June 10, 2021 | Net Health
3 Minute Read
Outpatient Therapy and Consumer Confidence: What to Know Post-PHE
As public health officials and medical providers have been busy battling a global pandemic, another contender has entered the ring — fear. For the past year and a half, healthcare professionals and patients alike have feared for their own health, as well as the safety of their loved ones. Now, it’s time for outpatient therapy providers to fight this lingering fear head on.
While we already know you’re doing everything in your power to keep your patients and staff safe, patients must feel confident walking through your doors. This is what you need to know to ensure consumer confidence in outpatient therapy post-Public Health Emergency (PHE).
Why is Consumer Confidence Key for Outpatient Therapy?
Though widespread administration of the COVID-19 vaccine is slowly bringing an end to the PHE, consumer confidence in our abilities is more important than ever before. Unlike inpatient physical therapy or acute care settings, in which patients can witness the ways your team is going above and beyond to keep them safe, those in outpatient therapy only see a fraction of your safety measures.
This is especially important when you consider that more than 40% of patients completely avoided medical care in the early months of the pandemic.¹ Even more, nearly 52% of patients who reported needing medical attention during those initial months refrained from care.² The reason why? Nearly 60% feared COVID-19 exposure while at their appointment.³
For outpatient therapy providers, consumer confidence no longer reflects in just our products and services. Rather, consumer confidence refers to our ability to keep people safe from a global pandemic. When we discuss patient comfortability, our goal isn’t just to make them feel safe — it’s to make patients feel confident in our care and our ability to protect them.
How to Ensure Consumer Confidence Post-Pandemic
Knowing that more than half of patients refrained from outpatient therapy due to a fear of COVID-19 exposure, it’s critical that providers work to ensure consumer confidence post-pandemic. Remember, most of your patients don’t share your medical background — so, it’s essential you break down the safety measures you have in place for every visitor to understand.
Beyond patient interactions in-office, harness physical therapy marketing to share your safety procedures with both new and pre-existing patients. Widely accessible physical therapy marketing solutions can help disperse your message and rebuild confidence in consumers with lingering fear over the PHE.
Move Forward with Confidence for All
It’s time for outpatient therapy providers to reconnect with patients without fear as a barrier. With consumer confidence in your team’s ability to keep them safe, both patient attendance and patient satisfaction metrics are poised to come out of this PHE stronger than ever.
Learn more about how to ensure business success post-COVID in the latest free Net Health e-book, The COVID Vaccine: A Shot in the Arm for Outpatient Therapy.
The COVID-19 Vaccine: A Shot in the Arm for Outpatient Therapy
Ensure Outpatient Therapy Success As We Return to Normalcy
References:
¹, ², ³ American Medical Association, “Why 41% of Patients Have Skipped Care During COVID-19 Pandemic,” February 15, 2021.
