The value that you attach to your existing patients could well determine your long term growth. The obvious focus is to retain your existing patients rather than pouring out resources on continually recruiting new patients.

The way to retain these existing customers is by developing a customer-centric approach to understanding their needs and aspirations; thereby enabling you to develop more attractive and targeted communications and products.

This information gathering process is achieved by searching through previous transactions and re-establishing contact if necessary. There is also a need to adopt a patients relations management approach, whereby this gathering of knowledge about your patients is used to develop long term mutual benefits.

The main elements of patients relations management are as follows:

• The patient comes first – using the knowledge you have about them in a responsible way that serves their best interests.

• Patients Value Management – going for longer term growth rather than short term gains.

• Patients and Practice feel in control

• Patients are owned by whole Practice – so that everyone feels part of the communications and transaction process, giving a sense of meaning and value in the work place.

• Patients are seen to be a Corporate Asset – one which is assessed and valued as any other asset within the Practice.

In short, Patient Relations Management is the process of establishing a win-win situation between your Practice and your Patient – both feeling part of a winning team!