If your organization promotes to anyone that is likely to use prescription medication, this is a handy giveaway to consider. Great imprint area, and very, very handy!

And handy promotional products are very, very effective.

We’ve all attended open houses for schools, neighborhood gatherings, and family events, but have you ever thought of holding an open house at your healthcare facility to network or offer new specialties to patients?

• Set up a meet & greet for staff to get to know new and existing patients.  Staff will have the opportunity to meet with patients on a personal level to get to know them better, understand their concerns, and learn about their families.  When greeted by name at the next appointment, both staff and patients will feel appreciated.
• Introduce the opening of a new location to the community.  Invite local media to the open house, as well as new and potential patients.  It’s a great opportunity to talk about the benefits of the new location, and make patients aware of your presence.
• Recruit new staff.  Invite prospective job candidates in to meet your staff currently in you organization.  They can get to know what positions and opportunities are available, and understand more about your business and plan.

Open houses provide many public relations opportunities for your healthcare facility, and provide an ideal occasion for you, your staff, and patients to network in a more casual setting.

For more information on planning an open house, take a look at 4imprint’s Healthcare Newsletter.

One of the fastest growing trends in medicine is not a specific treatment, but an approach to care. The existence of medical spas is on the rise, and offer patients relaxation during procedures which can be nerve-racking. Dermatologic and cosmetic treatments are the most common types performed at medical spas, but there are many other specialties that are beginning to use the medical spa strategy. Patients dealing with dialysis, cancer, and even fertility issues can find comfort and care in a spa setting. There are even spas popping up in hospitals, in an effort to provide overall health and wellness to patients.

For some ideas on making your practice more spa-like, check out 4imprint’s latest Healthcare newsletter.

In an industry where word-of-mouth (no pun intended!) is king, Long Island Endodontics of Woodmere, N.Y., understands the critical importance of remaining top-of-mind with current and potential referrers.

“Our main way of getting patients through the door is through general dentist referrals, so the majority of our marketing is to them,” shared Ann Healey, marketing manager for Long Island Endodontics. “We’ve found it very effective, too.”

Long Island Endodontics, delivering root canal services to more than 1,300 patients of record in 2007, markets to area dentists and their personnel via face-to-face office visits, direct mailings and the use of highly targeted promotional products.

Such promotional products include water bottles in the summer, umbrellas on rainy days and coffee mugs in the chilly winter months. Healy and owner Dr. John Santopolo, DDS, have found that the business’ phone number can never be in too many places.

“Recently, we had a dentist who wanted to give our number to one of his patients. Later on, he told me that our phone number was on so many products in-office, that he had no problem finding it for referral. That shows we must be on the top of his mind!” explained Healey.

The business also takes care of its B2B clientele though personalized holiday gifts and regular drawings for referrers. The coveted prize for the winning staff? A basket, chock-full of promotional products and a gift card to a local eatery.

But, Long Island Endodontics doesn’t stop with referrer-based tactics. It also ensures all patients feel welcome and leave impressed with the quality of services received. This is accomplished with little to no wait time for appointments; high-tech digital imaging that allows for root canal completion in only one visit; and complimentary logo’d lip balm, toothpicks, calendars and calculators.

“Although root canals may be unpleasant, we try to make the entire experience here as comfortable and inviting as possible. Because, that’s what patients will remember in the future, and, that’s in part why other dentists will refer,” said Healey.