The COVID-19 global pandemic has made its presence felt among all businesses, big and small, but the full impact on earnings, cash flow and employment will last far longer than a lockdown. Optometry practice owners are faced with the challenge of reducing overheads in line with the expected reduced patient re-visits. The irrecoverable loss of billable consultation time during lockdown will require business owners to find new ways to move forward. A new approach to address health and safety concerns, combined with increased patient motivation to return sooner, is critical in the recovery phase.
Be proactive.
Optometrists that are proactive regarding patient communication will lead to the right message resulting in more patients returning to the practice sooner. There are various communication channels well suited to the healthcare industry namely emails, SMS, Social Media, Blogs and Websites. Email and SMS communication during this critical time are some of the most cost-effective, easiest and quickest methods to implement.
Bulk emails and generic SMS messages to recall patients may be deemed impersonal during this time, thus being ineffective to create the business upswing required. Personalized communication and staying connected to patients in these uncertain times will establish empathy and deepen the existing patient relationship. Communication to ensure that patients are aware of, that as a healthcare practitioner, the highest clinical and hygiene standards are always in place, should be ongoing. As the fear of COVID-19 infection will continue to be a reality to many patients, especially the elderly, business owners will need to be proactive in this regard to ensure the safety of all staff and patients entering the practice.
This motivates patients to overcome the fear of returning to a practice for an eye examination.
Adapt to change.
Facing the business challenges of adapting to a “new normal” can be a daunting time for healthcare practitioners, whose primary focus is patient care. Implementing all the changes required, in a short space of time, is overwhelming. However, identifying industry leaders and business support partners who specialize in technology and innovation, will save critical time to implement these changes (and reduce effort).
With over 15 years in the eye care sector, healthcare technology based company, Nevada Cloud, has committed to fund assistance of practices with the Nevada Cloud Business Recovery Plan. Health care practitioners across the globe in retail practices, groups, chains, clinics, hospitals and universities, rely on the Nevada Cloud applications daily to support patient care and grow business opportunities.
Act fast.
The Nevada Cloud software applications integrate with your existing third party practice management software, like Eminence, saving time and speeding up the recovery of your practice. The cloud-based and downloadable software runs on your existing computers and devices, further reducing unwanted delays, whilst avoiding additional costs.
The Nevada Cloud team of experts is committed to working closely together with you and your staff in an active ongoing basis. An active working relationship enables feedback and agility in adapting to new challenges as they are faced, as we forge ahead towards business health, together.
Automate. Keep it simple.
The Nevada Cloud Business Recovery plan is simple and easy to implement. A personalized practice profile is created including your practice logo, photos, contact details, social, online and bookings integrations as seen in Ocumail Professional below. Integrations and interfacing with your existing practice management software, such as Eminence, enables your patient information to be linked seamlessly.
Customized sponsored patient campaigns are included within your practice profile, enabling the business owner to review, edit and send to a specific part of the patient base. The Nevada Cloud Business Recovery Plan patient campaigns are designed with the sole intention of driving patients in, sooner. These campaigns are sponsored and are targeted towards patients with orders in collection and 15 months of overdue appointments. All achieved at the click of a button!
The process might be simple, but storing practice patient information is not. The Nevada Cloud Company process and handle information and data responsibly in accordance with both POPI and EU GDPR compliance.
This guarantees that all data is 100% safe, secure and confidential.
