What Should Be My Focus for 2022?

‘Tis the season for making (and let’s be honest, breaking) New Year’s Resolutions. From implementing COVID-19 vaccine policies to the best ways to promote your brand online, our practice management pros share resolutions that are guaranteed to make 2022 a year that your practice thrives.

Lights, Camera, Action!

Video is where it’s at. If you don’t believe me, look at the meteoric rise of TikTok. The human race has become increasingly lazy over time. We can blame the internet for making it easier for us to do things in record time and connect with each other in new and exciting ways, but I believe it’s more complicated than that. Our lives are busier than ever because we have more on our plates than in the past. So, it is only natural that we are constantly looking for ways to streamline some day-to-day tasks to leave more time to conquer the life-or-death deliverables. Video fulfills that need for many of us.

If video is not your thing, make 2022 the year that you get comfortable with this critical medium.

Invest in the simplest yet most effective equipment to do videos on the fly. I often do my videos from the back of an Uber and text them to my team with instructions on how to post and who to tag.

You may need any or all of these to get it right: USB microphone, LED video light, tripod, branded and/or solid backdrop, etc. Get advice from a pro before you buy. Neewer is a good brand to check out, and Amazon Basics works fine, too. When you are just getting started, write out a script for what you want to say to get your key messages across. It will get easier as you go, I promise. Practice until you feel confident and run with it.

For users who tend to keep the sound off on their phones in public places, try to add text to your videos to get your key messages across.

Keep in mind that video content works across all platforms, not just TikTok and Instagram Stories. You can repurpose video with or without music for your website, blog, monitors in your practice, and all social media channels.

—WENDY LEWIS

Vaccine Mandates and Your Practice: What to do and know

It is important for practices to implement a COVID-19 policy for all employees for the new year. Although the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) mandate that required large employers to adopt a mandatory vaccination plan for its employees has been blocked, at least temporarily, employers must still establish, implement, and enforce their own policy.

Such a policy may state that all employees must either get an approved COVID-19 vaccine or be subject to weekly COVID-19 tests and a mandatory face-covering requirement while at work.

In addition, employers must also provide employees with:

1. Information about the requirements of the new rule and workplace policies established to satisfy the rule’s requirements

2. The CDC document “Key Things to Know about COVID-19 Vaccines”

3. Information about protections against retaliation and discrimination

4. Information about laws that provide criminal penalties for knowingly supplying false statements or documentations.

Employees may request a medical or religious exemption from vaccination requirements, but those employees must still test weekly. For workers who claim that a religious or medical exemption prevents them from testing, the employer must engage in the interactive process and determine if a reasonable accommodation is possible.

If an employee tests positive for COVID-19, employers must:

1. Require employees to promptly provide notice when they receive a positive COVID-10 test

2. Immediately remove any employee from the workplace, regardless of vaccination status, who received a positive COVID-19 test; and

3. Keep removed employees out of the workplace until they meet criteria for returning to work.

Employees must not return to work until he/she/they:

• Receives a negative result on a COVID-19 nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) following a positive result on a COVID-19 antigen test if the employee chooses to seek a NAAT test for confirmatory testing.
• Meets the return-to-work criteria in CDC’s “Isolation Guidance”; or
• Receives a recommendation to return to work from a licensed healthcare provider.

Finally, employers must report work-related COVID-19 fatalities to OSHA within eight hours of learning about the fatality. Employers must also notify OSHA about work-related COVID-19 hospitalizations within 24 hours of learning about the hospitalization.

Because of the complex nature of the guidelines and who is implicated, Allyson Avila at Gordon & Rees can offer further guidance via email at aavila@grsm.com or 914-777-2211.

—ALLYSON AVILA, JD

Go Digital or Go Home

The post-pandemic business environment is much different than what many had anticipated. To engage with patients and fulfill their long-term goals, practices must stop ignoring their digital audience. As 2021 showed, businesses are at risk of closing, and relying solely on physical marketing is not a safe strategy.

Consumers have increased their utilization of social media as a tool for identifying products, collecting information on products, evaluating products, and making purchases. Practices must step up their efforts to establish an online presence to engage and inform clients across several platforms in 2022.

As the aesthetic industry grows, businesses may sell comparable products and services, making differentiation even more important. Providing consumers with value beyond the basic product or service will help build loyalty and increase revenue in the long run. A successful digital presence should accomplish three objectives: communication, education, and brand awareness. It is critical to keep web-based platforms current and allow them to function as an extension of the physical location.

Equally important is the tracking of leads as patients contact the practice. Practices either saw their leads come to a standstill in 2021…or their floodgates opened. Track how leads are coming to your practice, how many are converting to appointments, how many appointments are converting to procedures, and stop doing what isn’t working.

Optimizing and maintaining a digital presence will be critical to long-term success in 2022 and beyond.

—MARA SHORR, BS, CAC XIV, JAY A. SHORR, BA, MBM-C, CAC XIV, and TIFFANY CHAMBERS