The holiday season sure brought many greeting cards. It's certainly enjoyable to hear from those who we've not had contact with in some time. I always particularly look forward to the photo cards to see how children and family members change over the years.

While we all receive these personal greetings, it's also interesting to see how retailers inundate the public with coupons and messages. With the advent and expansion of the internet, Iike most, I receive email cards 24 hours a day.

Whether it's Neiman Marcus, Walmart, Wendy's, Dell or Amazon, these e-cards (which often include special offers) come in droves. While a bit less personal than the Hallmark product delivered with a 44 cent stamp, they still can be quite effective and a great tool to communicate with your patients and community in an efficient and cost effective fashion. 

Our office updates our email list on an ongoing basis. Contacts are kept and we periodically mail patients, friends and community members information as well as general greetings. These cards provide an opportunity to stay in contact with those who we've  treated in the past and those we hope to see in the future as their health requires.

How many individuals do you have on your email list? How many will you add this month and this year and when was the last time they heard from you?

Remember the old saying... "Out of sight, out of mind." Happy days!