My husband found a great article last week on today’s largest population, “Millennials” or “Gen V” and how we ( yes, I barely made the cut but technically I’m included in this generation) are now the largest generation in the US. Many of the lectures I’ve attended to discuss how to appeal to the Baby Boomer generation as they are nearing retirement and their healthcare needs are going up. While this is indeed true, I have found in our practice that my largest demographic is the 25-40 year olds. Obviously we see a wide range, I have some fantastic patients in their late 80’s and early 90’s that make my day as well as young family’s bringing kids in as early as 1 year when the first check up is recommended. This article perhaps explains some of the reasons behind Millennials being attracted to Ivy Dental.
I wanted to build the practice on factors that I found appealing in a healthcare facility. Interesting to see how closely my practice goals and the specifics that the article highlighted are.
Dr. Harding’s goals for patient experience at Ivy Dental
1. Comfort. I don’t want it to feel like a clinical space. I’ve worked hard to make the office feel more like home than your typical dental office.
2. NO INTIMIDATION! A driving factor in my opening my own office was to avoid both scolding my patients ( b/c I promise, whatever you think is bad….. we have seen worse) and avoid pressuring people to take on more than they mentally or financially are prepared for. Our job is to inform and educate you. Where you go from there is up to you.
3. Convenience. Technology allows our patients to schedule online, pay online, and correspond with us through email, text or social media. We also offer after work hours for those who like us work 8-5 and have difficulty taking off for appointments. The goal is to take down as many roadblocks as we can into you getting the care you need and desire.
The Cliff’s Notes from the article;
- Transparent Costs ( Check! Katy will work to pre-authorize all treatment to eliminate as many financial surprises as possible. Your treatment plan will have costs laid out from the get go. While we can’t promise this is 100% accurate b/c we have only so much control over what your insurance company decides to do it is our goal to provide you with the most accurate estimate that we can)
- Convenience ( See above… CHECK!)
- Tech Savvy ( Check!) Does all digital, paperless, overhead monitors, Intra oral camera’s, online scheduling and the ability to pay with PayPal online cover the bases? Staying up on technology of course is always a moving target so we are constantly looking for new and improved ways to improve our business and clinical practices.
- Social. Yes, not only do I very much hope all of my patients can think of me as someone to say “hi” to on the street because again, this is not about being an intimidating professional setting but a comfortable and somewhat casual work place where we strive to maintain clinical excellence while chatting up patients and sharing a little of ourselves with our patient family… oh, and yes, as you can see from this post, the blog and Facebook ( sometimes Instagram but I’m not the best with that..) are kept up to date.
For the entire article : Millennials are Now America’s Largest Generation. Here are the 4 ways they are Changing Healthcare.