While your website should serve as a lead generation tool for new business, it should also serve as a resource to current patients. One of the best ways to do this is by creating a “patient corner” or “new patient guide”. In this section, you might include the following:

Patient forms – If you’re like most healthcare professionals, you likely have a rather lengthy initial consultation form asking for medical history, current conditions and insurance details. While most practices simply ask that patients complete this in the reception area prior to meeting the doctor, providing these forms before this first visit can be helpful in saving time and reducing anxiety. Consider posting these forms as fillable PDFs for easy completion or allow patients to submit these through your secure website.

Directions to your office – Unless you perform house calls, patients will be travelling to your office. While GPS directions are usually pretty accurate, they’re not fool proof. Take time to review the directions that providers like Google Maps supply to make sure they are spot on. If the steps aren’t clear, you might consider providing your own set for visitors. Also provide additional information about parking and public transportation options, if applicable.

Insight on that first visit – Many first visits are met with anxiety. You can help to lessen this apprehension by supplying an inside look at what will actually happen during your time with the new patient.

General articles of interest – Many of your patients share the same concerns. Your patient center is a great place to feature articles of interest. If you specialize in rhinoplasty procedures, for example, you might share an article on the typical “nose job” recovery period or explore how technology has made this procedure less risky over the past decade.

The best way to design an impactful resource center is to take time to really listen to the needs and concerns of your patients. Once you’ve identified valuable tools, you might consider posting this information in a password-protected area of your website. You can then provide login credentials to patients when an appointment is first scheduled. While the information behind the password isn’t visible to prospective patients who have yet to make contact, it can often be enticing to new visitors who take note of your client-centric approach to healthcare.