An in-depth look at how this new healthcare delivery model is disrupting the industry
What is concierge medicine – and what’s making it so popular?
Medical professionals are getting fed up. Doctors, nurses, and their staff are tired of the old, existing healthcare system where they feel like they’re getting squeezed – required to invest in expensive tech upgrades to meet new government regulations, while they get paid less and get less time to take care of patients. They’re frustrated and their patients are frustrated.
Their reaction – concierge medicine (also called boutique medicine) – one answer to developing a better patient-centered medical home. Many doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other medical pros are taking a leap and bucking the system. And going into concierge medicine is one way for physicians to go self pay while staying accessible and affordable for patients.
Concierge medicine is a way for health professionals to take back control. Physicians at an efficient concierge practice have greater control over:
- How much time they spend with patients
- What kind of care they offer
- Their own time, paperwork, and office workflows
- Their overall income and cash flow
Care and payment are no longer dictated by the whims of insurance companies. Concierge physicians are employees of their patients, since a good portion of their income comes from patient memberships.
On the flipside, patients like these concierge or boutique medicine practices, because they:
- Get more direct access to their physicians, especially when they need it most – when they’re sick
- Feel like they receive more personalized healthcare – and sometimes even house calls
- Get common, routine health problems taken care of quickly and easily (such as strep throat, UTI, common cold, flu, etc.)
And sometimes, patients can even lower their health costs overall. While they may have to pay for patient memberships in a concierge practice, there usually aren’t any deductibles and no or few copays – so their overall costs are likely to go down. With their routine healthcare covered, patients can switch to a lower-premium, higher-deductible “catastrophic” insurance plan just in case they need to cover a more serious health event.
Some argue that concierge medicine is the epitome of what a patient-centered medical home model should look like.
How does providing more one-on-one service make healthcare professionals more money?
The key word in concierge medicine is “concierge.” Whether you call it concierge medicine or boutique medicine, patients have high expectations of the customer service they’ll receive at a concierge practice.
What’s more, it’s that high level of service and efficiency that, if managed correctly behind the scenes with the right concierge practice software, can lead to better health outcomes for your patients and more profitability for your practice, because you’ll be able to manage a fuller roster of patients.
So how can you give patients that high level of individualized attention they expect while:
- Staying profitable
- Attracting and onboarding new patients
- Providing the best medical care
The answer: By using concierge medicine marketing software to apply CRM best practices to the marketing and management of your own concierge practice. RTS Labs knows CRM, and we know healthcare. And we have some ideas about how to put the two together to grow your practice.
Better outcomes, better time management so you can see more patients, and a better level of service for your patients … what’s not to like about concierge medicine management software?
How can I tell if concierge practice marketing software is right for me – and that I’m using it right?
Also known as boutique medicine marketing software, concierge medicine software in general can help you to manage your office in such a way that you:
- Spend less time chasing down information – patient information is stored in one convenient place
- Have faster lines of communication between you, your staff, your patients, and third-party specialists, pharmacies, and labs
- Convert more prospects into patients, because CRM software helps you track your follow-ups better (which is known to improve conversion rates)
- Can track and measure your marketing efforts to see what’s working
Do I have to have brand new concierge medicine management software developed just for me?
Not necessarily. Here’s the thing. You have lots of choices for how you handle your concierge medicine marketing and management. But remember – based on what we’ve seen with clients at RTS Labs, even if you go the proprietary route and have a custom app developed, it’s not necessarily going to be as expensive and time consuming as you think – not if you go with a firm that has experience developing apps for healthcare. And what you get out of it will likely be completely worth it. Here are your options:
- Buy CRM or sales software and customize it for your practice. There are a lot of great CRM programs to choose from, some more robust than others. Whether you customize it yourself or hire someone to help you, keep in mind using that sales software that isn’t specific to the healthcare industry may present some customization challenges. Right now, the only CRM software specifically designed for healthcare is Salesforce for concierge medicine – and even that will require customization to fit with your boutique medicine practice. But depending on the size and scope of your practice, this option could still work for you.
- Give Salesforce for concierge practice a try. Salesforce may be pricier than other CRM, but it’s also considered the CRM gold standard. The first thing to know about using Salesforce for boutique medicine is that Salesforce doesn’t generally come “ready to use.” (Not just in healthcare but in any industry.) You’ll get the most out of Salesforce if you customize it for your practice, which you can do yourself, or you can hire a tech consulting firm with Salesforce experience, such as RTS Labs, to help you.
- Hire a developer to sync your current programs. Have them create a portal or dashboard that will aggregate your EMR, billing, and other programs in one easy-to-access dashboard.
- Create a custom app. Creating your own proprietary program is one way to get exactly what you want for running your practice. Remember to factor the time you’ll save each day when you have boutique medicine management software developed especially for your needs and the needs of your staff and patients when you’re calculating ROI.
What areas of concierge practice marketing and management could software help me with?
- Electronic medical records (EMR): RTS Labs can build a new application or customize your current program to work better for you and synch with other programs
- Management system: Use CRM best practices to create a concierge practice management software system that helps you coordinate all the pieces of your practice, from marketing to new patient intake to patient records and billing
- Patient portal: Partner with RTS Labs to create a reliable, direct way for patients to schedule appointments, make payments, access automated prescription information, look up discharge instructions and other information, and message you and your staff
- Marketing and CRM: Track follow-ups better in order to increase your conversion rate, manage patient relations, keep patient information in one place for easier access, and streamline client-facing interactions to maximize your time each day
- Telemedicine: Provide services to clients while they’re out of town or increase your footprint to include areas that are farther away, including remote areas in need of healthcare professionals
- Dashboards and customization: Beyond customizing the programs you’re already using, RTS Labs can use the same technology and best practices that data analysts and business intelligence pros use to create a dashboard that brings all your current programs together in one accessible place – RTS Labs has a substantial amount of experience in the data and business intelligence sector and can easily combine it with what you need to manage your boutique medicine marketing and patient management
Medical professionals who have chosen private concierge practices for themselves and their patients have so many options, thanks to technology and a better understanding of how to apply CRM techniques and best practices to their own customer management and marketing.
In a nutshell, whether you call it concierge medicine software or boutique medicine software, having a specialized CRM-style program is a great way to manage the growth of your concierge practice, as well as patient healthcare and the everyday office tasks that keep your practice running like a well-oiled machine.
Not sure where to start? Contact RTS Labs for a free scoping session by filling out the form in the right sidebar or by calling (804) 577-5522. There’s no obligation, and we guarantee you’ll come away with at least one new idea for your practice.
