There are many times in patient care when it is important to connect emotionally with your patients. Typically, these times are at the start, the middle, and the end of the appointment. Yes, it seems so obvious but many times practioners are so busy that the emotional connection is ignored in part in all appointments. Talk about missed opportunity! It's one of those things like, "I know I need to do this, I just forgot..." The cool thing is, if you remember to do it, and take your time, it costs you nothing and often leads to a very profitable result!
Just yesterday, I was observing a cosmetic derm practice and the doctor was seeing a new patient. In the initial interview, the new patient stated what she wanted, (brown spots removed from her cheeks and less tired looking eyes), and said, "I would have gone to my dermatologist for this, but he's always so busy." (Alarm bells sounding off in head because patient has told us exactly how to make her happy) The doctor then spent an extra 25 minutes discussing the patients goals and treatment options. The patient described the way her skin made her feel and why she was uncomfortable. She told the doctor about her daughter's upcoming wedding and he wish to look younger in the wedding pictures. When the consultation was done, the patient ended up scheduling for $5500 more treatment that what the initial treatment plan outlined.
Do you think that would have happened if the doctor rushed the consult and didn't connect with patient?
If you want to increase your case size, the likelihood or a referral, and your satisfaction, do the following:
Spend time creating a relationship with the patient. Ask her about her family, her work, or her life in general. If appropriate, disclose a bit about yourself. This establishes trust and trust leads to case acceptance.
Make eye contact and practice active listening. Tell her what you will be doing and answer any questions and ask permission to start treatment.
Speak to the benefits of treatment and the advantages of how you provide the care. Don't be too technical or serious. Just connect emotionally with your patient.
If you start taking more time, your patient satisfaction will go up. Happy patients = referring patients. Get started today!
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This is so true! Knowing that the doctor had taken time to truly listen to what is going on with my body it allowed me to be much more comfortable with my doctor. Once trust had been established it was easy moving forward with the treatment plan that was laid out for me.
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