20 Ideas to Delight Patients and Staff with Your Practice Reopening

The reopening of your practice presents an opportunity to welcome back employees and patients in an enjoyable way, even in the midst of fulfilling cumbersome processes due to COVID-19 guidelines.

On our recent webinar, When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemon Pie, Dr. Ann Hoscheit shared examples of creative ways practices are engaging with patients and staff as they welcome them back into their practice. We also asked webinar attendees to send us their ideas for welcoming people back into the office. Following is a compilation of some of the unique ways that practices are delighting staff and patients with their practice reopening.

We hope these ideas inspire you as you welcome people back to your office.

1. Intentionally schedule time or set aside a day for staff to volunteer in the community (underserved groups, veterans, etc.), promote eye health and other aspects of wellness.

2. Paint and redecorate the practice, repaint stripes and bumpers in the parking lot, and plant pretty flowers to welcome patients back to your office.

3. Treat your staff to new, cheerful uniforms/scrubs.

4. Safeguard staff by providing an allowance for new work shoes, and a germicidal mat for employees to place street shoes on when coming into the practice.

5. Provide a key washing station for employees to use when coming into the practice and individual cubbies to store personal items.

6. Give patients face masks personalized with your practice name to wear while they’re out in the community.

7. Use plastic face shields instead of masks, improving communication for patients with hearing loss.

8. Use Pre-appointment HPI and ROS, pre-appointment COVID-19 messages and screening, and pre-appointment check in.

9. Implement curbside pick-up and deliveries for eyewear and contact lenses.

10. Reassure patients by using various techniques for sanitizing eyewear – UVC cabinets, UVC bags, or electrolyzed water.

11. Since individuals are on the computer/screens now more than ever, educate patients on the importance of blue light protection in eyewear.

12. Create a TikTok or YouTube channel to showcase your practice and provide educational resources for patients in a fun and unique way.

13. Connect with patients by sharing your passion with them. For example, invite patients to a virtual cooking, yoga, or painting class.

14. Host a blood drive in your parking lot by partnering with an organization like OneBlood to encourage patients and staff to give back by donating blood and plasma.

15. Host a social distancing special event, such as a themed trunk show.

16. Network with colleagues and peers, share ideas and encourage each other.

17. Understand the different expectations and needs of patients based on their demographic so you can effectively communicate with and reassure them as needed.

18. Develop and implement a marketing plan to market your practice using social media, paid advertising, your website, reviews, referrals, etc.

19. Implement patient intake software to eliminate paper forms and facilitate the gathering of patient information before patients arrive at the practice. View our patient intake partners here.

20. Use patient engagement software such as RevolutionEHR’s RevConnect, to proactively communicate with patients. Visit our partner page for a list of integrated patient engagement software partners.

Watch our 30 minute webinar, When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemon Pie: A Recipe for Delighting Patients and Staff with Your Practice Reopening, to learn more creative ideas for welcoming patients and employees back to your office.

RevolutionEHR is committed to staying on top of eye care industry updates on behalf of our customers. If you’re interested in partnering with us for EHR software and practice solutions, contact us at sales@revolutionehr.com or 877-738-3471 x1, or explore our solutions on our website.