When
it comes to running a successful chiropractic business there are no two
ways around it: Having doctor referrals can make or break you.
Developing key relationships with local doctors is vital if you want to
be able to count on a steady stream of referrals. Marketing your clinic
and services to local doctors should be an important part of marketing
business plan.
Thankfully for you, there are many strategies for
attaining and maintaining great doctor relationships. Learning to
cultivate new relationships as well as foster the relationships you
already have established takes practice. As a general rule of thumb,
you'll want to look for valid and helpful ways to make personal contact
with the doctor regarding patient care.
Here are 8 great tips to make your relationships with your local area doctors really count:
1.
If your patient is currently seeing a doctor, too, find out who their
doctor is and visit their office to deliver your findings after a
patient's first visit.
2. Write up a letter (or e-mail) to send
to your patient's doctor that summarizes the details of any phone
conversations, exams, or treatment programs you've instituted.
3.
If you refer the patient out for any ancillary testing, be sure to send
the doctor a copy of the results with your cover page and then call the
doctor and speak to her regarding the results and/or to make sure it
was received.
4. Call doctor approximately 7 to 10 days prior to
discharge of the patient. Let the doctor know that you are about to
wrap up the patient's treatment and that you will be getting the final
report out to the doctor ASAP.
5. For first-time clients and/or
with each new case, send the doctor a handwritten note that lets them
know you are looking forward to working with them on the such-and-such
case. Be sure to let the doctor know that if she needs anything she can
call you directly.
6. Call the doctor as a last resort if the
patient is uncooperative with treatment. For example, you might call to
say, "I just want to give you a heads up that Mr. Smith has missed his
last 3 to 4 visits and if I don't see him soon I am going to have to
discharge the patient."
7. For ongoing treatment and/or for
encapsulation of multiple patients, be sure to provide the doctor with
a monthly or interim update (brief) narrative.
8. If you have no
current clients from the doctor, call and ask if their office can send
you more business cards to give your patients. You may not need them,
but it puts you back on their radar and will heighten the possibility
that you'll be seeing referral traffic soon.
As you can see,
there are numerous ways in which you can unobtrusively make contact
with doctors. When you position any of your actions for the good of the
patient and/or helping out the doctor, you will quickly win favor with
doctors all over your city! And, really, isn't this what creating
win-win relationships is all about?