Not Enough New Patients Post-COVID Happening? Top Things You May Be Missing

You’ve been laying low during COVID-19 or seeing people via telehealth.  Now you’re re-opening and looking forward to treating patients in person again.  Although your business may have served you well pre-Covid, the game has changed and now you ready to take on new patient post-Covid. With such a shift, it’s important to do some fine tuning. 

Over the last couple of months, the unemployment rate in the US has risen to near 15%, a number that hasn’t been around since the great depression.  How will this impact your profession as an acupuncturist, chiropractor, naturopathic doctor, or functional medicine practitioner? 

I will be discussing this in upcoming blog articles and webinar training and sharing my predictions with our subscribers.  Part of being successful in business is staying ahead of the curve instead of reacting if you’re one of the last to make your move.

Getting New Patients

Just like in a game of chess, a plan is an important component of the game. Each move is based on evaluating one’s position, followed by a plan used by players to utilize their advantages and reduce the risk. 

You are not alone in this, and a lot of people are facing anxiety and stress over personal job security and income.

But hang on, getting new patients to walk through the door isn’t as easy anymore. The current position we are in isn’t as great as it was pre-Covid. With so many restrictions and limitations one can only do so much.

Fortunately, there are a few simple things you can do to bring patients in the door to help even in this climate. How?  

1.  Reach out to your network, your contacts and your email list. It is important to keep your current and previous patients close. Communicate to them how you can be of help and what value you are providing. You can also offer them priority bookings as you are re-opening and remind them that they can book appointments through Email or via text and social media.

   Check this out (start at 3:41. It’s short) for practical tips you can use to book more patients this week.

2. Medical doctors can be a great source of referrals for you. A lot of times, MDs or their patients don’t know about you and all the benefits you can bring them. MDs would be happy to refer if they knew about you and trusted in you.  But how do you get in touch with them so they start referring,  especially when they may be very busy right now?
   
   Recently I helped one of my clients make a short video explaining something about her area of expertise, and she sent it out personally to a handful of doctors.  This made those busy doctors aware of her practice and how she could help their patients get better outcomes.

    Something else she did was interview other practitioners.  She interviewed one and as a result of that interview, she has had someone take her up on one of her biggest packages because of it!  (she works with people by offering them packages)
   
   If you would like to know more about winning the referrals game and how to get doctors to refer, we have a helpful webinar that discusses all this and IT’S COMPLETELY FREE HERE.  This comes from my experience of working in different settings:  hospital, outpatient, at the FDA, and at Merck and seeing what gets MDs to refer and what doesn’t.  Now giving shortcuts to our clients on this.

3.  Continue to offer Telehealth or help people online in other ways (ie, coaching, teaching, or offering an online program/course as allowable per the laws of your state and profession).  This can still be a helpful to people, especially since in some states the incidences of COVID-19 have gone up since re-opening.

   It’s also possible that COVID-19 can come back in the fall.  Have things set up so you can offer telehealth or another way of helping people that goes beyond seeing patients 1-on-1 in person.  Want to offer another stream of income online, but not sure how to get that going?  Click Here to book a Double My Practice Strategy session now to see how we can help.

4. Educate people through speaking via means like webinars, online interviews, and podcasts.  Cover topics about different health issues and bring visibility to your practice.  This is a great avenue to educate and reach more people at once, especially when your hands are tied with being able to network with a bunch of people or participate in events where there are larger numbers of people (ie, health fairs, spinal screenings).  Even if you post on social media to try to attract more patients or spend money on ads, there’s a limit to those things because it takes time for people to build rapport with you.  But speaking can speed up the process of trusting in you, because they get to be educated on what you can help them with AND see if they resonate with you.

But visibility alone doesn’t equal new patients.  Visibility + a way of being able to inspire new patients to come from the speaking opportunity = New patients. 

Learn about how to increase new patient bookings from your speaking.  Watch the Speak & Get Patients Factor webinar.

 People will be seeking solutions as places re-open.  Why not be the practitioner or clinic people think about when things re-open?  You will be top of mind awareness for them if you are marketing now.

Want help with this?  Get in with us to see how we can help you bring in more patients and cashflow quickly OR monetize your expertise beyond seeing patients in person (ie, telehealth or another stream of income).   Let’s get you busier.

Need to make up for the income you lost out on because of being closed? Ready for your practice to pick up? 
Book your FREE practice assessment now

Or, want to bring in another stream of income beyond seeing patients in person?

There’s a reason why people like the recent President of American Association for Naturopathic Physicians (AANP), Board Member of American Society of Acupuncturists (ASA), former Board Member of American Academy of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (AAAOM), and Past President of the American Chiropractic Association (ACA)-Sports Council work with us.

The most passionate visionary and spiritual practitioners come to us to fast track their growth.

If you are ready to fast track your practice growth
(even during these times) and have a practice you’re proud of….

Enter your name and email below for a FREE Double My Practice Revenue Strategy session…