Dissecting the business of a private pediatric practice for the purpose of examining its parts & discourse
If you are a regular reader of this blog, you probably know about my e-book, 101 Ways to Transform Your Practice. If you haven’t picked it up (it is free by the way) I wanted to give you a little nudge to do so. Not everything in the ebook is going to work in your practice. But at the very least, I think the ebook will spark ideas that you would have not had otherwise. If you are still not convinced, then let me share this little … [Read more...]
Having an online presence does five things: 1) It allows the practice to engage patient outside of the practice which is appealing to parents. 2) It creates a sense of community which shows what the practice is about. 3) It gives parents/patients a platform to share their positive experience about the practice; which is critical in the context of potential patients/parents evaluating one’s practice from online reviews. 4) It allows … [Read more...]
According to a Pew Internet study, 87% of adults use search engines (mostly Google) to find information. And an increasingly amount of those searches are for local stores and establishments. Seventy-three percent of all online activity is related to local content, according to data released by Google. One of the ways to take control of your listings on search engines is to sign up for a free service by Google called Google Places. This free … [Read more...]
I don't think you really need one. And here is why. Social media is merely a communication tools just like a telephone. We don't have a phone policy in place for employees yet I would assume they already know what is appropriate and what is not when talking with patients or parents on the phone. Thus we don't need a document to tell employees how to act online. A well written employee manual ought to be enough to set the proper … [Read more...]
Here is an example of how a simple video (in this case an ad) can make a point about an issue in a pretty clever way using YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPk5mtLMv94 What does this have to do with Pediatrics? Glad you asked. If we want to be heard, own our message, get the word out, we have to leverage social media. Why use social media? Because it has democratized media. 93 thousand hits rivals many small town publications (see … [Read more...]
I always feel guilty when I’m at Costco and I sample a product without any intention of actually buying it. Like those delicious bite size quesadillas or that scrumptious guacamole dip. More than buying it, I wish those sample size were bigger to tell you the truth. But that is why I have three kids… so each of them can get a bite for dad. I don’t think I should feel guilty though. Sampling product has been a common practice probably … [Read more...]
For the past few months or so, I’ve been working on redesigning our practice’s web page. We’ve had our old webpage for 6-years. And just like dog years, on the web, that represents like 13 years. So it was time for a little nip & tuck. Research As part of my research to get ideas, I spent a lot of time online looking at other web pages. Not just those in health care. I looked at web designers web pages (which usually have the … [Read more...]
It seems that every couple of months, I hear a story about how a group of doctors that are trying to stifle patient’s ability to post negative comments online. The online community of course strongly opposes the notion of giving patients “gag orders.” People argue that if one can rate their local restaurant or mechanic shop, then why can’t patients rate physician and their offices. I’ve given doctor’s rating sites a lot of … [Read more...]
A few months ago I came across this cool video that makes a compelling argument on the progression of information technology. Recently, the video showed up again while surfing the web. Although the video addresses mostly technological advances and social issues, I think it is very pertinent to us as medical practice managers; particularly those of us in pediatrics. Take a look at it, and I’ll meet you on the other side. The … [Read more...]
