Patient Recall

Hey there! As clinic owners we are often obsessed with getting new patients. However if you have been in practice over a year, reactivating existing patients, or prior patients will probably be a lot more profitable. They already know you, they know where your office is, they know what you do, they just maybe forgot about you. Or another reason.

1. They feel better. This is number one, chiropractors, physical therapist, dentists, acupuncture, pain management, all of us, once the patient feels better they don’t come in. Now, we can argue if this is right or not, most of us would agree maintenance and checkups are an important part of your lifestyle, however, patients forget, feel better, get busy.
2. You did something. Did you bill them, did you annoy them? Maybe someone was rude. Who knows. If it wasn’t too severe, if the patient knows you care, they will come back.
3. THEY ARE EMBARRASSED! This is probably the number one reason. They are embarrassed. What about? Could be several things. They feel bad they didn’t follow your treatment plan, they feel bad about insurance not paying your full bill, they feel bad about missing appointments, they feel bad about not doing maintenance care, who knows. If they know you still care, they will come back.

1. Keep in touch. Send a monthly newsletter, birthday cards, postcards, xmas letters, Thanksgiving card, etc. The more times a year a patient hears form you, the more likely they will come back.
2. Recall Letters. There are many ways to do this. We are doing a monthly recall letter. So, they haven’t come into the clinic for one year this month, they get a one year recall letter. WE are also doing a 6 month. You can also do a blast recall letter. I have done this, and you can do a combination of the two. Send a letter to all patients who haven’t been in for a year, send a few hundred at once. Good Idea!
3. Recall Calls. You can do this several ways. Get your staff a good script, email me if you want one, drfedich@milliondollarclinic.com. They can make random calls daily, you can make it a yearly blast, or even better, do recall follow up calls to all the patients you sent the letters to! We do the monthly letters, then follow up with a call several days letter. 4. Recall Postcards. Same Idea as a letter, but go to vista print, upload the list of recalls, send a postcard with a discount, you will get response and its cheap, easy. Probably the fastest, cheapest way to get patients back in the office ASAP!

So, don't forget about your prior patients! There are dollars in that file cabinet!