There’s an app for almost everything — online shopping services offer overnight shipping, car shares allow you to get to and from places, and social media lets you connect with people from around the world. So how does convenience impact healthcare?
If a patient has felt sick for a few days and over-the-counter remedies don’t seem to improve their condition, they check in with their doctor. Or even go to the emergency room. But that can be costly — and depending on the injury or illness, unnecessary.
Urgent care clinics are in a unique position to be the convenient and on-demand healthcare solution many patients are looking for. But it’s up to you to get patients in the door. Read on for three tips to drive more business at your urgent care.
1. Be competitive with pricing
Healthcare can be expensive. In fact, the average cost of an emergency room visit costs over $2,000. Fortunately, nearly half of all visits to urgent care centers in the United States cost less than $150.
Price has an impact on who comes to your facility, so you need to show your patients they’re getting their money’s worth — and quality care to boot.
Younger Americans are more influenced by price than older generations. According to a recent survey of over 2,000 Americans, 86% of those aged 18-39 say price impacts their decision to visit a clinic. This number becomes more significant when you compare that to the 58% of Baby Boomers and 59% of those aged 40-55 who said the same.
Many people don’t know how reasonable treatment can be at these clinics. Compared to an emergency room your patients can save a lot of their money. High-quality care at a reasonable price is a winning combination!
2. Offer a wide range of services
The best modern urgent care clinics are equipped to handle many common non-life-threatening illnesses and injuries. Those offering the highest quality care are staffed by at least one doctor as well as multiple nurse practitioners and physician assistants.
These urgent care medical teams are able to treat conditions such as allergic reactions, cuts, burns, colds, and even broken bones. Urgent care clinics also offer various lab services and tests alongside preventative care such as vaccinations and physical exams.
The more services you can offer the fewer patients you have to turn away. Patients who receive thorough treatment from skilled professionals are sure to return again and again.
3. Showcase your convenience and accessibility
According to the Urgent Care Association (UCA), the total number of urgent care clinics in the US reached 8,774 in late 2018 up from 6,400 in 2014. Those clinics handle upwards of 89 million patient visits per year. And nearly all of those visits are more convenient than a trip to an emergency room.
Your urgent care clinic is there to serve the community. Convenient locations keep your clinic top of mind.
But urgent urgent care clinics aren’t just accessible. They’re efficient. According to a UCA report from 2018, more than 70% of patients waited less than 20 minutes to be seen at an urgent care clinic, and nearly 94% were seen in less than 30 minutes.
Overall, 85% of urgent care centers patients were checked in and treated in under an hour. The more patients can process the more people you get to help. You get to make a bigger positive impact on your community. Plus short wait times are a great way to make for better patient satisfaction.
Increase patient satisfaction
Many medical practitioners get into medicine because they love helping people. Urgent care clinics are treating an increasing number of patients with unprecedented speed and quality.
And while there’s a lot to consider in managing your clinic, patient satisfaction is certainly at the top of the list. Learn more tips to keep your patients happy when you download 3 Secrets to Improving Patient Satisfaction.
