Marketing

Patient Acquisition

The process of attracting and converting new patients to a healthcare practice through marketing, referrals, and operational excellence.

What Does This Mean?

Patient acquisition encompasses all activities that bring new patients into a practice. This includes marketing efforts, referral programs, online presence management, and—critically—the ability to convert inquiries into booked appointments. Many practices focus heavily on marketing but lose patients at the conversion stage due to missed calls or poor intake processes.

Examples

  • A patient finds your practice through a Google search and calls to book
  • Converting a walk-in inquiry into a scheduled appointment
  • Re-engaging a lapsed patient through outreach campaigns

Related Terms

Patient Retention

The ability of a healthcare practice to keep existing patients returning for ongoing care rather than losing them to competitors or inaction.

No-Show Rate

The percentage of scheduled appointments where patients fail to appear without canceling in advance.

Appointment Conversion Rate

The percentage of patient inquiries (calls, web forms, walk-ins) that result in scheduled appointments.

mybcat Solutions

Learn how mybcat addresses patient acquisition:

Medical Answering Service

Every Call Answered. Every Patient Captured.

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Patient Recall Service

Bring Your Patients Back Before They Become Lapsed

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Explore More Terms

Virtual Receptionist Patient Retention Multi-Location Practice No-Show Rate
View All Glossary Terms →

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