, we can also take on all your marketing and branding tasks as well. To learn more or schedule your demo, contact Sequence Health today.
How to Reduce Patient Waiting Time in a Hospital or Clinic Written by Jeff Tormey on May 18, 2021. Posted in Manage. Time spent in the waiting room seems like such a small fraction of the patient experience, and if you are like most medical practices, you do what you can to make it a pleasant experience. You have magazines, attractive décor, and the radio or TV playing for distraction. Even if the wait times run a little long, it can’t have too much of an impact. Right? Well, we have bad news. Nearly all patients report being frustrated with how long they need to wait at medical offices and hospitals. Feeling like your time has been wasted in a waiting room is essentially a universal experience. The good news is that there are ways to decrease patient wait times and increase patient satisfaction. Here are our top suggestions. 1. Focus on Customer Relationship Management CRM in healthcare manages all interactions between you and your patients, facilitating ease of communication and keeping all essential elements organized. The patient end of this is your online patient portal. Through this, you can have patients upload documents, fill out a health history and HIPAA forms, and even give a brief write-up of the current condition they are seeking treatment for. This helps eliminate time spent sitting in the waiting room filling out paperwork and allows your patient to arrive right on time rather than 15 minutes early. 2. Use Digital Queuing Restaurants already have this one down pat. People hate just waiting in line, so instead, enter their information into an automated system and when it’s five minutes before you can see them, they get a message to head on in. This lets them wait in their cars where they might feel more comfortable or enjoy a latte at the café next door. 3. Be Firm in Your Late Arrivals Policy An excellent way to reduce patient waiting time is by not tolerating late arrivals. While we all know that sometimes, life happens and being late is unavoidable, your other patients shouldn’t have to suffer because of someone’s bad luck or poor planning. Set your policy on how late a patient can arrive and still be seen, and be firm in enforcing it. 4. Set Up Express Care Express care will require another care provider, such as a registered nurse, to be available for walk-ins and short-notice bookings. These appointments should be restricted to simple conditions, such as common colds, splinter removal, and even stitches, depending upon the situation. This way, they do not disrupt the overall flow of the practice. Reducing practice and hospital wait times is possible with the correct approach. Focus on patient engagement solutions, firm policies, and medical technology that can help with time management. For more information about digital solutions or medical online marketing, contact Sequence Health. Schedule your demo today.
How the Pandemic Has Changed Healthcare Written by Jeff Tormey on May 13, 2021. Posted in Women's Health. COVID-19 dropped like a bomb and radically shifted the landscape of our daily lives. While some of these changes have shifted back to their pre-pandemic norms, many of the changes in the healthcare industry seem to be sticking around. From digital consultations to greater interest in medical patient portals, here are the ways the pandemic and quarantine have permanently changed American healthcare. The Telemedicine Boom When looking at the pandemic and healthcare, perhaps the most significant and lasting change is interest in telemedicine. Telehealth is nothing new, but it was a severely underutilized tool. Once the pandemic hit and offices had to limit their capacity, many patients were happy to opt for a virtual consultation where they didn’t even need to leave the house. While there will always be cases where seeing a patient in person is best, the truth is that there are many appointments that can just as easily be attended digitally. Patients are happy to get the same level of care without needing to alter their schedule as much. Virtual Patient Support Up until 2020, patient portals, medical websites for practices, and secure medical messaging platforms were severely underutilized by patients. Most practices had them, but only the rare patient with a love of technology would bother using them. Since March of 2020, these have become essential components of the patient experience. They are authentic patient engagement solutions, making it easier for patients to communicate with your practice, get the answers they need, schedule appointments, and set up automatic reminders. Practice Management Software Having a well-running practice has always been important. However, in light of the pandemic, maintaining a smooth flow is more important than ever. Patients need to get in and out without much waiting around, and you need to minimize patient overlap wherever possible. Patient management software assists you with everything from scheduling to maximizing reimbursements. While some things are destined to return to their pre-pandemic state, interest in virtual solutions and automation for the healthcare industry is certain to remain. Healthcare technology came up against COVID-19 and came out of the battle stronger. And with more Millennial and Gen Z patients, these trends are only going to increase with time. To learn more about how medical technology, outsourcing, and automation can improve your practice, work with Sequence Health. Schedule your free demo today.
How Patient Appointment Reminders are Changing the Healthcare Industry Written by Jeff Tormey on May 8, 2021. Posted in Appointments Reminder. Automation has helped to simplify and improve many of the processes that keep medical practices running. Take medical appointment reminders, for example. In the past, receptionists had to spend hours each day calling patients to ensure they were aware of their upcoming appointment and that they would make it. Even with the phone call, many patients would get busy and forget to attend their appointment. With every no-show, practices lost revenue. But now, things are different. The Patient Appointment Reminders Revolution Now, automated systems connect with your patient scheduling program and send out reminders to patients. Not only can patients get a call the day before, but they can also get multiple reminders across various platforms at varying times. Read more: How To Schedule Patients Effectively: Medical Appointment Scheduling Guidelines For example, your patient who works at a busy law firm might want a call to her receptionist the day before, an email to herself that night, and a text two hours before her appointment. Not only is this possible, but your staff doesn’t have to schedule all of these reminders. The patient can do it on their own through your medical center patient portal. Ways Patient Appointment Reminders Improve Healthcare You Save Time There are two key ways you as a provider save time with automated appointment reminders. First, you no longer need staff to dedicate time to the task, freeing them up to attend to other matters that can speed up your processes and keep appointments on track. Second, you don’t end up with as many gaps in your day due to patients failing to show. While on the surface, that sounds like getting time back, you know from experience how much it can throw off the whole day. You Save Money Depending on the size of your practice, calling patients for appointment reminders could be a part-time position. But even if your practice is small enough that it is merely as a task for your primary receptionist, automated reminders will save you money since patients will show for more appointments, allowing you to bill them or their insurance providers in full. Patients Take Control If your automation includes letting patients set reminders through your medical center patient portal, they get to take control over the process. Whereas regular calls often feel invasive, when the patient schedules the time and method of contact, it feels natural and personalized. It turns appointment reminders into patient engagement solutions. Patient appointment reminder automation is typically offered by healthcare advertising companies as part of their outsourcing and automation packages. To learn more about your options, schedule a demo with Sequence Health.