How to increase OPD patients in a hospital: start with the diagnosis

Transcript

Camps, discounts and ads rarely fix a flat OPD.

First diagnose which of five problems you have: demand, findability, conversion, availability or return.

Then fix that one.

Demand.

Not enough people in the catchment need what you offer.

Findability.

Patients search and do not find you, or find wrong information.

Conversion.

They call or message, and the enquiry is lost.

Availability.

The doctor they want is not bookable when they need.

Return.

Patients do not come back for the follow-up the doctor advised.

Findability is where many hospitals lose patients, and it is cheap to fix.

One verified map listing per unit, with the right category and a phone that is answered.

Publish OPD hours, not emergency hours.

A family that finds the OPD shut does not come back.

And keep every doctor page accurate.

If the phone rings and nobody answers, nothing upstream matters.

Answer every call in a few rings, especially in the evening, when working families call.

Work missed calls from a callback queue within the hour.

And let patients book a real slot on WhatsApp.

Availability is often mistaken for conversion.

The patient wants the surgeon on Saturday; he sits on Tuesdays.

Publish OPD days on every doctor page and listing.

Offer a named alternative when the preferred doctor is full.

And never let the online calendar show slots that do not exist.

The cheapest outpatient visit is from a patient who already trusts you.

Capture the follow-up date the doctor advises.

Send a reminder a few days before, with a way to book.

And confirm every booking with a reminder the day before.

Measure new and repeat visits separately, enquiries by source, and booked against attended, every week by specialty and doctor.

That shows which of the five problems you actually have.

The full guide, with sources and checklists, is on gauravphogat.com.

The link is in the description.