meaningful insights for clinicians. They don't have the time or desire to
perform raw data analysis.
• Online bill payments. For patients paying their co-pays or
deductibles, the ability to easily pay online can shorten and simplify
your billing cycles.
• Marketing beyond surgery. You don't want patients to become
repeat customers, but a patient might someday want to come to you for
a different surgery, or to refer friends or family. In the for-profit world of
American health care, patients are actually consumers who become
customers of yours. In the broader business world, there's an ever-
increasing push by companies to use digital technology to foster more
"sticky" relationships with their customers through deeper, ongoing
engagement — to create "customers for life" who also serve as influ-
encers that attract and refer friends and family to the business.
• Competing in the competitive market of health care.
When you're digitally connected with patients, you have the ability to
toot your horn about positive outcomes, the services you provide,
what makes your facility the best, and provide news, information or
other content (which you can also source from third parties) that
might be of interest — even send birthday greetings. Patients can
read or view all of this and even share it with others. Used judicious-
ly, and always providing the ability for the patient to opt out of mar-
keting communications, you can strengthen your bonds with the
patient and the community that surrounds them.
OSM
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