Wisdom Blog

Throughout the pandemic, hospital turnover increased by almost 20%. The average for the general workforce is around 4% — that’s a significant difference. Physician burnout existed before the pandemic; however, it nearly doubled over the last two years. And it’s not just healthcare workers feeling the effects of the pandemic — patients, large organizations, and small practices have all changed since 2020. Some things have changed for the better, and others for the worse. Let’s explore how COVID changed healthcare and what it means for providers, their patients, and their colleagues. Related: How MBT is Fueling the Wellness Revolution COVID and Healthcare Worker Burnout Burnout is nothing new in healthcare, but COVID fanned the flames of physician exhaustion with:  These are all factors that contributed to physician burnout rates during COVID — so what are providers doing about it? Doctors Looking to Change Their Disciplines Physicians are more frustrated with the healthcare industry now than ever, and they’re looking for new ways to offer care. And in response, many are turning to functional medicine as a way to prevent burnout and get more in tune with their patients (and themselves). This field offers doctors and nurses new ways to care for their patients by providing a more personalized approach and reestablishing the relationships that were lost during the height of COVID. As burnout increases, functional medicine is helping physicians overcome the shortcomings of conventional medicine that are leading to burnout symptoms in the first place. Healthcare changes are inevitable. Some are good. Some are not. As for doctors changing disciplines to combat burnout and the negative impacts that COVID had on the healthcare industry, moving toward functional medicine can be a rewarding and life-changing move. Considering making the move to functional medicine? Learn how we help wellness practitioners find their ideal roles. Patients Need to Trust Their Physicians COVID didn’t just change healthcare for workers and organizations in the industry — it changed how patients perceive healthcare, too. In the flurry of misinformation and changing policies that COVID brought to our everyday lives, many patients weren’t sure who to trust. Now, as we frequently get updates to new medical information, patients are looking to feel seen, to feel heard, and that their best interests are being prioritized for a different type of care — and physicians need to earn their trust. Related: Fueling the Healthcare Revolution In the post-COVID landscape, patients want personalized treatment plans instead of a quick fix for their symptoms. They want a provider who helps them identify why they aren’t feeling well rather than prescribing them a pill in hopes that it will solve their issues.  This is why patients and physicians alike are turning to a functional medicine model and moving away from more conventional approaches. Telehealth Plays a Vital Role in Post-Pandemic Healthcare This 2022 report about telehealth post-pandemic shows how vital a role it will play in the future of healthcare. Around three-quarters of surveyed patients plan to continue using telehealth services after the pandemic, and patients and providers agree that virtual care helps build trust. Patients and doctors alike found telehealth easy and convenient, so much so that they want to keep using it routinely post-COVID. Let’s explore some key findings from that report: Virtual Visits Do Have a Downside Even though telehealth typically results in increased patient satisfaction, virtual visit detractors have pointed to the physician-patient relationship as one factor that they cannot maintain through telemedicine. One reason is because many major online telehealth platforms direct patients to the first available provider — a downside that physicians can solve by offering in-house virtual care solutions. And in a world where patients have ready access to their doctors, that detraction might hold up; but most patients face long waiting lists to see their providers, especially during COVID, shifting the balance. Taking a New Approach to Care Post-Covid Is Crucial While COVID brought on a lot of negative aspects as it relates to healthcare, there is a shift that’s happening. Let’s explore how healthcare professionals are taking a new approach to provide better care in a post-COVID setting. The ever-growing solution is functional medicine — a model of care based on relationships, science, and creating better outcomes for healthcare workers, their patients, and their colleagues. Whether it’s an in-person or virtual visit, functional medicine practitioners are fighting against the negative changes that COVID brought to the industry to bring their patients better care in an ever-changing landscape. COVID changed healthcare, but that doesn’t mean you can’t provide your patients with expert service — see how we can help you take a new approach in the post-COVID landscape at Mindbody Talent. Functional Medicine Helps Provide Better Care There’s no doubt that COVID has changed healthcare as a whole. And while it brought higher rates of burnout and some less-than-desirable patient outcomes, there have been good changes, too. The challenges brought on by the pandemic gave many healthcare professionals the push they needed to pursue other disciplines in the industry, particularly functional medicine. The result is healthcare workers with more fulfilling careers and patients with better outcomes. Related: Embracing Lifecycle Health

With the global health and wellness market projected to continue growing, branding your functional medicine practice is more important than ever. Because the healthcare sector is expected to see significant growth over the next few years, the health and there are plenty of services to offer. Functional medicine practitioners must focus on branding their practice sooner rather than later to stand out from their peers. We’ll explore the elements of successful health and wellness branding and discuss several tips to help you get started. Related: Building a Great Wellness BrandWhat Is Health and Wellness Branding?The primary point of health and wellness branding is to personify your practice through storytelling and brand strategy that focuses on communication, design, and patient experience. Before we get into the branding tips, let’s review the traits that all successful branding practices share. The elements of the best health and wellness branding strategies include: Staying consistent in your messaging across all touchpointsBuilding an emotional connection with your patientsMaking a positive difference by interacting with the communityHelping your patients during every step of their health and wellness journeyMaintaining honesty throughout your communications and actions Overwhelmed with the whole process of branding your practice? We make it easy with our complete marketing systems!Why Brand Your Practice?As a functional medicine practitioner, your first priority is promoting optimal patient wellness through your practice. However, building a quality brand is a vital part of making a positive impact on their lives. Health and wellness branding is what shapes a patient’s first impression of your practice and healthcare services. With the right branding, you can use storytelling and visual elements to show potential and current patients what value you can bring to their day-to-day lives. When your patients understand your brand, they are more likely to engage with you and become lifelong advocates of your practice.Branding Tips for Your Functional Medicine PracticeNow, let’s look at six of the best health and wellness branding tips you can use to market your functional medical practice:Know Your AudienceBefore branding your functional medicine practice, you need to understand the patients you want to attract. You should clearly answer these three questions: Who is your ideal patient? Consider what kind of patients are most likely to need your services — their age, demographic, etc. These attributes can help you shape your branding plan from the start. What value can you provide them? This answer boils down to the lifestyle your ideal patient lives, their health and wellness goals, and how you can help them reach those goals. What are your practice’s long-term goals? Health and wellness brands go through constant changes due to continuous research and shifting trends — how will your practice adapt to these? Create Branding Elements Your health and wellness branding strategy must be cohesive; your voice, visuals, etc., needs to stay consistent across your messaging and echo your brand as a whole. To get started, you should: Create a logo. There’s a reason why brands have unique logos — it makes you more recognizable, giving patients an easy way to remember your practice. Creating a logo builds a visual foundation the rest of your branding can follow. Develop branding guidelines. After deciding on a logo, it’s time to establish the elements of your brand. Develop a “brand kit” that consists of guidelines defining:The font you useThe colors you useKey visual elements that follow your logoRules for how to apply your visual branding Create a User-Friendly WebsiteBranding your functional medicine practice is about bringing in new patients — and your website is where many of them will make their decision to visit you or not. Your website must be: FastAccessibleMobile-friendly Related: Building a Great Web Presence In addition, your website should include the following: A homepage that draws attentionAn about us page to showcase your story as a health and wellness brandThe services your practice providesA contact form for patients to message youA blog to inform patients about new health and wellness trendsLanding pages to bring in potential patients from Google Tell Your Practitioner JourneyMaking a human connection is what can set your functional medicine practice apart from others. Taking your current brand and helping your patients understand your practitioner’s journey can bring many benefits to your practice. It can help you build a true connection with your patients by showing them how you’ve transformed the lives of others. Potential patients want to see real people that got real results — so show them! Be honest and transparent, and use case studies to back up your claims of success.Use Social MediaSocial media as a marketing tool is no joke — your patients are likely on multiple platforms daily. One of the most impactful ways for health and wellness brands to connect with their patients is through social media, including: Instagram ads to post visual storiesFacebook to interact with patientsTwitter for short, meaningful interactions0YouTube to create helpful content aimed at your patients’ health issuesReddit to drive more patients to your brand Always Engage with Your AudienceBuilding an online relationship with your patients is only the first step. Next, you want to engage with them by encouraging them to opt-in to receive newsletters, follow your social media, leave reviews online, etc. The most important part is being authentic — patients won’t engage with your brand if they don’t have a good reason. So be real in all that you do — post genuine results, connect with actual people, and talk about true success stories from your functional medicine practice. Connect and engage with your patients the right way with our wellness branding and marketing specialists at Mindbody Talent!These Branding Tips Help You Stand Out from the Crowd The health and wellness field holds many different growth opportunities. Your patients have clear expectations for your brand and how it should contribute to their health and wellness journey. Follow these branding tips and your practice will be better positioned to play the role of a true healthcare partner to your patients throughout their lives. Related: Fueling the

The Wide-Angle Lens of Lifecycle Health As we progress through what we’ve termed the “Wellness Revolution” there are a lot of belief systems about human health and wellness that need to evolve and change. We’ve chosen the term, “Lifecycle Health” to signify a more comprehensive view across the complete human life cycle. None of the other terms used today in the fields of Healthcare and Wellness are comprehensive enough, either in scope or time frame. “Integrative”, “Functional”, “Lifestyle”, “Allopathic”, “Naturopathic” all speak to methods and modalities of diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and adjustments people make to their lives to prevent, treat or recover from illness and enable improved health. They each tend to focus narrowly on the current time frame of the person’s life. Enhancing How Are Born, Live and Die Lifecycle Health uses a much wider lens with an extended depth of field. It considers the full range of factors that impact our health and wellness through all stages and cycles of life, including our genetic history, as well as the life conditions of our ancestors. Understanding and applying Lifecycle Health ensures that the next generation will have a more solid foundation for managing their health and wellness. It also enables us to die and transition out of this life with more vitality and dignity, including less pain, discomfort and fear. The Five Strengths of Wellness To fully understand the concept of Lifecycle Health, one needs to consider the range of human health factors that we call “The Five Strengths”: Physical Strength, Intellectual Strength, Emotional Strength, Spiritual Strength and Wisdom Strength. We are each endowed with these strengths as core components of human nature. How we choose to view and use these strengths (or neglect to use them), has fundamental impacts on our health and the pursuit of wellness. The Five Strengths can best be understood by asking one deep, but simple question related to each strength: Physical Strength – What do you do? Intellectual Strength – What do you think? Emotional Strength – What do you feel? Spiritual Strength – What do you believe? Wisdom Strength – What do you know? Applying the Five Strengths The Physical Strength question is perhaps the easiest to answer and tends to be the primary focus of most current health care modalities: What do you eat? How much exercise do you get? How well or poorly do you sleep? What is your previous illness and surgery history? What diseases did your parents and siblings have and how did they die? However, even in the Physical Strength category, allopathic physicians rarely ask or explore important questions related to our health histories: Were your born naturally or via Caesarian Section? Were you breast fed or bottle fed as a newborn? Were you on track or behind schedule with growth and cognitive milestones as a child? Did your physician prescribe many antibiotics in your childhood? Have you had any major physical body or head injuries? What were you fed growing up? Were you active or sedentary during the earlier stages of your life? How have any of those factors changed over time or recently? What does your genetic profile say about your body, health and receptivity to specific treatments? What patterns of illness and death are prevalent in your ancestral family history? Beyond the Physical Strength category, there are a wide range of factors that are essential to our physical, emotional, and psychological health that are largely ignored by the allopathic medical community. Eastern medicine, native wisdom and classic philosophy traditions have all known and taught for thousands of years that intellectual thought, emotional wellbeing, spiritual beliefs and our concepts of wisdom are all inextricably intertwined in human health and healing. For instance, we’ve all perhaps known people who feel or believe they are going to die or not recover from disease and that’s exactly what happens to them. Conversely, we’ve probably also known or heard of people who have been diagnosed and labeled with a statistically fatal disease, yet recover completely because they feel, believe or know they will; despite the prediction of their doctors. The Human Body’s Unlimited Capacity to Heal Functional Medicine practitioners and therapists who have chosen to believe in and specialize in modalities such as acupuncture, hypnosis, kinesiology, energy healing, sensory therapies, meditation and prayer are tapping into millennia of knowledge, belief and wisdom about how best to optimize human life and wellbeing. They understand that the human body and mind has unlimited capacity to heal itself if we understand how our bodily systems were built to work. They also understand how to prevent or eliminate toxic chemicals, thoughts, feelings and relationships that can diminish or destroy our health. Patients, caregivers, patient advocates and practitioners who understand Lifecycle Health use it as a whole health framework that asks and answers the full range of questions about our Five Strengths. They then use that full-range profile to advise and direct protocols for the restoration and building of strength in all five areas … fully leveraging the assets of our body, intellect, emotions, spirit and wisdom to prevent disease, cure illness and achieve sustainable health.