It was just a few years ago that I sat in a room full of hospital marketing professionals who flat out told me that hospitals can't "Schedule Appointments" on their websites, because "hospitals don't book appointments, physicians do." My response? "What is a hospital?"
As far as I was concerned both then and now, nothing exists but health systems. As the most recognizable brand in the health system (with the biggest marketing budget), hospitals needed to become the leader in attracting and controlling the appointment setting process – which they have since done.
Today, surgery centers are where hospitals were a number of years ago, and my opinion has not changed. ASCs are an increasingly visible part of a physician health system and need to play a part in the consultation scheduling process. Most ASC websites invite calls or emails for information on pre-registration or day-of surgery logistics, but why not "schedule an appointment" or "schedule a consultation"? Patients are increasingly going online to research healthcare decisions. Their efforts are just as likely to lead them to your facility as they are to lead them to your physician practices. Hospitals are controlling this process and directing patients to their physician practices. You should too.
This change is incredibly simple to implement. My advice? Add a button. The "schedule a consult" button can lead anywhere. You already have specialties and physicians listed on your sites – probably with contact information. Start there. Ideally, I would want to generate a form like the one being used at the physician practice. When a patient fills that form out, the request would be sent to the center as well as the physician practice. One more key step is educating your front desk staff. Give them a script for how to handle an appointment request.
Walking a patient through the process of scheduling an appointment is no different than walking them through insurance questions or day of procedure concerns. As usual, you act as an advocate. You communicate to patients that you can help them, and then make it easy. If you don't, someone else will.
3 Root Steps to get you going:
1. Add a "Schedule a consult" button to your website
2. Point that button to a form that emails the center and the physician practice scheduler
3. Develop a script for the center's front desk personnel
Scott Christiansen has been an innovator in the development, execution, and evolution of growth marketing platforms and strategies. Currently, Christiansen is Founder and CEO of Root3 Growth Marketing, a Chicago-based marketing and consulting agency focused on developing long-term success strategies for high-growth businesses.
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