Get the Most Out of Your Post-op Appointments

Are you getting the most out of your post-operative appointments? If you don’t have a steady stream of content to post in social media and a line of leads coming through your door, then you may want to ask these questions.

1. Are you asking patients to provide feedback online?
The best way to collect reviews is to make reviews part of your post-op process. However, reviews on third party sites should not be posted from the practice. Most sites record the IP address of posters and they will delete posts that keep coming from one IP address. Instead, create a landing page on your website that features your top three-to-four review sites. Give the patient the link and ask them to do it at home. Then send follow-up postcards or emails to patients to remind them.

2. Are you using a review funnel?
You can help ensure the quality of your reviews with a funnel page before providing links to your preferred review sites. On the funnel page, ask “Did you have a satisfactory experience, yes or no?” Have the no answer redirect to a page with a direct line and email for the patient coordinator. Have yes answers continue on to the review page. This arrangement can help limit the number of negative reviews posted while helping patients find an outlet to resolve problems they may be experiencing.

3. Are you getting the proper authorizations?
According to HIPAA, you are not allowed to acknowledge your patients in social media without express consent. Even if they begin the conversation! Discuss new social media consents with your legal counsel. And discuss it with your patients! We see it as a good opportunity to make your patients and consults aware of the law and why you may appear to be frosty if they pose a question in an online forum.

4. Are videos part of your post-op process?
During a post-operative appointment, if a patient expresses their joy with their results, ask them if they’ll say it on camera. Then just pull out your smartphone. Most smartphones can shoot acceptable video and that’s all you need because video, quality is less important than the person giving the testimony. And since it’s not a big production, the patient will feel more relaxed, so it will be more natural, all of which will play well with the viewer. Just a simple 15 – 30 second quote is all you need.

Now post that to your YouTube and/or Facebook. Facebook video posts are a fantastic way to generate buzz – just don’t tag the patient or identify them in any and get written authorization to post. YouTube posts are great for SEO. Identify the keywords you want to perform better on in searches, then use them in the title and description of the video.