Enhancing Patient Education to Attract and Retain Patients

We sit down with Stephani McGirr, founder of EGS Marketing Solutions and Amplify DPC, to explore the vital role patient education plays in the growth and success of Direct Care practices. 

Stephani is a passionate advocate for the DPC model, with a track record of helping practices build stronger connections with patients through targeted education and effective medical marketing strategies.

In this conversation, Stephani dives into the strategies that help practices not only attract new patients but also retain them through ongoing educational initiatives. From creating clear messaging that resonates with patients to designing campaigns that support patient engagement throughout the care process, she shares valuable insights on building a thriving DPC practice.

The Role of Patient Education in the Patient Life Cycle

Patient education is a crucial element in the patient life cycle, helping Direct Primary Care (DPC) and Direct Specialty Care (DSC) practices establish lasting relationships with their patients. From the moment a patient becomes aware of a practice to their long-term retention, education plays a central role in every stage of this journey.

Successful DPC practices know that acquiring new patients is just the beginning; sustained education and support are necessary to nurture those relationships. By using patient education to guide individuals through phases like awareness, onboarding, engagement, and retention, Direct Care practices can provide a personalized and meaningful healthcare experience, fostering loyalty and trust along the way.

Practical Examples for Building Patient Education

How did your marketing background lead you to focus on healthcare, particularly in supporting DPC practices?

I started my own company in Austria, and along the way, I had to learn marketing by running my own business. Over the years, I grew to love the marketing aspect of things. We moved back to the United States – I’m from Texas, so that’s home to me – and I decided to open up my own agency in 2015, and here we are today.

I discovered DPC as a patient. When we were over in Europe, we had great healthcare. Moving back to the US was almost a point of contention; to bring a personal story into it, my husband didn't want to leave the security of the healthcare we had there, knowing what chaos the system is in here in the U.S. 

But when we did come home and, being self-employed, both my husband and I had to go to the government marketplace for insurance. There were lots of catastrophic stories with that, which I won’t go into, but through the changes in insurance, we discovered healthcare programs and DPC. 

We have been members of our DPC clinic for well over five years now. We just absolutely love it, and I think it solves a huge problem with the healthcare system today. I’m an advocate for it and would love to see it grow, which is why I decided to start working only with the DPC model.

I’ve grown a full team, and I get to support the doctors who need marketing help but either don't have the time or don't know how to do it on their own.

Defining the persona is one of the first steps in building a solid marketing strategy, especially when it comes to patient education. What advice would you give for identifying the persona(s) of a DPC practice?

When you can get very clear on who your ideal patient or member of your practice is, that is when you will be able to create a message that connects with them. 

If you're talking about your problems and pain points and what you think they want to hear, but they're concerned with something else, you'll miss the marketing message. The clearer you are on who your ideal member is, the better you will be able to create that message to connect with and convert them into your practice.

One of the other things that I like to talk about is that there are probably multiple versions of your ideal member. Maybe you have different types of services or specific offers, whether it's a weight loss program or hormone replacement therapy – some specific service within your overall practice. 

The more you understand those particular problems and pain points, the better you'll be able to create the right message to convert those members into your practice. So you'll likely have more than one ideal persona or client profile, to use all the different terms, and you should clearly identify who they are and define that message.

How important is patient education in our marketing strategies, and what tools or content formats do you find to be the most effective?

Education is half the battle, right? People don't understand the concept of a membership program for their healthcare. 

"And patient education is so important! What are people asking you? What are the questions you face on a daily basis? Just simply answer those questions. Be real, be personable, and relatable, and you'll naturally attract people to your practice."

I think that video is one of the best tools you can use to not only provide the method for explaining and educating your patients and the members of your practice but also to connect with them before they come in the door. They get to know you, your personality, and understand the level of care and the difference that your practice provides. 

You know you have less than two seconds to make an impression on somebody, and video is the most engaging way you can do that. And when I say video, you don't have to be, you know, dancing on TikTok to create relevant, engaging content. Just be yourself and provide the education. 

When talking about patient education, the work does not end when you bring in a new patient; there is still a lot that should be done to retain the patient panel. Could you explain more about the efforts that connect acquisition and retention?

This is an important concept because member retention is crucial to reducing churn and increasing the longevity of someone’s time as a member in your practice. 

You can work really hard to generate new leads, but if you’re constantly having to get new members in because people drop off frequently, you're doubling your workload. But if you can continue to build your practice base by retaining the members you currently have while generating new leads, that’s where you’re going to grow and scale.

"I often talk about how marketing is very similar to a dating relationship. We are humans speaking to other humans, and it should be about creating a connection. I call it a patient life cycle or member life cycle, where they become aware of you, learn that your practice exists, and find out more about you." 

They check you out on your website, look at reviews, and see your social media to find out what you’re about. They explore content on your website to understand what this membership model is and how it works. Then, they become a member, and you need to provide a great first experience. What does that look like? How will you implement it? What kind of knowledge and education will you provide about your practice, along with the great experience they’re getting?

If you think about a dating relationship, you’ve got to go on the first date, right? The goal is to get that second date and continue to build the relationship, eventually leading to what I would call a marriage proposal. But many people jump in too quickly, trying to propose on the first date. We need to create the right content and provide the next step for someone to take that next step with you, in a business relationship or, in this case, a medical relationship.

And it doesn’t end there. Because not only do they have that great experience, but they keep coming back for more, becoming one of your raving fans. Not only will they be a raving fan and tell their friends and family about you, but we also hope they leave reviews online. 

So it closes the life cycle by either staying a member long term or bringing other people into awareness of your practice. That’s what I call the member life cycle, and you should implement marketing campaigns throughout the entire journey, not just focus on lead generation.

Would you like to share a success story from one of the DPC practices you have worked with? 

One of our clients has expanded her practice from one to three locations. She opened a second location, and she transitioned a third location from an insurance-based model into a DPC model. 

Each of these expansions or transitions required a different approach and strategy, especially regarding education. One involved lead generation and building up the new practice, while the other was about converting and getting patients to transition and stay as they convert to a different model. I'm really excited to see this growth for this particular client. 

I would say the approach for her is a collaborative working relationship with us as the agency. When we ask for video content, she creates it for us, and we're able to use that content in a more impactful way than by producing stock images or stock video that don't connect with the uniqueness of who they are and who their clinicians are.

I think that collaborative approach and openness – saying, "This is our practice. This is where we struggle, and this is what we really want to achieve" – and working with us in an honest, open relationship, has been a key part of it. So when there is a struggle, we can say, "How can we support you in that? How can we help you overcome that?" 

Could you provide an example of a campaign that you implemented for this customer?

One of the things that we were able to do for them to help reduce patient churn was to implement a member offboarding plan, where there's an entirely different system. Instead of simply saying thank you and goodbye to someone who wants to leave, there is a whole cycle with automated content going out to them. This has helped increase their member retention by reducing the number of members lost over time.

Another thing we did to help with the churn rate was to create a new patient or member introduction to the practice, where they have automated information and content going out about how to contact the doctor, what to do after hours, and all the standard procedures of being part of the practice. 

This informational sequence is provided on the website so that it's always available to members. We also encourage them to use the service because one of the challenges with retention is keeping members by creating value, ensuring that if money gets tight, the membership is not the first thing they drop because they don’t use it. So getting them in the door and encouraging them to see the value of the membership through its use has been really helpful.

Do you have any final thoughts to share with the DPC community?

I can really nerd out on marketing strategy, ideas, and brainstorming – that's my happy place. So I would just say, if you have questions or if you're struggling, you can schedule a free consultation with me. I love to talk about these things, and even if you don’t work with us as an agency, I love to support the DPC world and be a source of knowledge, assistance, and support in any way I can. Like I said, it's my passion.