Metric #3: Return rate & net promoter score of existing patients
The rise in consumerism in the healthcare industry has shown us that patients are increasingly expecting streamlined interactions, on-demand access to account information and records, and other consumer-friendly features they’ve become used to in so many areas of their lives. Healthcare providers who aren’t able to keep up are likely to see patients explore other options in search of a more modern service experience.

For healthcare providers, keeping existing patients happy should be a top priority. Many of the costs associated with patient acquisition are upfront costs. You don’t have to spend money on advertising your clinic to a current patient, for example, since they already know who you are. Because of this, the value of a patient grows each time they return for a new doctor visit or their next checkup.
According to Ali Cudby, CEO of a leading marketing firm in the field of customer retention, the cost of acquiring new customers is between six to seven times more than keeping the customers you already have.

Of course, retention shouldn’t be the only goal. In addition to focusing on keeping their current patients, healthcare providers should also be focusing on keeping their current patients happy. When new patients look for a healthcare provider, they are increasingly turning to online reviews — a practice that has long been a staple of consumer-focused businesses like restaurants or hotels. And as any restaurant owner can tell you, unhappy customers love to share their poor experiences with anyone who will listen. In fact, Inc. claims that it takes around 40 positive customer experiences to make up for the damage of a single unhappy customer.

The Digital Front Door helps healthcare providers deliver a better overall patient experience by taking pressure off critical customer support resources, streamlining and digitizing many tasks, and giving the patient a more personalized healthcare experience.

We can easily see the value of improved patient experience by tracking retention using the return rate of existing patients. Including metrics such as Net Promoter Score, a rating of an individual’s likelihood to recommend a product or service to someone they know, can provide additional insights into patients’ attitudes.

About the author: Rajesh Midha serves as president of Ogilvy Experience, North America and also president & CEO of Bottle Rocket, a specialty digital product and services technology company.

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