Although the process of going from practitioner to practice owner can appear daunting with so much to consider, it really is similar to any other business. Owning a medical practice is challenging, but with high risk, comes an incredible chance for reward.
The Caduceus Group specializes in all aspects of practice ownership, from beginning to end. Allow us to share with you a few of the things we have learned are most important along the way.
1. Staffing a medical practice
Hiring the right people,… and firing the wrong ones.
The goal in most professions is eventually to become your own boss. This is true in just about all industries, medical included. Some medical professionals spend their careers working and moving their ways up in a hospital. Some decide to open their own private practice.
Going from a doctor in a practice to the practice owner yields some remarkable results, monetary and otherwise.
Before going about the process, there are a few things that you should know. In this short guide, we will go over some of the things you will encounter along the way.
2. Training your staff for work in the medical field
On the same token as hiring the right people, you should make sure you have an effective system in place to train them as well.
Having an optimized workflow is important. Setting up a schedule for weekly processes can help this tremendously but there will always be things that come up unexpectedly and have high importance.
Make sure your staff is able to prioritize tasks efficiently. This is something that we help practice owners with. Using professionals who have experience in the industry is recommended. There are many providers over there. Using an agency like The Caduceus Group, who is well versed and experienced in the medical field, will yield a better and faster result.
You can always get in touch with us for questions and pricing on training programs.
3. Setting up a call center for handling inbound calls
Handling phone calls the right way is something many staff members struggle with. Many office workers will have no experience answering phones. This benefits you in many ways.
It may take more time, but hiring people with no experience will give you the opportunity to mold them from scratch. These candidates are more mailable and you will have an easier time than you would with someone who has experience doing things the wrong way.
With a dedicated call center for the practice, you will be able to launch without having this on your mind as a possible issue. We make sure phones are answered properly and your team is trained sufficiently to handle phone calls in this often-challenging field.
On the flip-side, incorporating chat features on the website can also assist in this process. Allowing you to receive messages and formulate an effective, cookie cutter response on the back end. Having time on your side is always a positive when dealing with clients and prospects.
4. Designing a website that converts
An effective web presence is important to any business that hopes to thrive in this highly digital age we find ourselves in. Making sure potential local clients have the opportunity to find you online is extremely important. Patients are becoming increasingly independent and doing their own research online before choosing their doctors, or anything else, for that matter.
Dealing with a highly educated client is our opportunity to present the best and most valuable information to them that they are looking for.
Making it clear to clients as well as search engines what we do, how we do it, and how it benefits our patients over some of their other options in the same marketplace.
5. Medical marketing
There are many instances where a medical practice will be successful doing the same things any ordinary business does. Marketing the business is no exception.
All marketing practices and mediums are important. Experimenting with new techniques Is always recommended. Since we focus mainly on digital, that is what we will briefly explain here:
Having good marketing in the medical field will increase your business and show you an immediate return on investment (ROI). With a proper balance of Pay Per Click, SEO, and Social Media Marketing, you can place yourself locally on the web and make it easier for patients to find you when they need you.
Good marketing is not intrusive, it is a way to assist people in finding what they want more quickly. By placing yourself in front of your target patient, you will make it easier for everyone and increase your patient visits. Win-win.
Running a business is a lot of work. Period.
Nobody ever said it was going to be easy, but it doesn’t have to be impossible either.
Keeping these few things in mind when opening and running your business is as important as ever. There are many challenges in the marketplace that did not exist just 10 years ago.
Instead of letting these things discourage you, let them encourage you to be better than the rest of your competition who has been around longer and may not be as willing to adapt to the digital age of marketing and running a business online.
Thanks for reading
Thanks for taking the time to read along with us. Get in touch and let us know if we were good at answering some of your questions, or weren’t. Always happy to hear feedback.
