Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/89174
Medicine vs. Money The intense interest in the study boils down to two things — medicine and money. Are patients being well-served? Are they being led to unnecessary test- ing? Is our medical system too fragmented? Whatever the medical interest may be, the bottom line is that referrals translate into more patients and more money for practices. Referrals are and will continue to be an important component of practice development programs for all medical practitioners, but especially for specialists. Creating an effective program is both imperative and lucrative. Follow the Golden Rule Building a strong referral network requires the right methodology and is as much about proving competency as it is about communication. We talked to some of Austin's most well-respected family physicians to find out what works and what doesn't. Every doctor in our study agreed that choosing a physician for referral often comes down to "who they know" and "what happens af ter." Garnering referrals is a two-way street requiring mutual respect and reciprocity. At the very least, your referral program has to include these top seven tactics: 1. Get face to face. You have to meet the prospective referring physician personally. Set up a breakfast or lunch appointment to introduce yourself to the practice. Bring food for the staff, and keep your visit short and sweet — do not go over the allotted time (usually 20 minutes). Make sure to share valu- able information — talk about your background, your practice and your niche specialty, and describe your ser- vice philosophy. Make a point to personally visit the practice at least once or twice a year to inform the practice's team of new treatments, procedures and published studies. 2. Establish ongoing communication. Provide useful, branded business items like pens, mouse pads, patient education bro- chures and email messages with useful information. This can be handled by your liaison or staff. Communicate with the practice once every month or two, no more. 3. Keep them in the loop. Acknowledge any referral with a quick phone call or email and report back to the referring physician about outcomes, treatments and procedures. Send a con- sultation note with diagnostic results, a description of medical issues and plans for follow-up care. Make sure your reports can be easily assimilated into the electronic medical record (EMR) data- base. If the patient is very ill, call the referring physician immediately to discuss. 4. Deliver superior service and patient care. Make sure patients have a positive experience with your entire practice. Patients give feedback to their primary care physicians, and if they've had a negative experience with your office, you won't receive more referrals. Things like scheduling, wait times and how patients are treated all matter. 5. Address what you were asked to address. Don't address other problems or do a bunch of tests that were not indicated in the referral unless you first communi- cate with the referring physician. 6. Don't clutter their offices. Most referrals are done through the EMR system, so things like referral pads are rarely used. Printed materials like business cards and educational bro- chures for patients can be useful, but they need to be well-written, to the point and used sparingly. A well-done, professional website is essential because patients will be directed there for information about your practice. Mailers are simply "filed." 7. Educate and network. Establish a regular lunch or breakfast meeting for the referring physician and his or her staff and provide valuable information about your specialty — new procedures, new findings, new treatments, etc. It's best if you can offer CME credits. One specialty group in Austin holds quarterly educa- tional sessions for the large regional groups. The sessions are well-attended and appreciated. Get invited to speak at a faculty or practice meeting. Take advantage of opportunities to network with other doctors. By far, the most important thing you can do is to treat the referring physician with respect and reciprocity, and don't forget to refer patients to him or her. A Stark Word of Caution Before you get carried away, we thought it prudent to mention the federal Stark law, not to mention the federal health care program anti-kickback law, which regulate physician self-referrals as well as inducements to referral. In gen- eral, you'll want to make sure that your referral marketing program avoids these big no-no's: + Don't provide any item or service of significant value. (Small items like pens, pads and coffee mugs are mostly fine — just don't gold plate them.) + Don't pay referring physicians a percentage of the reimbursement associated with the referral. + Don't provide the referring physicians with free or discounted pricing for services or procedures in return for a commitment from the physician to refer more patients to your practice. Get Started Today Establishing a successful referral-build- ing program takes time and discipline. Get started today so you don't miss out on this lucrative business resource. Deborah Pf luger, President of Aha Communications, is a veteran marketing expert with more than 20 years of experience. Aha is a digital marketing firm specializing in helping physicians build their practices with custom websites, mobile applications, brand- ing and communication strategies, and referral programs. Contact Pf luger at (512) 448-4494 or dpfluger@getaha.com. For more informat ion about Aha Communications, visit www.getaha.com. The author would like to extend thanks and gratitude to the following top-tier family physi- cians who shared their wisdom, insight and time for this article: Love Paul, M.D., family medicine, Austin Medical Group; Dana Sprute, M.D., family practice, Seton Healthcare Family; Anas Daghestani, M.D., internal medicine, Austin Regional Clinic; and Gregory S. Sheff, M.D., family medicine, Austin Regional Clinic. ■ MDNEWS.COM ■ MD NEWS San Antonio | 21 SPECIAL SECTION: MARKETING