Patient-friendly Marketing for the Dental Practice

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What Patients Want to Know About You

This article originally appeared in slightly different format in Dental Practice & Finance (July-August, 1998).
No part of this article is to be reprinted in any journal or newsletter without appropriate request and permission.

By Suzanne Boswell

FIVE KEY MARKETING ISSUES
Marketing experts will tell you that you absolutely must let patients know about your practice and what you can do for them. As the axiom goes, "You can't hide your light under a bushel!" However, what you do and how you do it make all the difference in the world to your patients and your prospective patients. You can market in a patient friendly way that attracts patients to you or you can aggressively target patients in a way that sends them flying in the opposite direction.

In order to gain a better understanding of what patients like in relation to marketing, we conducted a series of patient focus groups on the subject. Into the meetings we brought a range of marketing materials representing methods used by practices today (For background on this research and demographics of patients in groups, reference "Dental Practice & Finance" Jan-Feb 1998)
We gained tremendous insight into how patients think, what they really want and how they prefer to be communicated with.   Regardless of the medium in discussion (print advertising, yellow pages, radio & TV ads, brochures, newsletters, new resident mailings, on-hold tapes) we heard repeated themes that were important to patients. The following 5 themes were key concepts for patients, and it didn't matter whether they saw it in print or heard it in an on-hold tape. These are probably significant to a good percentage of your patients too. Consider how you and the team address these matters with your patients and prospective patients.

THE ISSUES:
1. PLACE EMPHASIS ON QUALITY CARE
Most important to the patients in our focus groups was the quality of care provided. Even if the patients were seeking esthetic treatment, they wanted to believe the doctor's first concern would be for the oral health of the patient. They wanted "substance before style". For the office that actively promotes esthetic treatments, ensure that any promotion balances oral health issues with that of the cosmetic.

Patients were responsive to being in the care of a "quality network of practitioners". One of the brochures that patients particularly liked specifically indicated that the general practitioner networked with highly skilled specialists in order to provide the best clinical care for patients. Many patients perceived this to be a high quality practice that recognized the value of specialty treatment when it was needed. Some patients commented on their dislike of the "gatekeeper" concept with primary physicians and the inability to readily access specialty care

2. ADDRESS FINANCIAL & INSURANCE ISSUES
This is a key topic that patients want openly addressed. They don't want surprises in this area and they often have unspoken concerns or fears. Here is the unspoken concern: "Will I be overcharged, will I be treated fairly?" Until you have established a track record with the patient based on trust, you can bet that this question is floating . Therefore they found appealing the multidisciplinary care that this practitioner endorsed.

Ironically, patients perceive that you prefer to have this issue unspoken too! But if you raise the subject in a patient-friendly manner, their trust in you increases and their likelihood of verbalizing concerns or objections increases. As unpleasant as "concerns and objections" may sound, it's crucial that you know what these are. Until patients talk about it, you're at a distinct disadvantage.
In our focus groups, once patients saw the topics of fees, payment plans and insurance coverage in some brochures, they looked for the issues to be addressed in materials from other offices. When a practice broached these topics in an honest and open manner, patients expressed greater confidence that the practice would be one that they could probably trust. The brochures that did not address the issues at all were then held up to greater scrutiny.
The position you take isn't necessarily as important as your attitude in expressing your position. If the patient sees yours as a forthright practice that communicates in an above-board manner, their trust level will go up. Of course, congruence is crucial. How you read on paper better be how you are in person!
3. INFECTION CONTROL: THE "FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY AWARD"
This topic wins the Boswell "False Sense of Security Award" in dentistry. Many offices take the position, "Our patients know they are safe here. Acer, Bergalis and 20/20 are behind us, it's no longer a concern." The unspoken question patients have is: "How safe am I here?" Without fail, office cleanliness and patient safety come up in every focus group we conduct, and it's patients who raise the subject.
Surprise! It's still a concern ... patients are just not talking to YOU about it. When we ask them why they haven't verbalized their concerns to the office they most often respond with, "I'd feel uncomfortable asking them ... it would seem disloyal",or "Hey, the doc's the one with the drill, I don't want to rattle the cage and get him upset with me!" So what do they do? They make their own judgments; they observe you and the office. Right or wrong they're coming to their own conclusions about safety in your office.
Though it may not initially be apparent, there are many marketing opportunities here. Because so many offices don't address this openly, it leaves them open to misinterpretation. Patients in our groups appreciated the topic being raised by the office. One patient saw this addressed in an office brochure and remarked, "Yes, this makes me feel better about the office ... I don't have to wonder about them. But more than anything, I like that they brought it up. They come across as honest."
Be sure this subject is addressed in your collateral materials and your "on-hold tape". Anytime a patient DOES ask a question, consider it a marketing opportunity. Explain universal precautions and the steps you take to ensure patient safety in the office. In print refer to this as "Patient Protection". It is more patient friendly than Infection Control, which may be scary to some!
4. PRACTICE PHILOSOPHY:
Communicating your practice philosophy to patients provides an important view of what your practice is really about and what the patient might expect from the team. Putting this kind of insight into your brochure or newsletter is not enough. Whatever your philosophy is should be congruent in everything you do. Paying lip service to the patient in print is not acceptable. In order to be credible, you've got to live what you say. And that means doctors and every staff member has to really understand your own "big picture". Every team member better understand the play book, so that there's a consistent manner of communication and service representing who you say you are.
A significant unspoken question patients have relates to this issue of your practice philosophy. Patients wonder: "Will I be overtreated?" "Will they try to sell me treatments I don't really need?" The infamous Reader's Digest article of 1997 reinforced this concern in the minds of many patients. The desire expressed by patients in our focus groups is: "We want the practice to look out for our best interests first, not necessarily what is in their best interests first." As you work with a new patient, this may well be a concern unvoiced to you. You need to know that they will be responsive to your verbalizing a conservative approach, and then they'll observe if you walk your talk.
The offices that hire me as an undercover patient for the Mystery Patient Process are often highly evolved and are seeking assistance in fine tuning their practices. It's not unusual for me to see a team that has a clear and cohesive vision for the practice. Many of these offices have a mission statement that has been written by the team. Interestingly, the majority of these same practices have written their missions in a manner that is consistent with the desires and goals of patients. In other words, the practice is on a path in tandem with the patient. They understand their patients and strive to provide comprehensive care with the patients' best interests at heart. It is as if there is a "bigger picture" of what the practice is working to achieve, and every team member truly understands this.
5. EDUCATION OF TEAM:
One of the first tangible "qualifiers" patients use is your education and the CE of the entire team. It is truly significant to them. In one focus group we conducted, a patient said, "If I were comparing doctors, I'd count the number of letters after the doctors' names. The one with the most letters would win out!" I asked her, "Do you know what those letters represent?" She laughed and said, "No, but maybe it's the only information I've got about them."
You may say this is not an accurate measurement of the clinical skills of the practitioner. However, to patients, perception is reality. If they know nothing else about the doctors, many will use this as a qualifier, and they resume that the one with more letters has more education and therefore is more highly skilled.
If you have advanced certification or designations that may be significant to patients, tell them. If it's from a
particularly prestigious organization let them know that in a low-key but straight forward manner. Patients want to know this information but they want it presented in a non-bragging way.
Patients want to know that you are staying up to date in your CE. It is crucial that you keep them informed about the continuing education of the doctor and the staff. This should be a key marketing topic to address with patients in print, in person and on the phone. When you close the office to attend a continuing education program mention this on your answering machine. Put information in your newsletter about your CE. Inform your patients about new trends, tips, educate them with updates on news items that you've learned in CE programs. They'll see you as current and will perceive greater value coming from the relationship with your office.
TOP TIPS:
These concepts are all important to patients. Whether you are communicating with patients in print, broadcast, collateral materials, on-hold or in person, be sure that you address these issues.
1) QUALITY CARE
a) Focus on helping the patient keep their teeth and maintain quality of life with excellent oral health
b) If you promote esthetic treatments be sure that you balance your approach to patients with that of overall oral health
c) If you refer patients to specialists for treatments, let patients know that their care will be monitored by a team of practitioners for the highest quality of care
2) FINANCIAL & INSURANCE ISSUES
a) Be up front, let patients and prospective patients know what to expect in relation to payment and insurance issues. If you provide payment plans and options, make patients aware of this.
b) Be sure that business staff members are able to converse confidently about these subjects and that they are able to do so in a patient friendly, non-judgmental manner.
c) Encourage patients to voice their questions about financial matters. It's crucial to get concerns verbalized, so you know how to offer solutions and present options to them
3) PATIENT PROTECTION
a) Be sure this is addressed, even if only briefly, in your collateral materials. Have signage in the office and have available brochures or flyers that you've produced about infection control in your practice.
b) Ensure that new patient, welcome packets address his issue in either the cover letter or enclosures.
c) Include reference to patient safety in your on-hold tape. If appropriate to an inquiry call from a prospective patient, include reference to patient safety in describing your office. When new patients come to your office, advise them about patient safety and show them the infection control area during a brief tour of your office. d) Invite and encourage questions on this topic to instill confidence in the practice.
4) PRACTICE PHILOSOPHY
a) Include your mission statement in your collateral materials
b) Address practice philosophy briefly in print advertising if sufficient space is available
c) Have your mission statement in signage in your office
d) Include your practice philosophy or mission statement in your on-hold tape
e) Address the practice philosophy in the new patient process and encourage patient questions
5) EDUCATION OF TEAM
a) Include doctor's formal education, advanced
degrees/certifications and CE of entire team in collateral materials.
b) In telephone communication with prospective patients, include education as part of background information about the office. Address this in on-hold tapes and on your answering machine when the office is closed for CE seminar.
c) Include information in newsletter, if you use one
d) Place degrees and certifications in the office where they will be visible to patients.

THREE MARKETING TURNOFFS:
1) HYPE - as patients in our focus groups reviewed
advertisements, brochures, flyers, and on-hold tapes they often bypassed or offered disparaging remarks about those that were long on style and short on substance. They sometimes related these perceptions to their concerns about being overtreated and overcharged. In closer study of these materials, the focus appeared to be more on the practice than on the patient. In sales parlance this might equate to selling practice features instead of patient benefits.
Yes, the patient wants to know details about the practice, but not at the expense of knowing what the practice is going to do for the patient. Picture this: a promo piece with photos of the doctor, the doctor's spouse and family and a glitzy office. Add to it a photo of a glamour model and you are sure to turn off many mainstream patients.
Of course, you must know your patient base. Some markets, some patients will be attracted to this. If it works for you, don't change it. In our focus groups of mainstream patients, a significant number were not attracted to this approach; men and women both voiced a dislike of "glamour model" photos in healthcare. Most patients don't relate to them and would rather see photos of attractive people who "look real" without looking plastic pretty. If you're going to use model pictures, the natural-looking "girl next door" will be far more effective than the "Barbie" look.
2) DOGMATIC APPROACH - In one of our focus groups, we had a marketing piece that was quite unique. It was a booklet that included information about the doctor, the practice and the office policies. It was very attractively designed and highly informative. The majority of our focus group patients liked the user-friendly format. However, as they read the text, there was a growing discomfort about the practice. They said that the text read like something from the IRS or a government agency, that the practice sounded dogmatic and "army-like" in regimentation. In other words, regardless of its design it came across as "rules and regulations". One patient commented, "This office sounds so regulated and self protective that I'd be more suspicious as a patient - they seem to be watching out for themselves so much that I think I'd have to watch out for myself in dealing with them!"
There should be a difference in what you send to prospective patients and what you send to new patients. This booklet should not have been sent to a prospective patient. The topics covered were appropriate information for a new patient, but should have been phrased in a more patient friendly manner - "here's what we will do for you", instead of "here's what we don't do!" Be highly sensitive to the use of negatives in any
marketing text. Phrase concepts in the positive instead of the negative.
Don't overwhelm prospective patients with information. Be friendly, let them know your practice philosophy and background about the team, but don't go into details about office policies when you're in the process of introducing yourself.
3) HIGH-TECH OVER HIGH-TOUCH - In some of the practice promotional materials we reviewed, there was a decided focus on technology. Some materials even included photos of office equipment with explanations of equipment purpose. This in itself is not a negative, though focusing on the benefits of the equipment to the patient would be more effective than focusing on the features of the equipment. If patients
understand how the equipment will benefit them - save them money, increase insurance coverage, decrease pain, shorten treatment time - they will be more receptive to it. However, if the overall promotion focuses on technology at the expense of people-issues, you can lose the interest of many patients.
Several patients in one of our groups referred to the equipment as "doctors' toys". Technology should always be secondary to the focus on the patient in any form of marketing.
On the phone or in person you may be able to gauge the interest of the patient in technology. If you have a technophile who is highly interested in technological advancements, it may be appropriate to address some of the cutting-edge features of the equipment. For these patients you will win endorsement for being up to date. If you are talking with a technophobe who seems resistant or uncomfortable with technology, you certainly don't want to linger on the topic!
THE DISSERVICE TO PATIENTS
Here's another side of the marketing picture. If you don't let your patients know more about you and your practice, as well as what you can do for them, you are doing them a disservice. They might even go elsewhere to obtain the service that you offer!
I conducted a very detailed survey of the patients of a private practice. The general dentist was highly skilled in esthetic procedures, but she was also exceptionally low key about promoting the practice. One of the goals of the survey was to determine if patients knew what services and treatments the practice offered.
Three of the questions we asked were:
1. Which of these treatments is offered at this practice? (a list of treatments was provided)
2. Which of these treatments have you heard of, or do you know anything about? (same list provided)
3. Which of these treatments would you like to know more about? (same list provided)
The results of the survey indicated that
* Patients had some knowledge about certain treatments.
* Patients had a high interest level in knowing more about specific treatments.
* Patients were not aware that many of the treatments they were interested in and wanted more information on were available through their doctor!
For those patients who were interested in knowing more, the practice had done them a disservice. In an effort to be understated the doctor had not provided information that patients would have valued. In some cases, the patient might have even gone elsewhere to obtain the services that this doctor could have provided.
There are many patient-friendly ways to let patients know how you can help them. Bear in mind that whatever means you use, you must:
1. Precede promotion with education
2. Be sure it is patient friendly
3. Make it available to them without them feeling "cornered"
Patients in our focus groups indicated responsiveness to marketing that provided them with practical information. It's the "news you can use" idea. The most important aspect of this is that educational information must precede the soft-sell promotion. Patients said, "Okay, we recognize that the doctor is promoting a treatment, but we'll be far more receptive when it's informative, interesting and can benefit me."
After offering the educational or informative elements of the promotion, present the marketing elements in a low-key manner. If you present treatment information with hype, it will overshadow and negate any goodwill established earlier. Patients are far more responsive to the "teacher who helps", than to the promoter who approaches the patient as a "target". This requires a delicate balance. You want your efforts to have impact but without irritating the patient and without undue aggressiveness.
This approach could be used in a newsletter, advertisement or an informational flyer. The same concepts can be applied to a telephone inquiry about the treatment, and inserts into brochures. The important point patients make is ... wrap education around promotion. Patients will be more responsive and you'll probably feel more comfortable about it too.

Suzanne Boswell Presentations - 12108 Amoretto Way, Raleigh, NC 27613 USA
Phone: 919-845-4189   -    Fax: 919-845-4188
Email : Suzanne@BoswellPresentations.com
Website: www.BoswellPresentations.com