Medical practice: fill your slots with these 6 tips!

In the world of medicine, efficient appointment management is essential to ensuring a steady flow of patients and maintain the profitability of a medical practice. However, filling your diary is not always an easy task, especially if you’re just starting up your business! In this article, we’ll explore 6 digital tips that you can easily put in place to fill your time slots and facilitate your patients’ care pathway.

1. Offer online appointment booking

Nowadays, many patients prefer this method for its simplicity and convenience. What’s more, it offers patients an additional option for making appointments with you easily. At Physio 7, for example, online appointments account for 30% of all appointments.

2. Create an online website

A website dedicated to your medical activity allows you to easily inform your patients about consultation times and your services. What’s more, it will enable you to increase your online visibility and redirect your patients towards booking an appointment.

3. Get listed in an online directory

An online directory is an easy way to increase your visibility. In fact, they are often well referenced by Google in view of their use by Internet users. Some directories allow you to book appointments online directly with your patients. This is the case with OneDoc, for example. With this option, you can easily fill your slots by offering a new way of accessing appointment booking.

4. Create a Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business)

This listing is the one that appears in the top left-hand corner of Google when you search for a place such as a restaurant. As the owner of your healthcare establishment, you can easily create a Google Business Profile. As well as providing information about your establishment, you can also link the listing to your website and your online appointment booking tool. Having a Google Business Profile increases your visibility and simplifies the patient experience!

5. Be present on social networks

This will allow you to share useful information, such as a slot that has just become available at the last minute, for example, and interact with your audience. You can also put the link to your website in the bio to redirect your patients to book an appointment and fill your slots.

6. Offer appointment reminders

Send appointment reminders by SMS to reduce no-shows. Patients sometimes forget their appointments, and these reminders can help reduce the number of last-minute no-shows. No-shows can be reduced by 75%.

The importance of an online presence to fill your slots

Today, a large part of the reputation of a medical practice or clinic is built online. In the case of Physio 7, for example, 50% of people who know about the centre find out about it through internet searches. So it’s vital to use all the digital tools available to optimise your online presence and make it easier for patients to book appointments with you and fill your slots.