As a PT, OT, or multidisciplinary practice, one lost eval means a loss of 10-14 visits for an average POC.
(TIP: To calculate lost revenue per new patient multiply your average reimbursement by your average visits to DC)
If you’re a pediatric practice, it’s far more than that.
But potential new patients also suffer a loss.
Because potential new patients won't get the care they need to recover, achieve their goals, and live their very best lives.
Not only will that lead to more problems for the patient, but...
They’ll end up spending more money elsewhere to try to solve their problem.
They might purchase a product that promises to help.
Or see another provider who isn’t trained to help them like you are.
They could spend months, or even years, without finding a solution to their problem...
And all this time, we’re right here waiting...
One of the biggest issues we encounter is that, with all these failed attempts at converting new patients and getting the help they need for their problem, these patients lose trust:
That there is a solution to their problem
That they will get relief from their pain or problem
That someone can help them
As a physical therapist, I know that trust is a huge factor when it comes to patient care and converting new patients.
To get someone to agree to a 10-14 visit treatment plan, both physically and financially, new patients need to trust that you can and will help them get results.
But if they’ve tried other things, we’re not starting from zero. We’re starting from a position far below that with many people.
And, for those seeking your help, they aren’t just walking in your door and being seen. They first need to be scheduled by your Patient Care Coorindators (PCCs), who aren’t trained providers.
So, ask yourself this,
Do your PCCs know how to build trust on the first call with new patients?
Do they know how to build a relationship with potential patients? (So that potential patients feel connected to your practice and see that you can help them).
Do your PCCs see themselves as gatekeepers to your practice? Their main output should be: Scheduled patients and patients arriving as scheduled for care.
If not, you’re losing potential new patients.
And that leads to poor schedule control, more work for you, higher investment in marketing and promotions for the practice; and more importantly, people who aren’t getting the help they need and deserve from the first call.
PCCs Must Understand How to Handle New Patients
As a practice owner or manager, you need your PCCs to be masters of patient management, from the first call with new patients all the way to a successfully completed plan of care.
To do that, PCCs must build trust and a relationship with that potential new patient and have the skills to scheduled them for the initial evaluation appointment.
That’s the first step on the patient’s path to recovery AND toward improved schedule control.
Without this, you’ll feel like you’re fighting to keep things moving forward, and the weight of declining reimbursements will continue to press in on you.
To truly help potential patients become patients, your PCCs must see themselves differently, and their role in the practice needs to change.
They need to see themselves as salespeople and recognize that their main responsibility is to get people scheduled and arriving for the care they need and deserve. Not just at the beginning, but throughout care.
Train Your PCCs How to Handle New Patients
While that can feel like a daunting task, the good news is that YOU don’t have to teach them how to do this.
You can hire an expert who not only did this in their practice but has been doing it in practices across the US, Canada, and now globally since 2016.
And the best part? It’s all online, so you and your team can access it at ANY time.
The Front Office GURU Training Academy was designed to help your PCCs learn to master patient management from the first call to a successfully completed POC.
And you can do the training right along with your team, so you’re all on the same page, working and learning together!
Ask yourself,
What if you could convert MORE new patients in just a few weeks?
What would that do for your practice? And what would it mean for you?
Consistent Front Office Training leads to better patient results.
With The Front Office GURU Training Academy®, you can have the tools you need to provide consistent training to your front desk.
When you provide consistent training, your team is more successful and success in their position helps to decrease turnover.
Here are just a few of the essential topics we cover in this program:
How to have the right mindset when speaking with patients.
How to get more new patients to schedule and arrive for their evaluation appt
How to talk about the cost of care and handle patient worries about costs
How to PREVENT cancels and no-shows (and also how to handle someone to keep it from happening again)
How to fill your schedule and keep it full
Watch this video to learn more:
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