The healthcare sector is a competitive one, and right now, clinics everywhere are pouring money into marketing. In many cases, they still aren't seeing growth. Sam Patel, founder of the healthcare app Looped, says that's because the issue isn't volume; it's lead quality and follow-through.
Patel is a medical entrepreneur who owned and operated several clinics before starting Looped. After working directly with 3000+ clinics globally, he understands better than most how follow-through can shape the patient experience.
You might recognize Patel from his viral videos in which he calls healthcare clinics pretending to be a potential patient. He then rates their responses and discusses what went well and what didn't.
Those "prank call" videos illustrate the importance of genuine connection. Patel's app, Looped, makes it easier for clinics to nurture leads from the start.
Looped is a white-label app that clinics can customize around their offerings. Providers can use it to send pre-procedure instructions and other educational materials to patients, and patients can earn points by watching expert-curated videos on health-related topics.
What's more, Looped allows patients to access low-interest financing for procedures, enabling clinics to boost revenue without handling the logistics of financing themselves.
Crucially, the app also makes it easier for healthcare providers to improve lead quality and get new patients in the door.
As any clinic owner or administrator knows, some leads are more promising than others. Patel says Looped will soon help busy clinics identify which new leads are most likely to become patients.
"The app has evolved to qualify leads," he explains. "There'll be a QR code that can be placed on the clinic's website or social media, and any prospective patient, someone who's just kind of checking the clinic out for the first time, can essentially scan the QR code and start to discover what the clinic offers and more of an elegant, intimate environment."
Downloading apps is quick and easy, so it's possible that a segment of people who do so never really intended to become patients in the first place. That's where Looped takes it a step further.
"It will basically lead-qualify them," Patel says. "They'll get points for downloading the app, so they get a free coupon before they even come in for the first time. That's the hook. It's saying, 'Hey, start your journey here.'"
When would-be patients download the app, they'll also be asked a series of questions about their goals. That might seem like a small step, but it offers clinics valuable insight and helps them understand what to expect.
This unofficial intake process segments prospective patients at the first point of entry, before they even contact the clinic directly. If a patient downloads the app, sees that they have a free coupon, and has treatment goals aligned with what the clinic offers, there's a high likelihood of conversion.
Patel emphasizes that this intake process is a key part of the patient lifecycle.
"There are five broad steps to the patient lifecycle," he says. "Step one is marketing. It's how patients find you, whether it's social, paid ads, referrals, word of mouth, etc. Step two is the phone call, where we figure out how to convert someone to step three."
"Step three is the consultation," he continues. "When they come in for a consultation, then we convert them to step four, which is treatment. They get the service done, and if the service goes well, and we do everything in our power to make them have a good experience in step four, then we get to step five, which is retention. That's getting them back in the door."
As Patel has observed, many clinic owners are stuck on step one. They invest time and money into marketing, and when they see little or no growth, they assume that they need to invest more. That just leads to more wasted money and time, as well as more frustration. "They are tired of spending money on countless marketing efforts," he says.
From his vantage point, the solution is clear: Focus on lead quality instead of lead quantity. That shift in focus can be tricky to execute in practice, but with Looped acting as a kind of virtual pre-screener, clinics will be better equipped to focus on qualified leads and ultimately drive conversions.
Patients aren't just looking for quality healthcare services and reasonable prices. They're also looking for an experience that's memorable in all the right ways. When a clinic fosters meaningful connections from the start, patients take notice, and growth usually follows.
