How to manage patient shortages during the holidays with effective strategies

Summer is here, bringing with it the much-anticipated vacation season! However, for many healthcare professionals, this period often means a drop in patient visits. Fortunately, there are solutions to maintain your practice’s activity and even seize new opportunities. Discover our tips for optimizing your medical practice management during the holidays.

Preparing for your patients’ vacations and filling your schedule

To avoid a shortage of patients during the summer holidays, you can implement various strategies:

Offer teleconsultations to stay connected with your patients

Your patients are on vacation? Join them virtually on the beach with teleconsultations! Illnesses don’t take holidays, and medical needs can arise anywhere. Video consultations are an excellent way to stay connected with your patients when they’re not nearby.

Teleconsultations are ideal for:

• Continuing ongoing treatment
• Addressing minor emergencies
• Maintaining your patient relationships

Enable online booking

While your regular patients may be away, it doesn’t mean there is no one sick in Switzerland. Holiday periods many tourists visit, and if they fall ill, their first instinct will probably be to search for a specialist online. Being accessible on the internet, especially through directories like OneDoc, increases your visibility and allows new patients to book appointments with you effortlessly.

Pro-tip:

Ensure your online profile is complete and up-to-date with your hours, expertises, and current photos.

Take advantage of the vacations to optimize your strategy

If you still find yourself with free time despite your efforts, here are some ideas to make the most of this quieter period:

Boost your visibility during your patients holiday

Vacations can be a slower period, providing a perfect opportunity to tackle tasks you typically don’t have time for. These activities can help increase your visibility and potentially attract more patients:

Create or update your Google Business Profile

Take the time to create your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business). If you already have one, consider updating it. For instance, you can refresh your photos or add a link to your website. You can easily gain online visibility points with Google Business Profile in 10 steps.

Update your online profiles and website

Now is the time to replace that old profile photo you’ve been meaning to change. Use the vacation period to update your website and any online profiles across different platforms.

Prepare content for your website

Calmer times are also ideal for preparing content for your website. If you have a blog section, you can write articles on the latest medical news or your specialty. Ideally, create content in advance for future publication. Blog posts are a great way to boost your website’s visibility.

Ready for a busy holiday?

With these tips, you won’t have to worry about a slow practice during your patients’ vacations. We hope this article helps you manage patient shortages effectively during the holidays and keeps your schedule full!