Physician burnout continues to be a problem for the healthcare profession. According to a recent Medscape survey, 42 percent of physicians report burnout, and nearly half of those reporting experience it frequently. Not only is this concerning in terms of physicians’ well-being, but also because of the issue’s potential downstream ramifications. When physicians are dissatisfied and overwhelmed, they may not be at their best during patient encounters, and interactions with colleagues may also be affected. As a result, if left unchecked, this crisis in physician health could have wide-ranging impacts on patient care.

Building relationships are key to specialty practice marketing. Communicating to a target audience that the practice values them and wants to meet their needs helps cultivate strong affiliations with patients as well as other physicians who may refer patients to the organization. Establishing and reinforcing these connections can draw individuals into the practice, preserve loyalty and increase the likelihood for positive long-term performance.

Staying afloat in these changing times requires specialty practices to ramp up their marketing efforts. A relatively straightforward step is to look at how patients are referred to an organization and use that information to guide marketing interventions. Taking a data-driven approach allows an organization to effectively and efficiently pull more patients into the practice and better retain current customers.

As specialty practices embrace technology to improve performance, they often come to a crossroads. On one path is the option of having separate solutions to handle clinical care, practice management and financial operations. On the other side is the option of an integrated system that seamlessly supports all three functions.

There has never been a more critical time to market a specialty practice. Increasing competition, rising patient consumerism and the need to expand shrinking margins are all factors that are pushing practices to better promote themselves. When done well, marketing efforts can drive referrals, foster loyalty and establish a positive reputation. Moreover, they can boost brand visibility, grow recognition and cultivate long-lasting patient and referral source relationships.

When it comes to MACRA’s Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), change seems to be the only constant. The requirements associated with the MIPS program have been in flux since MACRA launched in 2015. Despite the moving parts, specialty providers must remain focused on program compliance to receive incentive payments and avoid penalties. Unfortunately, with all the unknowns, it is often hard to feel confident that a practice is set up for success.

Communicating with patients outside of periodic care visits is critical to improving their long-term health. Frequent interactions can keep people on track with care plans, ensure they attend follow-up visits and reveal concerning symptoms that could lead to bigger problems. Regular exchanges can also convey that the practice cares about the patient, which can help with satisfaction and retention. Given the numerous competing priorities specialty practices face, finding time to periodically reach out to patients may be a challenge. An integrated electronic health record and practice management system can be a valuable tool in streamlining communication, facilitating timely outreach without taking staff away from other duties. Here are three aspects of an integrated system that practices can use to better engage patients:

As specialty practices begin to embrace value-based care models, many providers are considering technology that allows them to better capture information about the patient encounter, streamline financial operations and meet reporting requirements. Although this is a smart strategy, practices must be careful to not just bolt on solutions that operate in silos. Instead, they should look for technology that seamlessly integrates with other solutions, facilitating information exchange, enabling smoother processes and limiting the likelihood that key information will slip through the cracks.