Having a thriving, loyal client base is key to any successful business, and this is especially true for nurse practitioners. Patient retention is a huge part of ensuring a private practice can withstand financial plateaus and continue to grow and thrive. In this article, we’ll cover the importance of patient retention and share some key NP business strategies for improving patient experience to keep them coming back.

Why should I prioritize retaining patients rather than attracting new ones? 

If your private practice has done a good job of attracting new patients in the past, you may wonder if patient retention is really that important. After all, you can always find new patients, can’t you? Well, not really. No matter how big a city you practice in, there is always a finite number of potential patients who will walk through your door. Other important considerations for why patient retention should be a priority include:

• Patient satisfaction: If your patients are coming back, it’s a sign that you are doing a good job. Providing quality care is an essential part of being a nurse practitioner, and if you can’t retain patients, it should be a red flag for you.
• Patient acquisition costs: Marketing to new patients is expensive. It’s certainly more expensive than convincing your current patients to come back. Social media and search engine marketing are fairly costly and often only make sense for getting a new private practice started. Once you have a client base, keeping them happy and coming back is a much more cost-effective way to bring in revenue.
• Word-of-mouth marketing: Reputation building is one of the most cost-effective ways to bring in new patients. If your current patients like you, leave you a five-star review, and recommend you to a friend, you get a new client with zero marketing expenses. Making sure your current clients are happy is therefore a very cost-effective way to indirectly bring in new business.

My practice is busy, and I see a lot of patients daily. How do I keep them coming back?  

Creating a positive patient experience doesn’t have to take extra hours out of your day. In fact, having a smooth operation where patients get seen on time may save you time in the long run. The steps of patient retention should involve: 

• Making a good first impression
• Ensuring a positive patient experience
• Having good follow-up protocols
• Keeping clients engaged virtually
• Always growing your offerings and services

How can nurse practitioners make a good first impression with patients?

Private practice owners need to have good internal workflows and processes to impress patients and leave them satisfied. Having a fancy waiting area is nice, but it will not keep patients happy if your staff is disorganized and wait times are long. Making a good first impression on a new patient means having an orderly and thorough intake process, courteous and friendly office staff, minimal wait times, transparent pricing, and impactful conversations with providers.

How does a positive patient experience lead to patient retention?

The core tenets of a positive and personalized patient experience include: 

• Comfort: Make sure patients feel comfortable in your office. This involves good quality furniture, privacy, climate control, and the general demeanor of you and your staff.
• Compassion: Bedside manner is a huge part of patient retention. Even if you can’t immediately solve someone’s problem, showing that you care may keep them coming back. Practitioners should demonstrate active listening and express empathy and compassion.
• Respect: Patient retention is impossible without respect. In fact, patients who feel disrespected may even leave a bad review and ruin your reputation. Nurse practitioners and office staff showing the appropriate respect for patients, their families, and their health concerns will go a long way toward patient satisfaction.
• Engagement: A key part of patient care is ensuring patients have a say in the medical decision-making process. Patients should be educated according to their health literacy, given the opportunity to ask questions, and given time to consent to treatment.
• Coordination: Care coordination is an essential nurse practitioner technique for ensuring quality care and patient satisfaction. This includes following up with patients about referrals, checking in when you receive test results, and going the extra mile to make sure your patient can execute your treatment plans.
• Communication: Improving patient experience often means improving communication, as this is one of the most difficult parts of a nurse practitioner’s job. Providers need to be patient, listen to their patients’ concerns, explain themselves thoroughly, and make sure no concerns are ignored or forgotten. Good patient retention techniques also include communication with a patient after they have left your office.

How can private practices continue engaging existing clients?

Finally, it is essential to listen to the needs of your patients and grow your business in ways that accommodate them. For example, say you run a medical weight loss clinic and hear many patients struggling with menopause symptoms. You can consider opening a niche side practice in hormone replacement therapy. This will help your current patients feel better and will help you retain them as patients for multiple reasons. This is a way to use responsive, personalized patient care to benefit both your patients and your private practice.