Patient Engagement Strategies to Stop Patients from Falling Through the Cracks

Have you ever found yourself thinking about the one that got away? Not that long lost love from years ago—the patient who never completed their episode of care. Like your former flame, ex-patients might make you spend nights tossing and turning, wondering where it all went wrong.  The truth is, when it comes to patients dropping out, it could be any number of things. And while it would be easier to blame patients for leaving despite your efforts, you’re not truly going to improve until you take a look in the mirror. So stop with the furtive Facebook searches and start making critical changes to your practice and its workflows to lock your current patient roster down. 

The problem: Generic care plans don’t address individual patient needs.  

It’s easy to see the allure of one-size-fits-all care plans for specific injuries and conditions, particularly those you often see in your clinic. As our 2024 State of Rehab Therapy report notes, clinicians are incredibly busy and need to see a lot of patients each day to not only meet demand but also meet their financial goals. Unfortunately, not every patient is the same, meaning that cookie-cutter POCs aren’t necessarily going to produce the best outcomes. There’s also the fact that patients can perceive a lack of attention in their care—particularly if they’re not achieving results—and stop coming to the clinic. 

The solution: Tailoring care plans to individual patient needs and preferences.

As with any relationship, personal touches can go a long way for rehab therapists in winning over patients. Clinicians are already working to build relationships with patients, but to really get them engaged with their treatment, patients need to feel that true engagement from their provider as well.

As a clinician, you may have every type of assessment and modality down cold but perhaps need some insight on how to better apply those in individualized cases. By collecting and using patient data, you can build more informed personalized treatment plans—and adapt them as a patient progresses through treatment.   

The problem: Providers aren't communicating effectively with patients.

“We never talk anymore.” Maybe that’s something you’ve heard from past paramours—or maybe that’s something patients who’ve ghosted you have said, had you been listening. Communication is key during medical treatment; providers need to know how patients are progressing, and patients need to be able to ask questions and get feedback if they’re going to get the most out of their care. Unfortunately, good communication is not as common as it should be in today's clinics. 

Look, communication is tough these days; ironically, the endless options for connecting with others have forced people to tune out a lot of the messages they’re getting on a daily basis. Of course, there’s also the chance that some therapists are bad about staying in touch with patients or communicating what they want or need to hear. Whatever the root cause, there are probably patients you could’ve kept if you’d slid into their DMs a bit more often, so to speak.  

The solution: Clear communication that aligns with a patient’s preferences.

Good communication doesn’t have to be complicated, and it doesn’t have to be time-consuming. The key is finding the right mix of personal and automated and understanding the type and frequency of communication each patient wants. For example, it’s probably smart to automate your appointment reminders to save stress on your front office; most people probably aren’t looking for, and may not even want, a phone call just to tell them when their next appointment is. The same goes for things like educational materials or Net Promoter Score surveys that are sent at certain points in treatment. But when it comes to conversations about treatment options or anything else that requires a human connection, those are best saved for either an in-clinic visit or a phone or video call. 

That’s where a provider’s soft skills can really shine. You’re not just treating a patient; you’re helping a person who may be struggling with the challenge of their recovery and what it means in their life. Showing empathy and building trust as part of the therapeutic alliance is one of the best patient engagement tools in your arsenal.     

The problem: Rehab therapy still needs to close the access to care gap. 

Another long-standing problem, not just in the rehab therapy space but in healthcare more broadly, is the access to care dilemma. It's not just a question of cost, although that is a big barrier for many patients; there are also issues with travel for rural and older patients and scheduling difficulties for those without the flexibility to leave their jobs during normal working hours. Getting those patients into a PT practice and keeping them engaged requires rehab therapists to continue to move beyond strictly traditional care models.    

The solution: Use technology to meet patients where they are. 

Connecting with patients beyond your clinic walls is another area where technology can expand a therapist’s reach. For example, telehealth isn’t a replacement for those appointments that require hands-on care—but it’s perfectly suited for those follow-ups that can just as easily be conducted at home. Reducing the number of trips a patient has to make while still keeping a regular appointment cadence will remove a barrier to completing their episode of care. And telehealth can help you reduce patient wait times by substituting in-person sessions for remote ones, where appropriate.     

Remote therapeutic monitoring (RTM) is another recent development that has the potential to greatly improve patient engagement and outcomes. By tracking adherence to a prescribed home exercise program, you have a clearer picture of a patient’s progress on the road to recovery—or where they’re falling off along the way. And when we reach a point where motion-tracking technology can be readily added to a patient’s home, we’ll have fully shrunk the distance between a patient’s living room and their provider’s office. Cutting out the time and distance challenges that lead to dropouts is another big step forward for patient engagement.  

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Just like a romantic partner, getting a patient is one thing; keeping them takes a bit of work. Fortunately, rehab therapists have all the tools and talent at their disposal to build a lasting relationship with every patient and avoid any conscious uncoupling.