The patient journey is defined as the ongoing sequence of events that a patient follows from the point of access into the health system to diagnosis and care. This journey may seem long and tedious, but digital health solutions are allowing these journeys to resonate with patients.

Patient engagement shouldn’t be limited to just one encounter. Your health system should focus on every single encounter a person makes to drive engagement. This means everything from early education, such as going online and researching for symptoms, to choosing a physician, making an appointment and reminders for continued care. 

What you can offer to patients, right at the moment they need care, is what puts you at the top of their list for providers. Developing an intimate understanding of the unique needs and expectations of your patients is fundamental to gaining their trust and reaping the ensuing benefits.

Optimize your patient journey

Patients are becoming more and more complex in their searches for healthcare, such as “healthcare providers near me who accept UnitedHealth.” Most healthcare searches don’t meet these expectations, making it increasingly difficult for patients to find the right healthcare provider at the right time. It is important to meet the needs of your potential patients throughout their entire journey. Here’s how:

Place your data in the places people are searching for it

As mentioned before, people search the internet to find answers, and they do this through consulting search engines. Your data should be syndicated where people are searching for it. Most people won’t find your website on their first search. However, when you syndicate your data to the many places on the internet where people are searching for it, you have a better chance of reaching a broader audience.

Your goal is to own as much real estate on the SERP (Search Engine Results Page) as possible. This includes third party links, the knowledge card, your own links, and search engine marketing. Syndicated data not only increases your reach and brand awareness, but it also builds links, helping drive more traffic to your website. 

Review analytics data to understand what patients are asking about

Is a patient searching for something related to your practice, but you don’t have any answers relevant to those topics on your website? Then you may have a problem reaching a bigger audience. 

Review analytics data to determine the general themes that are trending related to your practice. Once you review this data, it will become clear how you can build a strategy that focuses on providing the information your audience wants to know. Look at your data and see where you can develop answers to those questions. 

If you see a lot of questions asking about a certain procedure, service, or FAQ’s, you might want to consider building a page specific to those questions. These pages will help navigate potential patients to your website and discover more information about what you offer.  

Drive an answers-based experience on your website

Your website experience is crucial when it comes to the patient journey. Patients visit your website to find answers, so building an answer engine on your website can ensure that once someone reaches you, they will stay with you. 

When patients are unsure of what they’re looking for in a healthcare provider, you must give them as much information and answer any questions they may have during their journey. When it’s time to make a decision, having a proper search mechanism in place will help drive those patients to you and generate a conversion. 

Contact us

The patient experience is extremely valuable in the healthcare industry. That’s why we believe healthcare providers should invest in the right software and create the right strategy to deliver the perfect customer experience. Our Patient Experience Management (PXM) services include:

• Patient Relationship Management 
• Digital Patient Engagement
• Healthcare Marketing
• Patient Contact Center Tracking
• Patient Contact Centers
• Patient Live Chat Engagement 

To learn more about what we offer, please visit our website. Interested in hiring a professional marketing team to help grow your practice? Contact the healthcare marketing experts at LEVO Health today by calling 855-234-0232 or visiting our contact page online.