Did you get your rate increase for health insurance yet? Mine went up 15%! That means for my $10,000 deductible I get to pay $1300/month. So I get to take all of the risk, meaning statistically I should not reach my deductible and I get to pay $15,600/year for the privilege. HOUSTON WE HAVE A PROBLEM!!!
Your patients are in the same angry predicament too! I said angry for a reason. You see patients are going to be pissed off (just like you and me) that they have to pay so much money per month without ever getting to statistically use their benefits. The answer to this problem is that people are going to retreat from using health care unless there is blood or bone showing. Here are some steps that we are teaching our clients to take to protect their practice:
- Ramp up strategic-based marketing. if you don’t know what strategic-based marketing is then go back and review my past newsletters or go to www.inselmancoaching.com and watch the complimentary videos or webinars.
- You had better learn advanced communication skills and FAST. Your consultation needs to be spot on and create value for the patient. Remember the population pool of patients is going to most probably shrink, so every patient interaction must be spot on.
- Your report of findings needs to obtain a commitment that will set your staff up for a great recall procedure.
- You must be doing consistent re-examinations that determine the patient’s next problem.
- Your money management skills must be honed. You must learn how to mange debt, improve cash flow and grow your dollars safely.
Look at the practice statistics across America for 2016. Empty waiting rooms are rampant in America and with the looming double-digit premium increases due to Obama-care, 2017 is looking quite un-settling. It doesn’t have to for you. Since 2008 our clients are up on average 150% and you can too.
Here is a copy of an email that I received on Saturday from a client:
Subject: YOU LIED TO ME!!
You never told me that I was going to get so busy that my 2 hour lunches/breaks would get squeezed into 20 min’s of shoving food down my throat and that I was going to be exhausted (and yet energized) at the end of consistent busy days.
I’m usually busier in the fall each year but it’s exploding! You need to now teach me how to get rid of patients! jk (you would say “Danny, don’t throw that last phrase out in the universe:)
LOL!! Thank you for what you do!!
Have a great wkend!! GO CUBS!!
Danny