HOSPITAL GROWTH CONSULTING
Profitable Strategies for Hospital-Owned Outpatient Clinics
The Affordable Care Act has accelerated acquisition and consolidation of hospitals into increasingly larger (and fewer) health systems. Competition is fierce and profit strategies continue to change and evolve.
An important part of this integration strategy includes aggressive acquisition of medical practices that can function as outpatient clinics for the hospitals and health systems. But once you get beyond the obvious financial advantages, hospitals and health systems find themselves in the challenging business of managing and marketing their outpatient facilities.
Running a successful outpatient clinic requires an entirely different set of considerations and processes than those of a hospital. Most doctors are not easy to manage as employed physicians, particularly if they have previously been in private practice. Staff issues are also different in an outpatient setting.
Maximizing new patient growth, utilization, retention and compliance opportunities, along with referrals to hospital service lines and hospital-owned ancillary services falls outside of the scope, expertise and available time of most hospital and health system marketing departments.
Creating consistently positive patient experiences in outpatient clinic settings impacts online reviews and other patient satisfaction survey responses. Patient experience impacts reputation, retention, referrals, compliance, new patient opportunities and the income associated with all of these issues.
Yet outpatient clinic managers have too many competing responsibilities and priorities to make proper time to establish patient experience protocols, systems and oversight.
How Hirsch Healthcare Consulting Helps Hospital Clients
Working with over 2,500 outpatient practices and facilities across the U.S., I have seen it all and done it all.
My intimate understanding and in-depth experience improving performance and profits in outpatient settings can make your life easier and your outpatient clinics more productive and profitable.
Services include:
• Objective onsite assessment of issues and opportunities in outpatient clinics
• Evaluation of referral patterns and processes
• Evaluation of personnel
• Assessment of patient experience
• Evaluation of patient communication systems (in-office and remote)
• Marketing assessment, recommendations and planning
• Marketing system implementation and support
• Staff training on phone skills and patient experience
