Urgent care clinics are expected to grow substantially as more and more Americans get insurance coverage. They have seen a rise in patient volume due to the rising emergency room costs and substantial shift in consumer expectation to convenient, same day, transparent, affordable healthcare. As investors and private hospitals continue to turn their eyes and money towards urgent care, the pressure to turn a revenue only grows. What the NYTimes initially described as “a low-margin, high-volume proposition,” is easier said than done and there is a considerable amount of finessing to turn a profit.
To get a piece of the growing business that is urgent care, you need to rely on creative and proven steps to boost your revenue.
Here are a few steps to help boost your revenue:
1. Increase Hours
According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, if the money you spend increases the amount you make in revenue, then the costs are worthwhile. By increasing your operating hours and
remaining open on holidays, you can serve an entirely new stream of patients – those who work during normal business hours AND those who are human and get sick, well, around the clock. If you aren’t open late or extend your weekend hours, you end up missing a lot of business. Additionally, as urgent care centers work hard to continue increasing awareness and differentiating from emergency rooms, being open longer hours is an important piece to that puzzle. If closed, patients are forced to go to to the ER or other urgent care clinics, which means that you may have lost that patient forever. Your primary costs will be in staff and overhead, which should outweigh the revenue captured by the increase in traffic.
2. Add Services
According to Solv research, patients are very interested in accessing other healthcare categories in more convenient ways, and few are beginning to seep into the space. Consider bringing ancillary services such as a physical therapist, orthopedic therapist, or a nutritionist into your clinic. To get the word out, contact local physicians who see patients for follow-up visits and explain the services you can provide for their clients after traditional office hours. You can make arrangements with other providers to allow them to see patients during off-hours at your clinic. They would pay you for use of your space, receptionist, and nursing staff.
3. Invest in Website Marketing
While you may rely on walk-ins for the majority of your patient volume, marketing and social media will take your clinic to the next level and ensure that you are reaching the people you should. By optimizing your online presence, you will drive patients to your website and ultimately to your clinics. Consider adding tools to your website that allows patients with non-emergencies to book appointments, check the waitlist, or estimate their bill online.
Solv partners convert over 40% of Google traffic into clinic visits. Solv provides complimentary consultations to determine the status of your web and mobile presence. To schedule a consultation, reach out to [email protected].
