Guest Blog: The Art of Patient Enrollment—Navigating the Sales Journey for Membership-Based Practices

Meet Lauren

Hi, I’m Lauren Tancredi, a seasoned healthcare consultant with 15 years of experience in the private pay and membership medicine sector. My passion for personalized patient care has driven my success in implementing membership-based models across the United States, delivering exceptional value and service to the direct care community. In addition to co-founding Medicava, a full-service direct care, practice development agency, I’ve also partnered with Dr. Phil Boucher to launch Get Practice Leads. Get Practice Leads is a CRM that supports private pay and membership-based practices in optimizing their sales and marketing efforts. In this blog post, we’ll dive into the art of patient enrollment and navigating the sales journey for membership-based practices.

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In the evolving landscape of healthcare, independent physicians are increasingly turning to membership-based models to offer personalized, high-quality care. Promising numerous benefits for both patients and providers, the art of patient enrollment is crucial for success to this model of care. In traditional medicine, Patients refer to their insurance plans for a listing of providers in their network. In membership medicine, this is no longer true and requires practices to consider the patient experience before the patient even comes into the office to see them. Thus begins the patient’s journey, including the sales process. If you are new to or are feeling stuck with enrolling new patients into your practice, it is important to understand that sales is an ongoing process, and this thinking significantly enhances your approach and outcomes. 

Here are a few tips that can support you in mastering this journey.

Understanding the Journey

Think about the sales process as the art of enrollment. It requires time, practice and finesse. This isn't about hard selling; it's about building trust and relationships. This journey is comprised of several stages: attracting interest, creating awareness, nurturing relationships, presenting value, and securing commitment. Lets dig into those a bit more.

Attracting Interest

Make a remarkable first impression. The journey begins with attracting your ideal patients, so define what that is. If you want to serve everyone, you will serve no one. Primary care is broad and all-encompassing; however, there is likely a certain avatar of patient you prefer to work with. Get clear on who this ideal patient is, where they hang out, what they read, and what's important to them when it comes to health. As you explore these items you can focus your marketing efforts to attract your ideal patient.

Creating Awareness

Use various channels—social media, local events, community outreach, and your practice’s website—to inform potential patients about your unique care model. As you consider these channels ensure you are meeting your patients where they are.

Nurturing Relationships Through Trust

Once you've attracted interest, the next step is to build and nurture relationships. This is where you build trust first, then open up opportunities to demonstrate the value of your care. Sales in membership medicine are often lost here, where practices jump right into how the practice works without building the relationship

• Active Listening: All great sales people tend to listen more than they speak. It is important to get to know your potential patients as you ask questions that give them the opportunity to share with you. Ultimately, as you actively listen you will discover they often provide insights about their problems, which you and your practice will likely have a solution for.  
• Personalized Communication: Engage with potential patients through personalized emails, phone calls, or in-person meetings. Show genuine interest in their health concerns and needs. Avoid trying to make a sale on the first meeting, while it may happen from time to time, forging a connection is just as important, if not moreso.   
• Educational Content: Provide valuable content that addresses common health issues, wellness tips, and the benefits of your practice model. This helps position you as a trusted advisor. Sharing your expertise and passion to serve deepens trust in the relationship.
• Patient Events: Host informational sessions or health workshops to provide insights into your approach and allow potential patients to experience your care firsthand. This allows prospective patients to experience the essence of you and your approach to care, sharing who you are with the community that you serve. 

Presenting Value: The Key Offer

When patients are ready, it's time to present the full value of your membership model. At this time you will have the information you need to provide solutions and showcase how your practice can support them with their healthcare needs. 

• Meet & Greets: Offer complimentary consultations where you can delve into your practice’s benefits and how they align with the patient’s needs. Tailor your conversation to address their specific health goals, and pay attention to the patient's response. The goal is to continue to get their buy-in every step of the way. We want them to say YES to you before you even present pricing.
• Transparent Pricing: Clearly outline the cost of membership and what it includes. Transparency builds trust and helps patients see the value of investing in their health above and beyond insurance.
• Membership Benefits: Highlight the exclusive benefits of membership, such as access to  same-day or next-day scheduling, comprehensive wellness plans, direct communication with you, and discount pharmacy and labs. This will be new for many patients so ensure they understand how their investment can benefit them.

Securing Commitment: Enrolling in Membership and Closing with Care

The final stage is securing the patient’s commitment to join your practice by enrolling them into membership, using Hint’s membership platform.

• Application: Getting patients started with membership is easy when you use Hint’s online application. You can send the patient and enrollment link or simply sign them up over the phone or in-person while you have them.
• Terms & Conditions: With Hint, you can have the patient sign the agreement directly through the platform. Most people don’t read the fine print, so it is always helpful to review terms & conditions, including billing date and cancellation process.
• Schedule Appointment: After application, schedule the first appointment with the patient to ensure you establish a baseline of health and further solidify the relationship. Show that you are attentive and accessible.

Learn More at Hint Summit 2024

Have you purchased your tickets for this year’s Hint Summit? Join us September 27-28th in Denver, Colorado for the DPC event of the year where industry enthusiasts, pioneers, and innovators will gather to share ideas, build meaningful new relationships, and celebrate the impact of DPC. I’ll be there, speaking about forging healthy direct care communities at the local level as part of the Practice Thrive track of the conference. Join me - grab your tickets today at summit.hint.com.