Medical retail health care is on the rise. As we move towards the future, analysts predict it will play an increased role in the United States’ healthcare system.
That’s good news if you run a retail healthcare clinic. But you’ll still face stiff competition from other providers. If you want to keep your patients while attracting new ones, you have to optimize the way you run your clinic.
We’ve put together this article to help you achieve that goal. Keep reading to learn what it takes.
Understand the value you provide
Before you can improve your retail healthcare clinic, you need to have a clear understanding of the role that you play in the broader healthcare system.
Once you understand why a patient would choose you over another option, it becomes easier to see the specific areas you should focus on to drive the improvements that you want.
There are two major reasons why a person would choose a medical retail clinic.
Convenience
Retail healthcare clinics are extremely convenient. They’re situated in retail businesses that patients visit already. So people don’t usually have to make an extra trip to go see a doctor.
Additionally, retail healthcare clinics are usually easier to get into than standard hospitals. Patients are usually able to make same-day or same-week appointments. And many clinics offer walk-in medical support.
Together, these factors make retail healthcare clinics a much more convenient experience for most patients.
Transparency
This is another huge factor that retail clinics have going in their favor. Most providers list the upfront costs of the services that they provide. This gives patients foresight into exactly how much they’re going to spend by visiting the doctor.
That type of transparency is rare in the United States’ healthcare system. So patients really appreciate that retail clinics provide it.
The cons of retail clinics
A good strategy for optimizing your clinic’s performance is improving upon what you do well while also focusing on minimizing your drawbacks. That’s why it can also be useful to familiarize yourself with the cons of retail clinics.
Limited service
One of the biggest drawbacks of retail clinics is that they usually only offer a limited set of services. You may not be able to do much about this at your clinic.
But you could partner with a local provider who you refer your patients to when you’re unable to help them. They would likely do the same for you in return.
Invest in technology that improves patient experience
Technology empowers retail health clinics to provide their patients with better experiences. If you’re looking to optimize your clinic’s performance, making a strategic investment in the right technology could be an excellent starting point.
Here are some ideas.
Digital signage
Digital signage is a single solution that can improve several aspects of your patients’ medical retail experience. If you’re not familiar, it’s a technology that features three components:
- Digital signage software (like UPshow)
- Screens (such as TVs, computer monitors and tablets)
- Digital signage player (not necessary if your screens are already connected to the internet)
You can use your digital signage software to display essentially whatever you want on your screens. Here are some of the most impactful use-cases for a retail healthcare clinic:
- Keeping your patients entertained with streaming video in your waiting room
- Allowing your patients to check themselves in with digital check-in kiosks
- Advertising services and partnerships
- Telling patients how long their current wait time is
- Educating patients on important healthcare topics
The coolest part is that you can do all of these things with a single screen. Digital signage software lets you create customized display rotation schedules so you can accomplish all of your goals.
Telehealth
Telehealth is a technology that’s seen mass adoption since the COVID-19 pandemic. Providing it to your patients is a great way to stand out from the competition.
It enables your doctors to see patients who might not be able to make it into your clinic for whatever reason. This expands your customer base.
Additionally, it helps you stay connected with patients who are already visiting you. This creates more engaged patients, which research suggests leads to better health outcomes.
Patient portal
Creating a patient portal is another excellent way to stay connected with your patients even when they’re not with you.
Patient portals make it easier for the people that you see to stay engaged with their health from home. They also give patients a way to communicate with your staff without having to schedule an appointment.
Focus on increasing patient engagement
Focusing on patient engagement is another smart strategy for improving the performance of your clinic. Engaged patients have better health outcomes and are usually more loyal. Here’s how to create them.
Educate your patients
People only invest themselves in things that they believe to be important. So in order to get your patients invested in their healthcare, you first need to teach them why it’s important for them to care.
That means educating your patients about the various health issues that they’re facing. Your staff has an important role to play in this. But you can also educate patients by sharing health information through digital signage.
For example, you can use your screens to teach patients about the dangers of obesity, seasonal illnesses and the other common conditions that you deal with in your practice.
Build lasting relationships
Part of increasing your patient engagement numbers is keeping the people that you see loyal to your clinic. And the most effective way to do that is by building lasting relationships.
You can do that by asking your staff to make it a point of emphasis to connect with the patients that they see beyond the health services that they’re providing.
Empower patients to contact you from home
Patients are more engaged with their healthcare when they’re able to manage it from home. It’s another reason why making an investment in building out a telehealth service and a patient portal can be so valuable.
Improve your in-clinic experience
Another way to boost patient engagement is to provide them with a better experience while in your clinic. You can do that by reducing wait times, improving patient-doctor interactions and making it all-around easier for an individual to come and see you.
Listen to your patients
It’s also worth mentioning that your patients are the best judges of what they need.
We can tell you about some of the common opportunities that retail healthcare clinics have to make improvements. But you may have some even more impactful upgrades to make.
The only way to truly know what your clinic needs is to ask your patients what it’s missing.
So consider conducting a survey of the people who come and see you. Ask them how they feel about different aspects of your care. And then give them the opportunity to write in their own suggestions for improvements.
You never know what you might uncover from conducting a survey like this. The results that you get could have a significant influence on how you spend the limited funds that you have available for making improvements.
Putting it all together
Retail healthcare clinics occupy a unique position in the market. They offer convenient, affordable and transparent care, which is why they’re poised to grow in the coming years.
But in order to take advantage of this expected growth, you need the right strategy. Some of the best things that you can do to prepare your retail healthcare clinic to grow are:
- Investing in emerging technology
- Building strategies around patient engagement
- Asking your patients what they want directly
If you commit to doing each of these things now, you will be well-positioned to meet your business and health outcome goals in the coming years.
Optimize your medical retail experience with UPshow
If you’re serious about optimizing your medical retail experience, making an investment in digital signage is a great way to begin that process. But you need the right software to get as much out of this technology as possible.
That’s why you should try UPshow. Our digital signage software makes it incredibly easy to create, edit and manage a multitude of digital signage display types.
With UPshow, you get:
- 500+ channels of streaming video entertainment
- The ability to manage your displays from any internet-enabled device
- Analytical information to help you assess the performance of your campaigns
- And so much more
We could spend all day telling you about how valuable UPshow can be for your company. But we’d rather show you so you can experience it for yourself.You can do that by signing up for a free custom demo today.
