9 Dynamic Approaches for Effective Patient Follow-up!

Patient follow-up is essential

In today’s fast-paced and consumer-driven world, it has become imperative for medical professionals to be proactive and have a timely follow-up with patients at all stages. This step is crucial in building up better relations between patients and providers. Whether it be hospitals or small practices, patient follow-up is one more step in building patient loyalty and is likely to bring in more referrals. It also takes care of compliance issues.

As claims reimbursement is more closely linked to quality and outcomes, following up with patients at different stages is necessary and must not be overlooked.

Patient follow-up can take many forms. Follow-up can be done, for example, after patient appointments, new patients’ visits, elective surgery follow-up visits, breast augmentation or reductions, LASIK, and laparoscopic procedures.

Effective approaches for patient follow-up

Having partnered with thousands of providers over a couple of decades, Bristol Healthcare Services has observed that the following approaches are effective for patient follow-up.

• Mail letters to patients who cannot be reached by phone. Specifically, check out and use the mode of communication preferred by the patient.

• Schedule the patient appointment as soon as possible. Frustration due to long wait times is avoided.

• Ensure that a standard follow-up call is made within a pre-decided time after a patient visit.

• After each visit, you can send an email or text message to the patient to provide feedback. Notably, this becomes an opportunity to improve patient care and get to understand patient perceptions.

• Send an email or text reminders regarding the patient’s next appointment without fail.

• Have office staff contact new patients to enquire whether they were happy with the visit and welcome the patient to the practice.

• Make sure a licensed health professional responds to a patient if required.

• Ensure results of tests, consults and referrals are verified and staff should be trained to handle test results and referrals.

• Communicate test results to patients. Patients may be asked to contact the office if they have not received them by a specific date.

How Bristol Healthcare can help you

Bristol Healthcare Services offers the entire gamut of front-office and back-office services. The team consists of certified and trained billers and coders with years of experience. Our company prioritizes staff education which comprises both knowledge enhancement modules and modules for enhancing communication skills. Our team can easily handle all communication with patients. We can execute patient follow-up services to your patients’ total satisfaction and ensure that happy patients continue visiting you.

We will assist you in augmenting your practice through our services. Let us forge a mutually rewarding partnership!