After about six years practicing internal medicine, Dr. Ehsan Ali, MD, wanted to start his own practice — in Beverly Hills. Now, six more years down the road, Dr. Ali is a highly visible physician in the area with an impeccable online reputation. By combining 24/7 concierge access to patients (with house calls) with a blend of telehealth and in-office appointments, his Beverly Hills Primary Doctor practice is available at all times to the community.
In his PatientPop conversation about starting a new practice and establishing a strong online presence and reputation, Dr. Ali shares how he communicates with patients, manages concierge and more conventional services, and relies on technology to help keep his business running smoothly.
Q: You worked previously for a larger practice. Now you have your own practice, offering both in-office visits and concierge service for patients. What were some of the things you did first to promote your practice?
Dr. Ali: I’ve been in practice since 2008, but decided to open my own practice in 2014, and make some changes in the way I work with patients. With the new practice, I needed a website, plus more. I was looking for a company to help create my new website, along with my practice SEO and marketing. That’s how I came across PatientPop.
Q: You have a particular niche as a concierge doctor. Has that always been the case?
Dr. Ali: I always wanted to have a concierge practice where I could treat patients in their homes, and be available around the clock. However, I didn’t want to limit myself only to concierge service. Everyone needs and deserves good healthcare. So our practice is also in-network with different insurance providers, and we take in-office and telehealth appointments, too.
Q: How were the initial results when you started to market your practice?
Dr. Ali: I would say fairly soon after my practice website was up, I saw results, and things were on autopilot with PatientPop. I didn’t have to spend a whole lot of time helping to create my website, and PatientPop handled the content, design, and everything else.
Q: Are there other ways that PatientPop has helped you market your practice?
Dr. Ali: PatientPop has been great with online scheduling, and integrating with the EMR I use. It’s really been very helpful. And most of my patients are tech-savvy these days. Everybody wants to be able to make appointments online, or message their doctor online, or look up their account information online. So PatientPop has been very good at incorporating all that. and simplifying the everyday work that we have to do.
Q: You have an incredible reputation online. How do you feel about the patient feedback process you’ve experienced?
Dr. Ali: I think it’s been excellent. Not only does patient feedback help, obviously, if you have a good reputation and get good reviews to help establish a practice — it also helps me know what I’m doing right.
If somebody does leave some negative feedback, it gives me some constructive criticism to know where I can improve or what aspects were lacking in my office, whether it’s staff or my bedside manner or billing issues. That helps me know how I’m doing as a physician and just running a business in general.
Q: Your practice ranks highly on Google, especially for “primary care” searches in your local area? How has that affected your practice?
Dr. Ali: That’s what every physician’s goal is, to be number one. That’s what everybody’s striving for. That’s how we get patients. Our online reputation is everything and online search results. So it makes me very excited to know that that’s where I’m at right now.
Q: How do you stay connected with your patients, and keep them coming back for return visits?
Dr. Ali: From my perspective, as a physician, as a business owner, obviously just having a good bedside manner, following up with lab and test results, making myself available, returning calls to patients… all of these help me connect with patients so they get the care they want and need.
PatientPop helps make communication easier from the provider and patient side. The platform and technology allow me to be accessible and respond to patients much faster.
Q: What would you tell other practices that want to lead in their market?
Dr. Ali: PatientPop, I think, has been the first — and probably still only of its kind — that helps doctors with an all-in-one platform.
Times are different now. Practices that don’t have an online presence won’t do that well. If you’re a patient and you’re new to town, it’s hard to find a new doctor. So you need a company like PatientPop to create an online presence, and the company is very good at doing that. But it also doesn’t require a lot of time for the physician. I don’t have time to sit there and provide content for a website and write it out. It’s very time-consuming. You know, I’m trying to run a business. I’m trying to be a physician. PatientPop takes care of all of that for the physician. And does a very good job at it.
Interested in learning how to grow your primary care practice? Take a closer look: Attracting and retaining new primary care patients
