Using Email To Support Bariatric Patients
Capturing your patients' email addresses and using an email platform service allows you to communicate, educate and support your patients in a simple and efficient manner...
The Changing Nature Of Communication
One of the first places to start to further support your bariatric patients is to collect their email addresses and then to use an email platform service so that you can communicate with all of your patients on a regular basis, and in a simple and efficient manner.
Many clinics haven't embraced technology in the same way their patients have, and are missing out on the benefits of using email to communicate with and support their patients. Relying solely on phone numbers and postal addresses to contact your patients is expensive, time-consuming and inefficient.
Clearly there are specific situations when calling your patient is the most appropriate and possibly the only option of communication, but if it’s a more general communication, then using email will be much easier, more effective and will save you time and money.
One of the most efficient ways to send email to patients is through an email platform service. These services allow you to send emails to multiple addresses at the same time and provide a great deal of functionality such as scheduling emails to go out at a specific time (e.g. 6 months after surgery date).
How Your Clinic Can Benefit From Email Platforms
Email platforms can be used to:
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automatically remind patients of appointments to decrease no-show rates;
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send post-surgery information and reminders to reinforce your instructions;
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deliver your latest educational resources (e.g. blog articles, healthy recipes or motivational tips);
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notify patients of upcoming events or support sessions;
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conduct surveys and gain feedback; and
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check in with patients when you haven’t heard from them and they haven’t responded to your phone messages.
We've included some examples below of the type of blog posts that you can use to inspire patients to create necessary mindset and lifestyle changes at the bottom of this page. Please feel free to use these articles with your patients, with our compliments.
Best Email Platform Options For You
There are many email platform options these days that allow you to email multiple people at the same time and also to automate when your emails are sent out (e.g. a reminder scheduled to go out 7 days before a support workshop).
For example, you might like to consider a service called “Mailchimp” at www.mailchimp.com (which is free for up to 2,000 contacts) which enables users to customise and systemise emails easily and efficiently. Other popular options include Aweber, Constant Contact and InfusionSoft. All of these platforms allow you to easily brand your emails with your clinic's logo.
Lead The Way In The Bariatric Surgery Field
In an age where nearly 90% of households have access to the internet and use email daily, using email to engage, support and educate your patients is not only desirable, it's essential. In an increasingly competitive field, staying up-to-date with the latest technology and using email as part of your communication strategy with patients will help you to lead the way in your field.
Complimentary Assistance
Would you like a complimentary Patient Support Webinar and 30 free copies of our 'Get Back On Track After Your WLS' book for your Clinic?
We're offering this because we know that a certain number of Clinics that we do this for will want us to build and run their online support programs for them.
We only however offer this to qualifying clinics and you can see all the details here:
SEE CLINIC REQUIREMENTS
Sample Patient Blog Posts
Here are some examples of the type of blog posts that you can use to inspire patients to create necessary mindset and lifestyle changes. Please feel free to send these articles to your patients, with our compliments.
