Becoming self-employed and opening one’s own practice is a dream shared by many doctors, but rarely easy to achieve. For Dr Tatjana Walser, founder of the practice Ärzte 8808/Doctors 8808 in Pfäffikon, this dream became reality in just a few weeks.
Between the search for premises, the creation of a visual identity, the building of a patient base and administrative management, every step represented a challenge.
Today, her practice is a local reference point, notably thanks to a clear digital strategy and the integration of OneDoc Pro right from the start.
The need: gaining freedom without losing visibility
Before taking the leap, Dr Walser worked as an employed physician in a medical practice.
But the working conditions and lack of organisational freedom quickly sparked a desire for change.
To open your own practice, you need flexibility, creativity and courage. In return, you are rewarded with great decision-making freedom and independence.
Independence also meant a new challenge: attracting patients to a completely new practice.
Even though she was able to take over some patients from her previous job, this was not enough to ensure the viability of the project. She therefore had to rely on online visibility and easy access to make the practice known and to quickly build a new patient base.
The solution: a strong digital presence and online appointment booking with OneDoc
From the very creation of the practice, Dr Walser surrounded herself with communication and management experts. On their advice, she chose a neutral name: “Ärzte 8808”, based on Pfäffikon’s postcode. The idea was to build a brand independent of the doctor’s name, which would be easier to hand over in the future.
She also invested in a comprehensive digital presence: an informative website, activity on social media, and online appointment booking via OneDoc Pro.
An online presence is an absolute necessity for us. We rely on an attractive homepage, social media, and the possibility for our patients to book appointments online through OneDoc.
This integration enabled simple practice management from day one, while offering patients a smooth and modern experience.
Features to attract new patients
Tangible results: autonomy, recognition and a growing patient base
Three years after opening, the practice Ärzte 8808 has a strong level of activity and a loyal patient base. Online appointments account for a growing share of consultations, and most new patients discover the practice online.
Every time a new patient comes to see us, we ask how they heard about us. The answer we hear most often is: the Internet!
Digital tools such as OneDoc Pro have enabled Dr Walser to:
- reduce the administrative workload
- improve the visibility of the practice
- and offer better accessibility
including through consultations in several languages.
Finally, the journey has also become a family project:
My husband found the practice premises for me, and my daughter prepares the PowerPoint presentations for our waiting room. For my children, it is a rewarding experience to see everything that is needed to create and manage a practice.
Thanks to a structured, digital and human approach, Dr Walser has achieved her goal: building a strong, independent and sustainable practice that reflects who she is.
