It goes without saying that our surgeon’s time is valuable. Use this time wisely and a brief, meaningful interaction between the patient and your M.D. will help your conversion rates grow. A streamlined consultation process, combined with collaborative communication, will allow these precious minutes to be used prudently for a real and lasting impact.
Minimize chair time, maximize impact– A surgeon’s time with a patient should be brief but engaging. That means minimizing the education process of a procedure during this meeting, and accentuating it before the exam and during the work-up. Instead, focus on hearing the individual needs of the patient, reaffirming these needs, and then moving on to a recommendation.
Instill confidence, reconfirm candidacy, provide psychological reassurance– A firm handshake and a few sentences can make all the difference for a patient, and remove any doubt or uneasiness about moving forward.
During a LASIK consult that might mean congratulating them on being a candidate, and the excitement of moving forward. For a cataract patient, this might mean clearly defining the recommendation of a lens or surgery option that will yield them their best visual outcomes. Patients are uncomfortable making such big medical decisions without the advisement of a surgeon. This is the time to make a surgeon’s recommendation clear, concise and powerful.
Create lasting personal bond in seconds with the help of collaborative efforts and communication with the Team– Gathering crucial pieces of information like lifestyle choices, hobbies, activities, motivations and fears, can shape the outcome of a visit. Make sure your team is gathering this information throughout the appointment, so that a surgeon can highlight on these points during the exam. This acknowledgement lets your patient know your practice was listening, which may mean it’s worth listening to you.
