There’s good reason for Australian general practices to think about attracting new patients because people move, change doctors and look for services that are more convenient for them, which makes being visible and easy to access part of running a successful practice.
An established practice, however, may already have hundreds or thousands of patients who know its doctors, have a clinical history with the practice and return for care over many years. It makes sense to consider how much attention those relationships receive when the practice is reviewing its operations and patient technology.
A patient who has used the same practice for years may still go elsewhere for a routine appointment when they can’t find a suitable time. They may return to their regular GP for more complex care, but each visit to another provider means some of their history and treatment may sit outside the usual practice relationship.
Continuity of care is one reason this deserves attention. A GP who sees a patient over time can develop an understanding of their history, circumstances and changing needs. Research has linked continuity with better outcomes in several settings, although the strength of that relationship varies according to what is being measured.
MyMedicare also reflects the Australian Government’s interest in supporting ongoing relationships between patients and their regular general practice. Registration may formalise that connection, while the patient’s experience of getting care still depends on what happens day to day.
For practice managers, appointment access is an obvious place to look. Can patients find the right consultation type? Are suitable times available online? If a clinician wants to see a patient again in three weeks, is there a reliable way to arrange that appointment before the patient loses track of the recommendation?
The same questions apply to recalls and reminders. A recall process only helps when someone is responsible for keeping it current and patients know what action to take. Clear communication about results, prescriptions and follow-up can also reduce the number of calls required to complete a routine task.
This is where patient technology deserves a closer look. Online booking, messaging and prescription requests are available through several platforms, so the useful questions concern how those services fit into the practice’s own processes and what they allow patients to do over the course of their care.
Manage My Health Australia gives practices a way to extend some of those established relationships online through services such as appointments and repeat prescription requests, alongside access to selected health information where the practice makes it available. The specific services offered depend on the practice.
For an established practice, there can be considerable value in helping patients continue with the doctors and clinical teams they already know. That begins with understanding where access and communication work well, where patients encounter difficulty and what the practice can realistically improve.
We’ll explore these questions in our upcoming webinar on patient retention in Australian general practice.
Register here.
