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.

A phrase that we have been hearing quite a bit is ‘transparency in government.’  As a public we expect to hear what is going on within our government agencies and offices, and much of the information we get is from the internet.  While the internet is a great resource to find information, there is so much out there that it can be difficult to find complete and current information.

Where can we go to find information regarding what is going on in our government?  With email available, as well as social media options, there are many opportunities to communicate clearly and accurately with the public.

E-newsletters are an ideal way to communicate with the public.  About 79% of adults in the U.S. are online, and 90 of these use email, so it is a quick and effective way to communicate to a large group of readers.  4imprint’s recent Government newsletter offers some valuable steps for setting up your agency’s e-newsletter.

Another option is a social media site.  Facebook, for example, has over 250 million active users worldwide.  This type of site offers a great way to share documentation and articles with the public, by allowing users to ‘join’ the group.

Are you currently using technology to communicate to the public?  If so, I’d love to hear what you’re using and you’re applying it.  If you’re not, there is no better time to get started.

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.