
Past patients are critical to the success of your physical therapy practice. They are living proof of the fantastic results that can be achieved from your treatments and often are the leading source of recommendations for your services to doctors, family, and friends. But once the last appointment is complete, it can be hard to maintain genuine contact and communication with past patients.
Task the front desk with calling each discharged patient approximately 3-4 weeks after their last visit to check in. Use this opportunity to confirm contact information and to see how the patient is feeling.
Either during the follow-up survey or another point of contact, ask the patient for a testimonial (especially if you were not able to get one at the last appointment).
Start hyping your patient referral program in your monthly newsletter. Offer an incentive (gift cards or coupons work great!) for patients to refer themselves or others to your practice.
A directive marketing campaign specifically referencing past patients can be a needed change up from your routine marketing messages. Be sure to call out past patients’ success with your clinic and highlight any specials or savings you are currently offering.
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Think of fun (free!) contests that you can easily execute using social media. Have past patients Like or Share a post and be entered to win an incentive.
Do you give your patients t-shirts or hats? Schedule a day/time when office staff will be at a local gym or community center and have them look for past patients wearing your clinic’s tee. Those “spotted” patients can have their picture taken with their gift card or giveaway.
Is the local 5K coming up? Offer a special pre-race training and conditioning appointment to past patients. Getting them back in the clinic before the race can prevent training injuries and improve performance.
Extend your clinic gym’s hours one night a month and offer exclusive access to past patients. Have PTs on hand to assist and answer questions.
Do you have a company car with your logo on it? Or can you decorate a vehicle with magnetic logos and flags for the day? Go all out and park the car at a local shopping center with lots of visibility. Ask social media followers to post or tweet pictures of the car to your clinic and give the followers a free screening coupon.
Start a game with past patients. Ask them to choose a Bingo number (ie. N34) on the day of their last appointment. Make a large Bingo card poster for the waiting room. Each week, draw one number for the game. If a patient chose that number, call them for a check in and offer a free screening. If that number makes a Bingo, give that patient vouchers for 5 free screenings to share with friends.
Want more ways to reactivate your past PT patients? Our expert account managers will help you get creative with your practice marketing and get more patients back into the clinic. Give us a call today to start seeing results!
“I’ve doubled my growth in just a few months. I hired another therapist and now am looking at moving into a larger building!” -Leo, Biosport PT
“I’ve doubled my growth in just a few months. I hired another therapist and now am looking at moving into a larger building!” -Leo, Biosport PT