BUSINESSAffordable options to communicate with your patientsPractice Management. By Mike Norbut, amednews staff. March 27, 2006. Perhaps you've seen it a few times over the years, when a patient reacts to a "new" office policy with shock or surprise, even though it's been in place for a year. Or maybe you have had great new ideas for your practice, but they never left the drawing board, because the thought of alerting everyone, from patients to colleagues, seemed like too daunting a task. Practices always seem to have news worth sharing with patients, such as a flu shot reminder, summer office-hours announcement or a new health trend that could benefit people with a chronic illness. But with thousands of patients, spreading information can be a tricky, time-consuming proposition. It also can be expensive, depending on the method you choose. Technological innovations have allowed for more options beyond simply posting a notice in your office. While the strategies are rooted in marketing principles, health care consultants said there are communication methods that can spread information as easily as they can promote your practice. The problem with merely posting a sign in your office is that the timing might be wrong for patients, consultants said. Patients might not have an appointment in time to find out about a new development, or their next appointment might be so far in the future that the notice would be removed before they returned. Creating a Web site and using e-mail are two alternative cost-effective methods of mass communication, although their use largely would be dictated by the type of information you need to send to patients. [...]Full text of American Medical News content is available to AMA members and paid subscribers.
Copyright 2006 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.
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The doctors are in the house
The AMA's House of Delegates is holding its Interim Meeting Nov. 7-10 in Houston, addressing issues such as health system reform and physician payment. Meeting coverage - Slideshow Feature articlesHealth reform review The Massachusetts experience Litigation stress Being sued is personal as well as professional Comprehensive coverage
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