COLUMN TECH TALK Analytics at your clinic M Use big data to diagnose health of your practice BY STEPHANE LAVERDIERE ultinational companies such as IBM, Nike and Facebook use “big data” to forecast trends, create marketing campaigns and enhance cus-tomer experience. In recent years, big data has changed the way we do business. No longer confined to large companies, busi-nesses of all sizes use analytics to review, plan and execute marketing programs. Big data has become a big driver in digital health innovation as well. Chiropractors who use a paperless EHR system will pro-duce data that, when identified, aggregated and analyzed will provide a lot of valuable information to optimize patient care. Here are five ways to optimize your prac-tice with data generated from software re-ports. 1. Understanding, attracting new patients If your practice has plateaued and the reason is not obvious, the answer is in the data. Do you know who your most profitable patients are? A comprehensive review of new patients, accounts receivable, referral and marketing reports will give you the tools to find those answers. A great software will make it easy for you to find your most passionate pa-tients who believe in what you do. The interpreted data will show you the areas that you need to improve and give you the tools you need to optimize. It’s great to have long-term patients, but if they are not referring their friends and family, you may want to initiate a referral program that rewards loyalty. Your top referrals will influence your practice demographic. For example, if your “top am-bassador” is a thirty-something married professional with a young family, it’s predictable they will refer friends with a similar lifestyle to your practice. Base your marketing efforts on your current patient de-mographic and what works for them. DR. STEPHANE LAVERDIERE, DC, is a 1995 graduate of National College of Chiropractic. He opened and managed three successful practices. He is co-founder of Atlas Chiropractic System, an innovative world-class paperless office system. He enjoys pioneering the features that will be used by chiropractors worldwide. He lives in Ontario, and is interested in organic sustainable living and everything it entails. 20 Canadian Chiropractor September 2016 2. Create a targeted marketing campaign Every picture tells a story, and your data is no exception. Collecting patient data provides useful demographics such as age, gender, marital status, interests and occupation. Use these information for a retention or targeted marketing cam-paign. A comprehensive marketing report allows you to enter and link a lead into a marketing campaign. Once the lead becomes a patient, you can then change the status flag from lead to active patient. Income or any referrals generated from a lead are tallied from a particular campaign. Software capa-bilities allow campaign down line (complete with cost) to be tracked for years to measure return on investment. Create an organic or social media campaign with demo-graphic data derived from marketing reports. Use your pa-tient demographic data to attract new patients through a Facebook targeted audience ad campaign. Is a trending health issue resonating in the exam room? Educate on specific issues through patient handouts, email, seminars or social media to cultivate trust and loyalty. Track all campaigns to focus your message and energy on cam-paigns that work. 3. Income forecasting Take control of your business practices using reports. Lead or patient data “push indicators” include health issues, appointment frequency and inventory reports. Review plan reports to determine revenue from health insurance claims. www.canadianchiropractor.ca
Chiropractic + Naturopathic Doctor September 2016: Page 20
