Before you can start building and maintaining relationships, you have to get the patients to commit to that relationship, and that requires embracing modern technologies. The McKinsey 2017 Consumer Health Insights Survey found more than 80 percent of patients were willing to get care at a retail clinic, and use of these clinics more than doubled between 2013 and 2016.⁴ Clearly, today’s patient values convenience over continuity of care. Staying ahead in this environment requires learning from the competition and offering patients some of the value they get from these clinics.

The first lesson is availability. “You have to meet the patient wherever and whenever she needs, based on what she needs and wants,” says Stout. “In certain age groups, this is the only way they will get the care they need.” Extended hours and accepting walk-ins are essential. “When someone has a urinary tract infection, they need to see the doctor that day.” Stout recommends hours that start closer to sunrise and last beyond sunset, and weekend hours, too. This doesn’t mean you’ll have to work round the clock. Stout recommends shifting your hours from when it is convenient for you to be in the office to when it is convenient for patients to be there.

Extended hours may no longer be enough, however. Patients — particularly millennials — are quickly embracing telehealth and virtual visits. Viet Nguyen, DO, a Falls Church, Virginia, internal medicine physician who specializes in treating addiction offers extended hours, including Saturday appointments, but also uses telehealth after 5 p.m. on weekdays. He says telehealth is very popular with his younger patients.

Virtual visits are relatively new, and take a little getting used to, especially on the physicians’ side. You have to incorporate them into your workflow and get comfortable with the interface. “We typically find that after the first five to seven visits, the doctor gets the hang of it and really starts to connect the dots on how to best fit this into his or her practice workflow and style,” says Graham Galka, vice president of new product development at Privia Health. Setting aside blocks of time — such as during lunch hours or just after 5 p.m. — when patients are likely to have a few minutes for the visits can make it easier to fit these into your schedules.

Telehealth is undoubtedly worth the effort. “Our organization sends e-surveys to patients post-visit, and for us, virtual visits rate as good as or better than in-person visits,” Galka says. This is not being embraced only by millennials, either. Telehealth is also a great option for patients who have disabilities that make it difficult to get to the doctor and for elderly patients who can’t drive or manage public transportation. With telehealth, patients will no longer find themselves saying, “I think I may have the flu, but I feel too lousy to go to the doctor.”

The biggest concern patients have is making sure the technology works smoothly. Having many points in the scheduling process prior to the visits to test the video camera, microphone, and internet connection makes the process much easier and helps ensure patient satisfaction.