Bad Online Review? Four Ways to Convert Patient Criticism into an Opportunity

Nov 25, 2020 | Pathology Business

Negative Online Review

Example of a bad online review.

Pretty harsh, isn’t it? Although this review isn’t referring to any of our medical clients, it illustrates the daily challenges healthcare providers face in the digital space.

Online patient reviews can either make or break a dermatology clinic’s reputation and practice. According to the Pew Research Center, 77 percent of consumers say they use online reviews as the first step in finding a new physician. During that search, studies found that only 14 percent of consumers would consider using a business with a one- or two-star rating.

In other words, online reviews are a big deal. A study by Dimensional Research found that 90 percent of people who read online reviews admitted their buying decisions are influenced by positive reviews. And 86 percent said their decisions are impacted by negative online reviews. 

How does that affect a business, lab, or dermatology clinic? A Moz study found that a business will lose about 22 percent of potential customers from one negative online review that appears in an online search. Two negative search results can double the loss of potential customers. “Have four or more negative articles about your company or product appearing in Google search results? You’re likely to lose 70% of potential customers,” says Dan Hinckley at Moz. 

Be proactive in protecting your brand. When negative reviews appear online, don’t ignore them. Instead, take it as an opportunity to show you care about your patients. Here are four ways to do so. 

1. Invest in reputation management.

Most doctors don’t invest much time in reputation management or tracking online reviews or searches, but they should. Here’s why: 

Improved SEO. Search engines prioritize sites that have frequently updated, relevant, and uniquely worded content. This means your online reviews (both good and bad), engagement, and comments can also improve search results. So encourage your patients to share their experience online and be engaged with a response. 

Credibility. We want to project a positive image, and tracking online reviews is a great way to ensure you are connecting with your patients. But a smattering of negative reviews—and how you respond to them—can actually help build credibility in your practice. Studies show that 85 percent of users trust online reviews as much as they trust personal recommendations. By welcoming feedback and creating an online “community” through comments, you are building a trustworthy and credible brand. 

“Online reviews matter,” explains Inc.com contributor Craig Bloem. “And that’s why you need to create and maintain a process that encourages your customers to leave reviews, monitors the reviews they leave, and improves any negative reviews you might receive.”

2. Determine if the response should be public or private.

As shown in the above example, a patient will use an online platform to vent frustrations for a variety of reasons. The important thing is to offer a public apology. “Remember, while you are exchanging messages with the reviewer, other people are reading your comments and wondering whether or not to visit your practice,” explain the staff at My Practice Reputation. 

Your medical practice can fall victim to any number of criticisms: “The parking was bad.” “Your office was hard to find.” “The waiting room was too noisy.” In those cases, a public apology and a reassurance that your patients’ experience at your office is a priority can be handled online. But if the reviewer is referring to the care he or she received—regardless of whether or not you feel the complaints are legitimate—you’ll want to be more discrete. Extend a public apology, reiterate how important it is for your team to deliver excellent patient care and that you welcome feedback, and invite the reviewer to reach out to your office to discuss what happened.

3. Keep the conversation solution-oriented.

If the patient contacts your office, quickly pull the file and review what happened from the patient’s perspective. Then put your office to the test: How was the patient greeted? Did the office staff use discretion when verifying personal information? How was the exchange between the doctor and patient? Why did the patient leave feeling frustrated? If possible, encourage the patient to describe his or her experience to uncover the breakdown in the situation. Then ask the patient what you and your staff could have done better.

“Most patients who leave negative reviews just want to feel heard,” says Erin Kitchen at Medical Economics. “You can even gain real insight and grow from their feedback!” For example, use feedback to improve office processes. Or allow more time between appointments to ensure patients have plenty of time to ask questions. 

Don’t ask the patient to remove the negative review. In some cases, the patient will volunteer to remove the negative review or add a follow-up post that the situation was resolved.

4. Consider legal help for extreme cases.

Fake reviews happen. That’s why safeguarding your online reputation is essential. If you discover the online review was posted by an aggressive competitor, for example, or by people who aren’t verifiable patients but post defamatory comments or reviews, you can demand the reviewer remove the post. 

Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, some situations can’t be resolved without involving legal support. In those cases when an online reviewer refuses to take down a false review post, legal experts suggest taking the information you have about the online reviewer and consulting with an attorney. The attorney will send a letter alerting the reviewer of legal action should he or she refuse to take down the posted review. As a final resort, your attorney can notify the website, website host, owner, and internet service provider. 

Keep in mind that the process of working with a legal team or the online platform can be slow. For quicker results, continue encouraging patients to share positive (and recent) reviews about your patient care and leverage that positive feedback. 

Online patient reviews can literally change the way customers view your dermatology practice. By figuring reputation management into your marketing efforts and treating a negative review as a marketing opportunity, you can tap into valuable insights on ways to better connect with potential customers and offer the best patient care possible.

Managing a motivated and efficient dermatology staff

Nov 19, 2020 | Digital Dermatopathology, Digital Pathology, Uncategorized

Across America, healthcare industry professionals play pivotal and often pressure-filled roles in keeping individuals and communities safe. However, this commitment to service comes with a toll in the form of heavy turnover rates. One two-year study found that family practices experienced an average turnover rate of 53 percent. Now is the time to ensure you’re running a motivated and efficient dermatology clinic staff.

While tending to patients is every dermatologist’s most critical concern, maintaining a productive and satisfied staff isn’t too far behind. By increasing your team’s high-level patient contact, sharpening your staff-retention efforts, and making sure you hire qualified individuals, your practice can continue to administer the level of care your patients have come to expect.

High-Level Patient Contact

Expanding individual responsibilities can improve staff morale while helping to reduce your workload. Since medical assistants represent the biggest group of individuals providing clinical support to dermatologists, increasing their contact with patients can result in more time for you to address other priorities. 

A well-trained MA may be capable of sharing diagnoses with patients on a case-by-case basis. To ensure seamless quality care, do the following:

  1. Provide staff members with a dermatology atlas to familiarize themselves with more common cases.
  2. Make sure every patient experience is consistent and professional by developing formal staff training programs.
  3. Promote knowledge and curiosity by teaching your team about frequent medications and treatments.

It would also help to train your staff to be conduits between your clinic and the dermatopathology lab. While full-service digital dermatopathology labs like PathologyWatch return diagnoses directly to your patients’ EMR, having a staff member that follows up on orders and results is a positive way to keep the lines of communication open. 

Staff Retention

Spending more time now to retain reliable dermatology staff members means spending less time in the future filling positions and training new employees. Since preventable employee factors are responsible for 80 percent of healthcare industry turnover, here are some suggestions to ensure your team members feel job satisfaction:

Create a comfortable office culture.

Is anyone happy working in a frantic environment that treats every task like an emergency? While there will be times when urgency is in order, do your best to set the example of composure and positivity by setting reasonable expectations for tasks and time management. This includes keeping a level head and being respectful in your actions and speech.

See team members as individuals.

You’re all in this together, so avoid focusing on individual mistakes. Likewise, nobody wants to be singled out or embarrassed in front of others. Be encouraging, promote camaraderie, listen to employee feedback, and find teachable moments to increase efficiency and skills.

Share accolades and rewards.

Small gestures can go a long way. In addition to praising accomplishments with kind words, keep your staff motivated with performance pay or other incentivized bonuses. 

Provide employee discounts.

Offer discounts on procedures and products to turn your staff into brand ambassadors. As a result, you can build loyalty from your employees while increasing public awareness. 

Creating an environment where people look forward to coming to work benefits your staff retention while leaving a good impression on your patients.

Hire Qualified People

Tending to patients while meeting the demands of running a thriving dermatology practice would be a daunting challenge without reliable staff support. Start on the right foot by hiring individuals with the characteristics and skill sets you require to deliver quality care to your patients.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the healthcare industry will add nearly 2.5 million jobs by 2029. With a labor pool that size to choose from, make sure you aren’t settling for employees that aren’t going to make long-term contributions to your clinic. Trust your instincts if you don’t feel someone is a good fit for the job’s values, pace, or expectations. If you’re on the fence, suggest a trial period to ensure both parties are satisfied with the duties and performance. 

Here are some personality traits to keep in mind as you identify features that translate to a valuable dermatology staff member:

  • Ambitious: Your workload can get lighter with the support of enthusiastic individuals who don’t mind shouldering additional responsibilities.
  • Personable: Single out people who are comfortable communicating and showing compassion with patients of all ages.
  • Teachable: Surround yourself with staff members who are eager to learn and share new knowledge and skills.
  • Team Player: Dermatology clinics require staff members to wear many hats to keep the front office and exam rooms working efficiently. 

Managing a motivated and efficient dermatology clinic staff requires consistent attention and leadership. By expanding your team’s patient contact level, focusing on staff-retaining actions, and hiring qualified team members, you can surround yourself with the right people to serve your patients. 

Communication Strategies for Talking about Diagnoses with Your Patients

Nov 18, 2020 | Digital Dermatopathology, Digital Pathology, Uncategorized

The healthcare industry is becoming increasingly convenient for patients with the rise of telehealth and greater access to medical records. Patient portals are now offered by nearly 90 percent of providers. While convenience is important, it is critical for your dermatology clinic to develop a personal touch and sound communication strategies for talking about diagnoses with your patients.

By taking the time to ensure your patients understand their diagnoses, training your staff to help share results, and knowing how to discuss diagnoses, you can help your practice keep patient experience and treatment a priority.

Taking Time to Educate Patients

Walk into a busy dermatology clinic and you will find staff members moving briskly to attend to patients, communicate with labs, manage the billing, work with insurance companies, and schedule out calendars. On top of this, the dermatologist balances limited time bouncing between exam rooms to take biopsies and guide treatments.

However, when it comes to sharing biopsy results, it’s vital to shift gears and take the time to help patients receive and understand the information with clarity. Because only 12 percent of patients can interpret their pathology report results correctly, dermatologists must be vigilant to ensure each patient leaves with an accurate comprehension of his or her condition. Here are a few suggestions to help engage the patient in their care.

Name their condition

By writing down the diagnosis and explaining it carefully, even if complicated (think CNH or GA), patients’ understanding and recall of their conditions improve. This correlates with increased patient satisfaction and adherence to treatment. Studies also show that patients forget 40-80 percent of what you tell them, so written communication is often best.
Give them a copy of their pathology report.

Consider printing out a copy of their pathology report. Having them read along as you explain the results can help to build confidence and absorb information. They will likely feel more comfortable asking questions.
Explain additional tests. A patient who understands his or her test results is likely to comprehend your reasoning for ordering further biopsies or studies.

Empower the patient

The more that patients understand, the more they are able to take personal responsibility for their own health and well-being. Time spent upfront counseling patients can result in improved outcomes, improving both patient and physician satisfaction.

Training Your Staff

The most powerful tool a dermatologist has is a supporting and capable staff. In addition to training team members on front and back-office tasks, you can save valuable time by giving medical assistants more ownership of the diagnosis-sharing process.

Patients want to receive their results as soon as possible. In one study, 67 percent of patients requested phone calls to receive their skin biopsy results because they wanted the information fast. By training and trusting your staff to communicate test results directly to patients, you can use this time to add an acute patient or catch up on documentation.

Your staff is listening as you interact with patients. Ask them to pay close attention to how you counsel patients so they can repeat the process on their own. Train your MAs to use handouts, images, or other devices to convey information in a comprehensible manner. Building relationships of trust by counseling with patients can make it easier and more personable when MAs follow up on treatments.

Putting Your Practice Management Tools To Work for Your Dermatology Clinic

Nov 13, 2020 | Digital Dermatopathology, Digital Pathology, Uncategorized

Your practice management tools can be a costly part of your dermatology practice overhead. New practice management solutions are popping up frequently. With busywork costing physicians an average of $50,000 a year in lost revenue, it can be overwhelming to evaluate the latest timesaving or job-simplifying solutions in a busy practice. 

However, by examining your existing practice management tools, such as billing, your EMR, and your dermpath lab partner, you may discover increased efficiency may require some simple finetuning that makes a big difference to your bottom line.

Billing

Collecting payment for the work you perform seems an obvious yet sometimes daunting task. A common question for dermatologists is whether to keep billing in-house or use a professional billing company. Each option has its benefits.

The advantage of a professional billing partner is the experience they bring to the table. About 10 percent of claims will be denied, and a high percentage of those (63 percent) are recoverable, so it’s important to resubmit denied claims. In addition to submitting and challenging claims, billing professionals can perform coding audits, credentialing services and potentially negotiating superior rates with insurance companies.

These companies typically charge a percentage of collections, ranging from 5 to 10 percent, and are therefore incentivized to maximize your collections. Look for a company that specializes in dermatology billing and talk to reference clients. Make sure they can work with your particular EMR or PM software.

A common issue for physicians using in-house billers is how to be confident that billing is being performed correctly. There are services that will perform a complimentary revenue cycle audit to ensure that you are maximizing your reimbursement.

EMR

Embracing the advantages of a modern, cloud-based EMR system can simplify record-keeping and maintain effective patient care in your dermatology clinic. It’s exciting to see more dermatology-specific EMRs created by dermatologists who understand the unique workflow of dermatology. While almost 86 percent of office-based physicians employ EMR/EHR systems, many have yet to tap into the full breadth of productivity-increasing features. 

Look for an EMR company that performs consistent upgrades and frequently informs and educates users about new timesaving benefits. After comprehensive onboarding, keep in touch with your EMR customer service representative to get answers to any questions or challenges your staff may encounter. Resolving performance issues is part of their job description, and it will save your team valuable time. Often, chat or emailing support is the most time-efficient way for staff to reach out for questions or troubleshooting, rather than calling the helpline.

Dermpath Lab

The working relationship between your dermatology clinic and the dermatopathology lab is critical to maintaining accurate and timely results for your patients. This alliance is particularly vital when you consider that a third of dermatologists work as solo practitioners.

One effective way to build this relationship is to establish open lines of communication. This includes providing accurate clinical information on your requisitions, conversations about difficult clinical cases, and correlation on challenging slides, such as alopecia or melanoma cases. In addition to quality assurance, these frequent conversations can also head off complicated billing issues before becoming a problem.

Your dermpath laboratory partner should keep you in supplies so your staff isn’t left scrambling to find requisition or shipping materials. The lab is also responsible for tracking samples from when they leave your practice until you receive the final results. 

Finding a lab that establishes an interface with your EMR can make a significant impact on your workflow. Instead of spending time managing paper charts and faxes, a full-service dermpath lab like PathologyWatch can return reports electronically into each patient’s EMR chart. Digital slides are also provided to the clinician along with the pathology report. This instantaneous, 24/7 access eliminates your MAs’ need to track and file paper trails and glass slides, leaving more time for meaningful patient correspondence. Also, labs like PathologyWatch offer broad insurance coverage and locum tenens contingencies, so there is always a backup ready to keep up with your tissue samples.  

Many dermatologists carry the daily pressure of meeting patient expectations while running a proficient and profitable clinic. By breaking down ways to make billing, EMR, and your dermpath lab partner work smarter and more efficiently, you may find ways to simplify and improve operations through your existing practice management tools.

Introducing the Digital Dermatopathology Digest: A Three-Minute Dermatopathology Review Video Series

Nov 6, 2020 | Digital Dermatopathology

Images shown are not intended to be used for the diagnosis or treatment of a disease or condition.

The Digital Dermatopathology Digest (or 3D) is a new educational video series designed to review dermatopathology concepts commonly found in board assessments and examinations. Compact and precise, each video offers a quick summary of basic dermatopathology entities, which can serve as a short, high-yield review for dermatologists in practice or training.

The Digital Dermatopathology Digest is presented by PathologyWatch, a full-service dermatopathology laboratory revolutionizing digital pathology for dermatologists. Hosted by dermatopathologist Dr. Rajni Mandal, each video guides viewers through five key concepts while demonstrating the features in an interactive digital slide image.

In the first episode, viewers will learn about “Normal Skin and Variants,” reviewing five key concepts:

  1. The dermis can vary in thickness based on location.
  2. Acral skin has compact hyperkeratosis in the stratum corneum.
  3. Large terminal hair follicles and sebaceous glands are seen in scalp and hair-bearing skin.
  4. Solar elastosis can be seen in areas of sun damage.
  5. Apocrine glands are seen in the axilla, nipple, ear canal, eyelids, and genital area.

Whether you’re in residency, studying for board exams, or a practicing dermatologist looking to stay sharp, the Digital Dermatopathology Digest video series is your informational and convenient source for dermatopathology review. Find the full series here.