Primary Care Providers: 5 Tips to Help Patients Avoid Urgent Care and Increase Revenue
Updated: Jan 15
Introduction
With flu and COVID season in full swing, many patients are seeking care at urgent care facilities instead of going to their primary care providers (PCPs). This is because they believe their condition is urgent. If your clinic is facing a loss of revenue due to patients going to urgent care instead, here are 5 simple tweaks you can make to plug this hole.
Make it easy for patients to schedule appointments
Invest in a robust electronic health record (EHR) or practice management (PM) system that offers easy online patient scheduling. Your Practice Administrator can block your slow hour(s) for same day appointments. You can maintain your work-life balance while still seeing patients by offering telemedicine appointments from home, between kids' practice, or even after putting them to bed.
Extend your hours of operation
Hire part-time third-year residents, nurse practitioners (NPs), physician assistants (PAs), or even registered nurses (RNs) to offer extended clinic hours ensuring that patients can receive care when it's most convenient for them.
Educate your patients
Offer periodic group visits and preventive education in-house or in the community to help patients understand the difference between minor issues and true emergencies to help individuals make informed healthcare decisions, minimizing unnecessary urgent care visits.
Cost and patient experience comparison
Offer multiple payment options
Provide diverse payment options, including subscription services and Direct Primary Care, to accommodate patients with different insurance plans or self-payment preferences.
Offer diagnostic services
Provide in-house diagnostic services or collaborate with external partners to reduce patient referrals, ensuring a cost-effective and streamlined healthcare experience.
By implementing these simple strategies and adapting your primary care services, you can ensure your clinic remains the first choice for non-emergent healthcare needs. #primarycare #urgentcare #advyzre #privatepractice
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