The Beauty of a Post-Op Kit for Elevating the Patient Experience
July 30, 2019
People love special treatment. It’s the reason 5-star hotels put chocolate on your pillow and high-end salons throw in a scalp massage when you’re being shampooed.
Sure, in the realm of plastic surgery, what patients want most are beautiful results. But that doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy the journey. Savvy practitioners provide post-op care kits to their patients as a way to elevate the experience. Thoughtfully filled with all the essential medical items and accessories a patient needs to comfortably recover from their specific surgical procedure, the post-op care kit is more than just a VIP perk.
Here’s how this gesture of TLC can benefit your patients and your practice.
Make recovery easier & improve outcomes
Once surgery is done and patients head home, it’s hard to ensure they will carry out their required postoperative care. Know what’s more effective than having them leave your office with instructions? Sending them off with the actual products they need.
Not everyone feels up to a trip to the pharmacy after a procedure, and let’s face it, some patients don’t want to be seen in public while battling the swell hell and bruising that can accompany recovery. By saving patients the trip – and the headache of trying to find all the healing essentials they need – they’re one huge step closer to after-care compliance.
When you conveniently supply a care package with safe, proven products vetted by the physician, your practice is able to minimize the risk of adverse reactions, accelerate healing, cut downtime, and provide a more comfortable recovery. All of this contributes to better outcomes because you’re making it easier for patients to take a proactive role in their recovery, and put their body in a better position to heal by reducing stress.
And, when patients are provided the information and care products they need, staff spends less time on the phone fielding questions about post-op complications, and practices see a lower incidence of patient revisions. With questions handled, your team is freed up to focus on daily activities that generate revenue and increase value for your business.
Inspire confidence and a better experience
Patients who aren’t adequately prepared for their recovery are often forced to play doctor, and many seek advice from peers on plastic surgery support groups. It can be overwhelming to navigate the message boards and search all the options available at medical supply sites. And, it can take trial and error to find an effective solution. By all accounts, not an optimal experience.
People rely on physicians to recommend the recovery products they need and explain where to get them and how to use them. Providing a post-op kit, customized with procedure-specific healing essentials, is a personal touch that makes patients feel educated and empowered. You can even include care instructions and recovery tips in the kit, so patients have everything they need – and need to know – all in one place. This boosts patient confidence and conveys that you are going the extra mile to take care of them.
When filled with thoughtful items and packaged beautifully, the kit becomes a gift that makes the recipient feel special and elevates the entire patient experience.
Attract new patients and retain current ones
Plastic surgery is a competitive field – providers must find unique ways to make their services stand out. Providing post-op care kits supports a value-based approach that can differentiate your practice and convert consults into bookings.
When the cost is bundled into your surgical fee and kits are given to patients as a complimentary gift, they become an attractive incentive that creates positive associations around your brand, and adds that extra touch that makes a patient choose one physician over another. The investment for practices can be minimal but the effort makes a big impression. People love anything they perceive to be free.
Post-op kits can be used as a marketing tool, and promoted with messaging like, “Schedule your mommy makeover by (INSERT DATE) and receive a complimentary recovery care package.”
Providing this special perk is also a great way to keep existing patients coming back for more. Customer retention research shows that 80% of your practice’s future revenue will come from just 20% of your existing patients. So why not love the ones you’ve already got by nurturing these relationships. Post-op kits are a great way to give them something exclusive that rewards their loyalty.
How to create a post-op kit that patients will love
1. Make it pretty. People love to receive things in beautiful packages. Wrap the kit to look like a gift, and encourage patients to share their unboxing experience by posting videos or pics on social media for extra brand exposure.
2. Keep it simple. Provide healing essentials that are applicable to all procedures, such as bruising/swelling products, scar gel, and post-op sunscreen. Supply medical-grade solutions that are proven to help improve outcomes.
3. Save time by outsourcing. RCPcare.com provides ready-to-gift recovery care packages customized with healing essentials for specific procedures. From breast, face, and eye surgery to laser treatments and injections, each kit arrives in luxe, cheerful packaging aimed at making patients feel better.
4. Add inspiration. Include a motivational postcard or other healing inspiration that connects with your patients on an emotional level and reinforces that the healing process is underway and “they’ve got this.”
Author - Shannon Wamser
Shannon Wamser is the Sales and Marketing Managing Partner for Recovery Care Products. She brings 20+ years of sales, marketing, business development and presentation experience to her customers. For the last 10 years, her focus and drive has been on helping aesthetic providers elevate the patient experience while adding to their bottom line. Click here for more info about the author.
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