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:

A solid reputation is a key part of any sound marketing strategy. Favorable impressions and positive word of mouth can go a long way in attracting new patients and driving referrals—particularly for specialty practices. One method for boosting a practice’s reputation is to cultivate happy patients. Engaging in your patients’ care, along with positive clinical and financial experiences, they are more likely to return and even share opinions with friends and family.

Plastic Surgery practices, especially those focused on cosmetic procedures, understand the effect patient engagement can have on practice growth. Due to the shift in demand from reconstructive to elective treatments, which results in increased patient out-of-pocket spending, cosmetic surgery practices must ensure a positive patient experience in order to increase retention and referrals. According to a British study, a better patient experience is associated with increased engagement and clinical efficacy.

When specialty providers observe that “My patients often don’t do what I tell them,” they are usually describing an issue of engagement. Patients obviously want to be healthy, or they wouldn’t make appointments in the first place. But when appointments are difficult to secure or aren’t kept—and when a kept appointment is the only time the patient connects with the specialty practice—there is an opportunity to increase patient engagement by leveraging technologies for patient access.

If you want to attract and retain customers, you need a solid marketing plan in place—no matter what industry you are in. That doesn’t necessarily mean spending a lot of money on scattershot advertising. In fact, with so many new and relatively inexpensive channels, marketing can be easier, and more varied and focused than ever before. Specialty practices, in particular, need to market themselves well, as many times they receive their clients based on referrals.

Mobile devices permeate the healthcare setting. They’re not just in the hands of patients, either. Roughly eight in 10 doctors use them in their practice. Many providers have turned to mobile devices for their ease of use, portability and help with many key aspects of their day-to-day work, particularly with respect to managing the patient-provider relationship.

Results from Medscape Education’s two-year study on generational factors and their impact on patient engagement reveals that providers need to help equip patients across generations with the skill set for shared decision-making concerning their health. Each generation has its own set of values, communication style and expectations about their approach to health and relationships with their providers. Therefore, specialty providers must first understand the different expectations and unique needs of their multigenerational patients in order to deliver the right information and support needed to fully participate in their care.

For specialty providers, especially those practices who rely on referrals from other doctors, maintaining an online presence may not be at the top of the priority list. But just like any other business, it is imperative that specialty medical practices make an effort to be online. Naturally, the next question is how do you go about solidifying our practice's online presence? Here are three ways to accomplish just that.