Building Your Virtual Practice

Doctor’s offices are no longer simply brick-and-mortar buildings. Almost every practice uses virtual tools such as an EMR/EHR and most use some kind of telemedicine solution. Unfortunately, these tools alone just aren’t enough to meet the increasing needs of patients in today’s digital world. 

One of the main needs that patients have in regards to their healthcare provider is access to them. Patients are accessing everything online from the comfort of their smartphone and they expect more virtual tools from everyone, so they expect this of their healthcare providers too. This shift is causing providers to adopt more virtual practice management tools, not just to meet demand, but to make their practice more efficient and to add value to their services.

This is because virtual practice tools actually help to improve patient outcomes, even between office visits, in a way that’s organized and automated. Moreover, the power of this technology allows doctors and their staff to save time and increase revenue. 

The bottom line: if you’re not working towards implementing virtual elements to your practice, you’re leaving money and opportunity on the table. Here are some ways that your practice can successfully build, or grow, the virtual aspects of your practice: 

Evaluate Your Needs 

Every practice is different. So before jumping into what technology you need, start by thinking about a typical day in your practice. What are some of the challenges you and your staff are facing or in other words, what’s holding you and your staff back from being efficient? 

Are you unable to see enough patients throughout the day? Are your patients failing to comply with your care instructions? Are you working overtime to address patient concerns after hours or on the weekends?

Once you’ve determined a few key issues, you can begin to explore ways to tackle them using technology. 

The Components of A Virtual Practice

While there’s many ways to build a virtual practice, these 3 areas can build a solid foundation for a budding virtual practice: tools for communication, tools for automation and tools to increase practice revenue.

Tools for Communication

Tools for communication between you and your patients are essential. If your office is experiencing an incredible backlog of voicemails, messages and emails, it’s time to consolidate into a system that allows patients to easily access you in a HIPAA compliant and centralized location for you and your staff. 

HIPAA compliant direct messaging is a great way for patients to ping you in between office visits as well as after hours. Giving patients a centralized place to message is great for managing the chaos and, you can determine whether you would like to address their concern ASAP or wait. 

Additionally, the ability to message with your staff and communicate about patient care in a HIPAA compliant system is an incredible tool to help everyone stay on task without having to sort through countless formats. 

Finally, if your telehealth solution doesn’t support group visits, you may want to consider switching to a platform that allows you to address similar patients with similar concerns in one sitting. This can help you to save time and it can help other patients learn from and support one another. 

Tools for Automation 

Once your patients leave your office, they probably won’t see you for a few months to a year, depending on your speciality.

But, when you provide them with care instructions, you’re usually only able to monitor their progress if they come back into the office, which is cumbersome for you and the patient.

If this is the pattern for your practice, consider utilizing a remote patient care solution with tools that allow you to some or all of the following:

These tools allow your patients to gain access to your care instructions, education, tasks and more. So even if you’re sleeping, your patients have the ability to access your guidance, track their progress, and message their care team when they need something. 

Tools for Increasing Revenue

Despite popular belief, insurance is not the only way for healthcare providers to make money, and patients are not opposed to cash offerings from their providers. 

According to a survey conducted by McKinsey & Co., the global wellness market is estimated “at more than $1.5 trillion, with annual growth of 5 to 10 percent.”

Much of this spending is led by newly established online retailers, less than trustworthy influencers and big box corporations looking to make a quick buck off of your patients’ desire to improve their health. 

Wouldn’t you rather they seek your expertise in exchange for solid advice and tools rather than someone without the qualifications to educate them? Your patients would also prefer your guidance than those other competitors. 

Some examples of implementing revenue building virtual tools include…

  • Concierge level telemedicine counseling for a monthly fee
  • Providing a remote patient tracking app to your patients for a monthly fee
  • Charging a one time fee for a weight loss or chronic condition specific digital program
  • Providing supplements to patients depending on their needs
  • And much more

The best way to do this is to offer a system to patients that easily accepts payments so patients can begin receiving your expert offerings and you can grow your practice. 

Platforms and Systems

There are many platforms that piecemeal various virtual tools to help you grow your practice, but it can become expensive and cumbersome to keep track of so many systems. 

If you’re looking for a solution that allows you to perform all of the functions mentioned above, look into BodySite. BodySite’s remote patient care solution offers automated patient education, HIPAA compliant telemedicine visits, real time messaging, biometric data monitoring, digital intake forms and more, all under one convenient and reasonably priced platform. 

BodySite is available on desktop and mobile making it extremely easy for you and your patients to connect. Take a full tour of the platform by heading here to view a live BodySite provider account or take advantage of our 30-day FREE trial here.