Please Come,Please Stay !

Dr Aniruddha Malpani
Being a doctor today is not easy
Struggle to survive
Too much competition
Too little
reimbursement
Common response – work even
harder !
Run around from clinic to clinic,
hospital to hospital
Only 24 hours in a day !
No time
for
yourself
or your
family
 Need to work smarter – not
harder !
Every doctor is an entrepreneur
Needs to run a business
Some doctors never
learn, and struggle
to manage
This talk will focus on only 2
areas

1. Marketing
2. Information
Therapy
 What is Marketing ?
A doctor needs patients – and
you will not have patients
unless they are aware of your
services !
Making patients aware of your
services is called marketing
Marketing is NOT Advertising
Your patients are
looking for you – do
they know how to find
you ?
 Marketing in the past
Doctors have always
marketed themselves
Traditionally, it has been
“word of mouth” marketing.
This is still the best type, but
it takes time.
Marketing – the good and the
ugly !
Some doctors market themselves
by offering cuts and kickbacks
Why gift half your hard earned
professional income
away ?
There are better
solutions !
 Medicine is a competitive
market
Simple fact of life - There are more
patients than there are doctors!
Why should patients come to you ?
Word of mouth takes a long time !
 Marketing is ethical !
Patients need doctors and doctors
need patients. This means a market
exists
How do patients find the best
doctor ?
Unethical options are the norm today
Healthier option - go to where the
patients are – the internet !
You need your own website !
Patients are hungry for reliable
information. The internet is an excellent
source of information, but a lot of this
can be wrong. This can be a pain for
doctors
Better to provide reliable information to
your patients through your own website
Patients trust you !
Doctor = “docere” = teach !
 Does it work ?
Yes !
Our website at www.drmalpani.com
has become our primary source of
referrals
Over 5000
Visitors daily !
 Marketing
Infertile patients are highly motivated.
Will spend hours on the net looking for
solutions to their problems.
RTI Act - patients have a Right to
Information too !
Reliable websites created by doctors
educate patients and improve medical
care.
 Benefits of a website
(for patients)

Transparent – you cannot lie or

cheat. Have to document your
prices , your success rates and
your services !
They can shop around from the
comfort of their home – and
compare clinics !
 How does a website help you ?
Your website can help you to attract
new patients - patients will travel
long distances to have a baby !
Patients in India will soon routinely “
research “ their doctors,
just like they do in USA.
Internet positive patients
are affluential and
influential !
 Website benefits
Your website lets your patients know
that you are familiar with modern
technology ! Improves their comfort
level with an unknown doctor
At our website at
http://www.DrMalpani.com - we
answer over 100 queries a day
Get direct patient referrals from all
over the world !
 Email versus Telephone
Email is our preferred mode of
communication.
Everything is documented, so there’s
no confusion !
I can provide intelligent guidance.
They can share this information with
family members.
Improves my productivity
 Website benefits
Lets you interact with doctors and
specialists from all over the world, so
that you can showcase your skills and
publish interesting data online
Indian patients want information
about facilities available inIndia. By
providing this information, you
establish yourself as a credible expert
 Website benefits
Excellent form of CME. Because you
need to update your website all the
time, you need to keep upto date !
Get an international perspective
 Website benefits
Excellent way to educate patients
IVF videos online
Reassures patients
Saves me time- I do not have to
explain the basics to every patient
How to publish your website
This is the electronic face of your
clinic – don’t skimp on it !
Important for your brand image and
your reputation
www.websitefordoctors.in
 Isn’t this too expensive ?
Very cost-effective – if you get even
one more patient, you have
recovered your investment !
 What to do
See what other clinics are doing–
but don’t plagiarise !
Make it easy for patients to
contact you through your
website using email
Send out ezines to keep in touch
with your patients
 What to do
Promote your website actively
( visiting cards, stationery)
Update content frequently !
Use local languages
Submit to search engines
Link to related websites – and
ask them to link to you
Worries and concerns
I do not understand technology. I
cannot use a computer. I cannot type
I do not have the time !
All excuses – don’t underestimate
your skills !
If you do not put up your website, you
will soon have all the time in the world
 Future – Patient Portals
Interface between your website
and your clinic’s EMR ( Electronic
Medical Record)
Patients can access their medical
records online
Increases patient’s loyalty to
your clinic
 What not to do
Signs of a bad website

Don’t bother to update the

website
Don’t reply to emails
Have dead or broken links
Poor grammar or mis-spelling
 Please Prescribe
Information !
Information Therapy is
the Best Medicine !
 Carrot and stick
1. Promote your practise
– Well informed patients are more
faithful
– Differentiate yourself from other
doctors
2. Protect you from lawsuits
– Document that you have educated
your patient
 Benefits
Patients forget over half of what
you tell them, because of the
stress of the consultation.
Giving them printed materials to
read at home will help prevent
midnight calls .
 Best form of CME for the
doctor !
The well-informed patient can teach
you much more about medicine than
any textbook !
Can be a great research
assistant because they
Search for information on
the web !
Helps to teach you empathy
Reading information intended for
the patient can teach you to look
at things from the patient’s point
of view.
Reduce risk of complications
Doctors are human and may make
errors . The well-informed patient
can point out problems with your
treatment that you may overlook (for
example, patients with G6PD
deficiency)
 Reduce medicolegal risks
Patient education is an integral
part of “risk management” in
medical practice today
This reduces your
risk of being sued
if complications do
occur.
 Who has the time ?
Use assistants to do this
Refer your patients to your
website
 DVDs from PEAS –
www.peasonline.com
www.peasonline.com
Information Therapy for Doctors
• Your professional
knowledgebase is your biggest
asset. As medical science
progresses, you need to keep up
with current trends.
• Otherwise you may find your
patients know more than you
do !
Wish list for the perfect website
for doctors ?
For doctors only
From world’s leading medical
publishers
Both medical text books and
medical journals - FULL-TEXT
Covers all specialties
Ad-free !
 Solution !

www.mdconsult.com
World’s largest online medical library
Only Rs 9995 per year
You can be proud of your
knowledgebase
Educate your colleagues
www.healthlibrary.com
 The golden rule
Patients are the practise - everything
else is just paper work !
Doctors have the best emotional
income in the world !
Happy patients =
Happy doctors !
 The joy of being a doctor !
www.thebestmedicalcare.com