July/Aug 2018 | Los Angeles Medicine Magazine

LACMA WELCOMES NEW PRESIDENT

C. FREEMAN MD, MBA, FAPA

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4 ESSENTIALS FOR STARTING A SUCCESSFUL HEALTH CARE PRACTICE Article Credit: American City Business Journals

It’s no secret that health care is a growing industry. As the Baby Boomer population ages and more people become insured, the demand for health care in the United States is expected to continue to grow rapidly.

Nearly $3.4 trillion was spent on health care in the United States in 2016, a number projected to grow to $5.5 trillion by 2025, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

For the many health care practitioners who dream of having a piece of the pie and meeting the demand for quality care, the following tips could help you realize your goal of starting and maintaining your own practice. And, if your interests and pursuits are in another industry, these suggestions very well could apply to those business segments as well.

1) BUILD THE RIGHT TEAM | While the ever-changing climate of health care has added complexities, so have the resources to help health care professionals be successful. One of the best resources you can have if you’re looking to start your own practice is an experienced network of advisers.

Creating a start-up team that consists of professionals with the health care experience, insight and expertise will help you make informed decisions on how to finance, market and operate your new practice.

This team should include your business banker or financial adviser, accountant, marketing consultant, attorney, a health-care-focused real estate broker, and a mentor or business coach, among others. It’s imperative to do your research to make sure that the professional team you surround yourself with has the required credentials and a good reputation.

2) HAVE A VISION | Having a clear vision of the goals for your health care practice will help give you clear direction and guidance. Your vision should include what you want your practice to look like and what you want to achieve in the future. The more specific you are, the greater the chance you have of seeing your vision through and recruiting others to help you achieve your vision.

Write your vision down and describe how it will become a reality. Share

it with your team. Once you build your practice, your vision may serve as a road map to keep your team and business on track while working toward your long-term destination.

3) DEVELOP YOUR BRAND | Research shows that people don’t have

relationships with products; they are loyal to brands. Having a brand identity is critical to your business because it’s what differentiates your practice from the next.

Your personal brand is your living legacy. It starts with you at your core as a human, doctor and business owner. Your brand should feel natural, sincere and comfortable to you as the leader most accountable for maintaining it authentically. When your personal brand perfectly matches who you are at your core, it’s far easier for you to match it to the culture of your clinic and the actual experience of your patients.

To get started, I recommend drafting what you would consider an ideal review from a patient and enlisting a brand consultant.

4) CREATE A BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL PLAN | A wellthought-out business plan may help you establish and stay focused on practice goals and objectives while also acting as an indispensable tool for communicating business objectives to lenders, contractors and staff.

By making it a habit to refresh your business plan on a regular basis, you also can be better prepared for unexpected opportunities, such as the perfect new location or a great deal on new practice equipment or technology.

Your business plan is also useful when applying for financing. Some graduates leave dental, medical and veterinary schools with a dream of owning their own practice and being in charge of their future. However, with the amount of student loan debt they may have after graduation, they often believe they can’t qualify for a business start-up loan and may even wonder if they already have too much of a financial burden to own a practice.

This belief couldn’t be further from the truth. For example, some lenders may extend a business loan against future practice earnings.

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EDITOR Sheri Carr | editor@physiciansnewsnetwork.com ADVERTISING SALES Dari Pebdani 858.231.1231 | dpebdani@gmail.com

VOLUME 149 ISSUE 4 | JULY/AUG 2018

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD David H. Aizuss, MD Troy Elander, MD Thomas Horowitz, DO Robert J. Rogers, MD HEADQUARTERS LOS ANGELES COUNTY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION 1055 West 7th Street, Suite 2290 | Los Angeles, CA 90017 Tel 213.683.9900 | Fax 213.226.0350 www.losangelesmedicine.org LACMA OFFICERS PRESIDENT | C. Freeman, MD, MBA, FAPA PRESIDENT-ELECT | Sion Roy, MD TREASURER | Diana Shiba, MD SECRETARY | Jeffery Lee, MD IMMEDIATE PAST-PRESIDENT | William K. Averill, MD LACMA BOARD OF DIRECTORS COUNCILORS-AT-LARGE TRUSTEES & CHAIR DELEGATION Jerry Abraham, MD (1) Jack Chou, MD, CMA Trustee Samuel Fink, MD (6) Maria Lymberis, MD, Chair of the LACMA Delegation Kambiz Kosari, MD (6) Peter Richman, MD, CMA Trustee Maria Lymberis, MD (5) Nhat Tran, MD (9) COUNCILORS Robert Bitonte, MD, JD (D1) Stephanie Booth, MD (D3) Troy Elander, MD (D5) Marc Mendes, MD (D6) David Hopp, MD (D7) Omer Deen, MD (D9) Christine Phan, MD (D10) William Hale, MD (D14) Roxana Yoonessi, MD, JD (SCPMG) Heather Silverman, MD (SSGPF) Po-Yin Samuel Huang, MD (1, YP Councilor) Hector Flores, MD (1, EPC Chair) Laura Halpin, MD (Resident Councilor) Sameer Berry, MD (Alt. Resident Councilor) Ali Tafreshi (Student Councilor, USC)

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C. Freeman, MD, MBA, FAPA

Gustavo Friederichsen

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LACMA’s Board of Directors consists of a group of 30 dedicated physicians who are working hard to uphold your rights and the rights of your patients. They always welcome hearing your comments and concerns. You can contact them by emailing or calling Lisa Le, Director of Governance, at lisa@lacmanet.org or 213-226-0304.

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PRESIDENT’S LETTER

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A MESSAGE FROM LACMA CEO

Independent What?

The Days of Independent Contractors in California Are Over

What a Night It Was!

2018 Installation of Officers: C. Freeman, MD, MBA, FAPA, Sworn In as LACMA’s First African-American President

How to Improve the Patient Experience and Build Patient Retention at Your Healthcare Practice

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LACMA PRESIDENT

C . F R E E M A N , M D, M B A , FA PA

Living the LACMA Life THE INSTALLATION OF OFFICERS on June 21, 2018, marked a renewed interest in LACMA. Newly invigorated physicians of all ethnic groups interested in pursuing opportunities to collectively address the assault on the profession of medicine are joining LACMA. LACMA is also attracting younger physicians committed to addressing the socioeconomic determinants of health. Recently, after discussing member benefits, a physician executive expressed, “It’s clear LACMA is dedicated to physicians, understands their evolving role, and has a genuine willingness to address the needs of the younger generation.”

In LACMA, with our Later, when I was paying for a quick meal, a worker numbers, we have a informed me, “The lettuce wrap costs 50 cents extra,” jolting me. Physicians educate about healthy eating, voice that is limitless in yet systems penalize those with limited resources (the what we can accomplish most vulnerable). In that moment, I came to life as a physician, educating on the social injustice should we choose to live LACMA of disproportionate pricing and the negative impacts the LACMA life. x on health. Feeling vindicated for winning the battle for my 50 cents, I realized the issue triggered an automatic response learned as a member of LACMA trained to effectively advocate for my patients, to fight against the social injustices that impair the ability to maximize health outcomes. In that draining yet sobering moment, I felt I was truly living the LACMA life.

Our lives are colored with a myriad of demands/challenges, which are to be managed with grace, proficiency, and the oft unrealistic expectation of perfection.

Medical education and training may not adequately equip one with the tools to manage these experiences, yet physicians remain at the core committed to the care of patients while often sacrificing self. However trying, in these draining moments, physicians can find strength. In LACMA, with our numbers, we have a voice that is limitless in what we can accomplish should we choose to live the LACMA life.

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LACMA CEO

G U S TAV O F R I E D E R I C H S E N

AS SUMMER CONTINUES TO HEAT UP, so do the changes at LACMA. We are embarking on an exciting campaign to engage, inspire and motivate physicians to join the organization for the first time, or come back if they didn’t see tangible value.

We have 25 strategic partners now to help physicians in nearly every aspect of their practice models. To learn more about our partners representing a multitude of solutions, based on specific physician feedback, visit our website at losangelesmedicine.org.

Revitalized conversations are taking place every week with medical groups, hospitals and health systems to uncover what LACMA can do for them.

While the conversations with private practice physicians might center on documentation, malpractice, contracting and recruitment of staff, group and system discussions allow us to leverage our partners like ERA to analyze supply chain and utility costs, even helping hospitals with account resolution.

Another exciting innovation is the first-ever LACMA physician-centered marketplace. We are in conversations with a technology company to launch a user-friendly, easy-to-navigate platform that will provide our members with an abundance of resources, discounts and offerings to enhance their medical practice. With our current portfolio of 25 companies, we will add another dozen to create the optimum venue for members to find what they need most. Stay tuned for more details.

I would like to acknowledge Dr. C. Freeman

for her historic new role as the 147th president of LACMA. Dr. Freeman is the quintessential leader, and we are already making strides with a renewed focus on social determinants of healthcare and exploring how programs and policies also impact the health of individuals, families, communities and providers. We continue to seek ways to establish partnerships with organizations like Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science and identify common goals, complementary roles, and ongoing constructive relationships between LACMA and the healthcare sectors.

LACMA Member Spotlight: Finally, it’s been said it takes a village to raise a child. It takes a plan and an army to grow membership.

One of our “soldiers” is Dr. Hector Flores, chair of family medicine at Adventist Health White Memorial (AHWM) Hospital. Dr. Flores always makes himself available. He is currently working to secure a transformational partnership with the California Endowment on behalf of our Medi-Cal providers. He attends meetings with prospective members, legislators and current members to ensure they are getting value out of membership.

Even with the Joint Commission on site at AHWM, he took the time to meet with an existing large group member to encourage renewal and returned later the same day to meet with a key LACMA prospective group member.

Thank you, Dr. Freeman, for your vision and thank you, Dr. Flores, for your tenacity as we enter the fall season with unprecedented momentum.

LACMA Launches Medical Group and Health Systems Solutions Platform As the practice of medicine has evolved, the Los Angeles County Medical Association (LACMA), once solely a membership benefit organization, has transformed itself in order to continue to meet our fundamental goal —helping healthcare organizations fulfill their goals while delivering value to the individual physicians within those organizations.

Historically, LACMA provided legislative support and benefits to all members, understanding that one of the most important reasons to join LACMA was to have a seat at the table.

While that stands true and is just as important today, LACMA’s engagement with medical professionals from all kinds of medical groups, like independent practice associations (IPAs), Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), management services organizations (MSOs) and hospitals, has substantially increased over the past year, and it has become evident that their needs are as unique as the communities they serve. We can no longer approach membership with a one-size-fits-all solution.

That is why LACMA has developed a robust solutions platform, supported by over 25 carefully vetted and selected preferred partners, for LA County’s medical groups and health systems that can help improve clinical and administrative operations, decrease supply chain costs and improve revenue management, offer individual physician and practice benefits, achieve optimal physician wellness, and so much more. We have developed a unique consultative and customized approach that allows healthcare organizations to fulfill their vision, mission and strategic goals while delivering value to physicians in those organizations.

LACMA continues to have the privilege of serving LA County’s best-known medical groups, such as Facey Medical Group, Southern California Permanente Medical Group, and City of Hope, to ensure fair representation in regulatory and legislative affairs at the local and state levels and offer valuable and tangible benefits to physicians.

As our membership grows, our effectiveness in building even better benefits grows, as does our ability to expand our scope in the groups we serve and the ways in which we can help them provide the best care for patients. The stronger and healthier LACMA and our members are, the more effective we become.

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One of the most commonly asked questions by our clients, and most employers, is whether their independent contractors are properly classified. Up until now, we have always explained that there is no black and white answer; rather, we would walk employers through a complicated multi-factor, fact specific test to determine whether the worker is an independent contractor or an employee. This has always been one of the more nebulous areas of employment law. And the consequences of misclassifying can be substantial as the Labor Board is known for handing out large penalties for classifying workers improperly.

On Monday, April 30, 2018, the California Supreme Court issued a ruling in Dynamex Operations West Inc. v. Superior Court that helps navigate through the fog by setting forth a much clearer three-part test to make this determination. Pursuant to this ruling, the court now PRESUMES that the worker is an employee. To classify a worker as an independent contractor, you must satisfy the new “ABC test”:

Independent What?

THE DAYS OF INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS IN CALIFORNIA ARE OVER

About the Authors: Alexis D. James and Renee N. Noy are employment attorneys and co-owners of the firm WorkWise Law, PC. Having practiced on both sides of the employment equation, for a combined 27 years, Alexis and Renee are solely focused on aiding business owners with their legal compliance requirements and preventing unnecessary disputes. Recent speaking engagements include the National Association of Women Business Owners, Professionals In Human Resources Association, Southern California Association for Hospital Risk Management, and the Los Angeles County Medical Association.

(A) that the worker is free from the control and direction of the hirer in connection with the performance of the work, both under the contract for the performance of such work and in fact; and (B) that the worker performs work that is outside the usual course of the hiring entity’s business; and (C) that the worker is customarily engaged in an independently established trade, occupation, or business of the same nature as the work performed for the hiring entity.

In simple terms, Part A means that the contractor cannot be controlled by the hiring entity (i.e., the hirer cannot direct the workers’ hours, or how they get the work done, or give them policies to adhere to, much like they would give an employee). If the hiring entity has oversight for how the work gets done, the worker is most likely an employee.

Part B, the part of the test that is now most problematic for employers, is that if the worker performs work that is similar to what the hiring entity does, the worker is an employee, not an independent contractor. For example, if a contractor uses framers to complete a project, and the contractor holds itself out to the public as doing general construction, then the framers would be employees, not contractors.

Part C implies that the work done for the hiring entity is part of a trade, occupation or business that is typically independent. The classic example is a plumber. A plumber would never be considered as part of a doctor’s office. If they are hired to clear a drain at the doctor’s office, the work done is typically independent of the medical practice and, therefore, would satisfy this part of the test.

To justify independent contractor status, you must satisfy all three factors; it is an “AND” test, not “OR.” Dynamex will have a significant impact on every industry, including the medical industry. For example, medical offices oftentimes outsource their medical billing. Prior to this ruling, it would not have been a question that the outsourced medical billing companies were operating as independent contractors, in that these companies likely worked for multiple medical offices, worked from their own office, used their own computers and equipment, and had special skills necessary to complete the tasks. This is no longer relevant, particularly under the B factor of the test. Under part B, it is impossible for a physician to argue that medical billing is outside the course of the hiring entity’s business. A medical practice cannot operate and survive without billing the patients. Under Dynamex, it seems unlikely that any argument that medical billers are independent contractors would fail.

It is going to be difficult, without further clarification from the courts, to continue treating workers as contractors. What this means is that employers must now pay Social Security and payroll taxes, provide workers’ compensation insurance, and comply with California and federal statutes regarding wages, hours and working conditions.

To properly convert independent contractors to employees, you should consult with legal counsel. We can guide you through the steps to bring peace of mind and reduce your costs for misclassification.

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Installation of Officers The Los Angeles County Medical Association’s 147th Installation of President and Officers took place at the Casa Del Mar in Santa Monica on June 21. LACMA has hosted the annual Installation, a changing of the guard for the organization’s physician leadership, for nearly a century and a half, but this event was different. C. Freeman, MD, MBA, FAPA, was sworn in as LACMA’s first African-American president and its first AfricanAmerican female president.

What a Ni 1

Dr. Freeman is the program director of the Psychiatry Residency Training Program at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, where she is currently building and leading a unique community-engaged training and research program focused on meeting the critical mental health needs of South Los Angeles.

With nearly 250 guests present, the evening was filled with positive energy, applause and excitement for the year to come for LACMA under Dr. Freeman’s leadership. In attendance were physicians and medical community leaders from all over LA County as well as Dr. Freeman’s friends, family and colleagues from across the country.

Dr. Thomas Freeman, the famed educator and orator from Houston, Texas, and C. Freeman’s father, delivered the evening’s invocation, which was followed by dinner and an awards presentation program.

Sidney Gold, MD, a LACMA and California Medical Association (CMA) member since 1984, received the Lifetime Achievement Award, which was presented

by Vito Imbasciani, MD, LACMA president 2016-2017. The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented each year to a member, selected by LACMA’s Past Presidents Committee, who has demonstrated an outstanding commitment and service to organized medicine. Dr. Gold is a psychiatrist from Woodland Hills and past member of LACMA’s Board of Directors. He was recognized for his contributions as a past delegate to CMA and to the American Medical Association.

Dr. Imbasciani also recognized and thanked LACMA’s outgoing president, William K. Averill, MD. Dr. Freeman herself was surprised with several awards presented to her throughout the evening in recognition of her leadership, service and commitment to the medical community. Othella Owens, MD, a board member from the Cooperative of American Physicians (CAP), the evening’s Platinum Sponsor, honored Dr. Freeman for being a longtime CAP member and congratulated her 6 L O S A N G E L E S M E D I C I N E | J U LY/A U G U S T 2 0 1 8

ight It Was! 2

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The 147th Installation of Officers would not have been possible without the support of generous partners and sponsors.

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Pfizer CAP The Doctors Company Mercer Vituity Charles R. Drew University of Science 1st Century Bank and Medicine RPM Mortgage Wells Fargo Southern California Hospital California Medical Center Psychiatric Association City of Hope

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PHOTOS: 1) Dr. C. Freeman; 2) Dr. William K. Averill with Dr. C. Freeman; 3) The Colonnade Ballroom at the Casa Del Mar; 4) Brent Robinson, field representative for U.S Senator Kamala D. Harris, and Dr. C. Freeman; 5) CMA President-elect, Dr. David H. Aizuss, Dr. Sunny Jha, and Dr. Atul Nakhasi and guest; 6) LACMA president-elect, Dr. Sion Roy, and LACMA secretary, Dr. Jeffery Lee; 7) LACMA past president, Dr. Vito Imbasciani, and Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Dr. Sidney Gold; 8) Event program; 9) Dr. C. Freeman and her parents, Dr. Thomas Freeman and Clarice Freeman with Senator Holly J. Mitchell; 10) Guests enjoy the reception before dinner; 11) Dr. C. Freeman and Dr. Othella Owens, CAP board member.

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1 PHOTOS: 1) Dr. C. Freeman receives applause from LACMA members, friends and family 2) George DiSalvo, Dr. Roberta Doucet, and Dr. Vito Imbasciani.

3) CMA president-elect, Dr. David H. Aizuss with LACMA CEO, Gustavo Friederichsen and Dr. Sunny Jha. 4) Dr. C. Freeman and Senator Holly J. Mitchell.

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on her historic new role. Stephanie Booth, MD, chair of LACMA Women Physicians Action Committee, Elizabeth Kurihara from the LACMA Alliance, the Association of Black Women Physicians and Bishop Frank Rush also made surprise presentations to congratulate Dr. Freeman.

The installation of new officers was also a notable moment for the evening. LACMA welcomed a new president-elect, Sion Roy, MD; treasurer, Diana Shiba, MD (not present); and secretary, Jeffery Lee, MD, who each committed to full and active participation in all programs, efforts and work of LACMA during their terms.

The evening’s close began with Dr. Freeman’s swearing-in and her taking the oath to serve as the new president.

State Senator Holly Mitchell, representing California’s 30th Senate District, played a special role as the keynote speaker and last presenter of the evening, delivering a message that will resonate over the next year and beyond.

“It is truly inspiring to see all that Dr. Freeman has accomplished, and I congratulate her on her installment as LACMA’s president. This is a significant moment in this organization’s history. Dr. Freeman is the very first African-American president and, by proxy, first African-American female president of LACMA. “Dr. Freeman’s installment indicates an important message about the necessity of inclusion, diversity and empowerment that correlates to the progression of values for not just LACMA, but also for the medical field and for society at large.”

Dr. Freeman’s presidency marks a new era for LACMA and for organized medicine. As she takes on her role, Dr. Freeman said, she will “lead our group in what is shaping up to be a year of new levels of inclusion and active advocacy, which increases the value for more physicians and has the highly desirable side effect of stimulating growth in membership, involvement, affiliations and impact.”

Los Angeles County Medical Association Officers July 1, 2018-June 30, 2019

PRESIDENT-ELECT

PRESIDENT

Sion Roy, MD

C. Freeman, MD, MBA, FAPA

Harbor UCLA Medical Center

Program Director Psychiatry Residency

Cardiology

Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science Psychiatry

TREASURER

SECRETARY

Diana Shiba, MD

Jeffery Lee, MD

Southern California Permanente Medical Group

Facey Medical Group

Ophthalmology

Internal Medicine

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT

William K. Averill, MD Private Practice Torrance Memorial Medical Center Cardiology

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PRACTICE GROWTH PARTNER

How to Improve the Patient Experience and Build Patient Retention at Your Healthcare Practice Digital transformation, consumerization, value-based payment models, market consolidation. There is so much swirl in healthcare today it can sometimes feel impossible to focus on the one thing that truly matters: patients.

of patients prefer to use online Although you certainly give scheduling rather than the teleyour patients your full attenphone. tion during their office visits, Healthcare providers need Going even further into patients see the exam as only to think strategically about reimagining the pre-visit experione aspect of the complete all the nuances that go into ence, practices can automate many patient experience. Healthcare routine communication chanproviders need to think stratepatient retention, including nels with patients, for example, to gically about all the nuances the creation of a patient send reminders for an upcoming that go into patient retention, marketing plan. appointment or patient alerts if including the creation of a the doctor is running behind the patient marketing plan. scheduled appointment time.

By prioritizing not just Small changes like these within the care delivered inside the pre-visit experience can collecthe exam room, but also the tively make a big difference in whether existing patients entire patient experience, medical practices can begin return to your practice and whether new patients to develop muscles that will help them weather any choose your practice out of the many available to them. unforeseen industry trends and regulations.

IMPROVE PRE-VISIT EXPERIENCE | The pre-visit experience encompasses every interaction a patient has with a practice leading up to the moment they sit down in the exam room. .Taking a page from what Apple or Amazon does right and applying it to the experience at a healthcare practice will not only delight patients but also help you earn their loyalty and love.

Start by examining your practice’s online presence, an essential exercise considering that more than 72% of Americans begin their search for healthcare providers online. First, Google the name of your practice or a phrase like “doctors near me” to see what results are returned.. Successful practices focus their marketing efforts on getting found in search results, as well as on other popular web destinations like business directories and social media.

But it’s not enough to be found on the web. You need a website that paints an accurate picture of the practice so prospective patients can get to know you quickly. This can be done with a thoughtful biography, by providing answers to frequently asked questions, and by clearly listing hours of operation, accepted insurance, and services — and sometimes even including prices.

A website is even better if patients can conveniently schedule appointments online right from the website without having to call. PatientPop research shows 42%

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IMPROVE THE IN-OFFICE EXPERIENCE | The surest path to a better in-office experience starts with a friendly and happy staff. It sounds simple, but it can actually be a difficult challenge for medical practices. Burnout can negatively impact a practice, even when hiring the best staff and brightest cultural fits. On a day-to-day basis, they need to feel they are contributing to the practice’s success in a way that only they can.

For doctors, that means delivering the best patient care. For staff, it means being able to focus on faceto-face interaction with patients and providers, which requires removing tasks from their to-do list that can otherwise be automated.

At many healthcare practices, front office staff spend most of their days booking and confirming appointments.. If your practice has improved the previsit experience by automating routine tasks related to scheduling appointments, sending appointment reminders, filling out forms and collecting insurance information, your staff will have the ability to be fully present and focused on interacting with patients as they walk through the door.

The downstream of this additional time, of course, is the ability to empower your front office staff to take on special projects. Think of the hundreds of projects your staff might be itching to tackle if only they weren’t busy putting out fires on a daily basis. You might want to update your waiting room, for example, to create a

GET HELP IMPROVING PATIENT EXPERIENCE AND BOOSTING PATIENT RETENTION AT YOUR PRACTICE TODAY.

Visit patientpop.com for information or call 310-804-9233. LACMA members who sign up for the PatientPop practice growth platform get a discount of $1,000 (applies to your implementation fee).

more welcoming space for patients. Special projects not only help engage staff in the mission of the practice, but they lead to tangible business results by giving patients a better overall experience. This, in turn, leads to better online reviews and word-of-mouth referrals. It is a virtuous cycle.

When you combine these refinements with providers who are on time to exams, demonstrate excellent and caring bedside manner, and clearly communicate care plans and next steps, you have a winning formula for better patient retention. When staff and providers have time to do more than answer the phone, check a box in an EHR, or deal with the latest crisis, it creates a lasting and noticeable impression on patients.

IMPROVE POST-VISIT EXPERIENCE | Even if you have managed to attract new patients, get them to come in for an appointment, and deliver an exceptional in-person experience, your job is still not done. Providers need to also think about designing and engineering the post-visit experience to be just as pleasant and seamless as they do for other aspects of the patient experience. When done right, a post-visit experience can create an endless feedback loop between patient and practice that becomes the engine for continuous improvement and ongoing patient satisfaction.

Start by sending automated feedback surveys to patients via text message or email. Even negative feedback can be useful for a practice because it offers a chance to see if any issues are trending and need to be addressed. The negative feedback can be collected to form the basis for a special projects list.

Once patients begin reviewing the practice with some regularity, having a member of the staff address online reviews will be crucial.

Nearly two-thirds of patients consider it “very” or “moderately” important for doctors to respond to a bad review, according to a survey about online reviews. Thank patients for positive reviews and acknowledge negative reviews by addressing and resolving them privately and promptly.

Often, when patients who leave a negative online review have their concerns acknowledged and resolved, those patients will go back to update

their initial review.

Practices that engage meaningfully with online reviews show prospective patients that they care enough to make the time to do something other practices might find trivial. It’s a small thing that makes a big difference.

When practices set out to tackle something as mercurial as the patient experience, it must surely feel like a daunting challenge to know where to even begin.

But, by thinking instead about how a practice can help patients during three distinct moments — pre-visit, in-office, and post-visit — the tasks to be done become much smaller and easier to strategically plan against.

This service-oriented approach to patient marketing and the patient experience will lead to higher patient retention, happier staff and an organization positioned to stand any unforeseen challenge.

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Call 213.663.7711

FAMILY MEDICINE, OB/GYN AND PEDIATRICS IN ORANGE COUNTY AND RIVERSIDE COUNTY

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