5 ways to build a referral network for your medical practice
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5 Ways to Build a Referral Network for Your Medical Practice
Klara Healthcare Practice Consultants have compiled the top 5 ways to build a
referral network for your medical practice in 2017. These referral network tips
are proven tactics that benefit healthcare professionals across specialties. Take
a look below:1. Write It DownIf you don’t have a written referral plan in place, start writing. Just as you
would create a business plan as a small business owner, for example, start
your referral or ‘growth’ plan as simply as writing out your goals and path
to execution. This would be a good time if you have resources to involve a
healthcare marketing or business operations expert. It’s important to set
realistic goals, and to understand that building a network takes time. You
are building a series of processes to create a program, not a single event.
Set realistic goals and a timeline for achieving these.
Building Your Referral Network
2. Adopt Technology and Embrace Interoperability“In health care, [interoperability] means being able to share electronic
information across the health care continuum to improve efficiencies and
deliver better outcomes and patient care,” according to Jana Macon, vice
president of Strategic Services at software company Brightree.
“The ideal solution is cloud-based and will allow the provider to receive
referrals electronically. This streamlines the referral process for both the
referral source and the provider, reducing human error and eliminating
paperwork,” says Macon for Business News Daily.
3. Build Relationships Outside of Your SpecialtyYou may be a ‘big deal’ within your specialty (which is great!), but it is
important to network outside your given specialty. Attend networking events
and conferences that cater to the entire medical field if possible. If you are a
specialist, with primary care providers and non-physician specialists, such as
nutritionists or even mental health providers, who could benefit from having a
go-to physician to send patients.
There’s room in urgent care.
Don’t neglect the growing influence of urgent care facilities. These types of
services are growing at a rapid rate across the country, and often need to refer
out for more complicated or long-term cases.
4. Invest in MarketingWith the average patient becoming more selective and market-savvy (thanks
to services like Yelp, Healthgrades and Zocdoc), you need to be aware of your
brand presence both online and off. Gone are the days of being the only
‘community physician.’ Invest some dollars in online and local advertising. You
don’t have to have a ton of cash to invest wisely. Keep track of which
marketing channels yield your highest return, and re-invest accordingly.
Launch patient referral programs. Leverage social networks (or have an
assistant/intern to help you out). Marketing is an important function in
differentiating yourself from the competition.
5. Re-evaluate and Re-engage with Your Existing Referral NetworkCreate check-in points to evaluate the effectiveness and value of your referral
relationships. Have someone on your referral list that you haven’t
corresponded with in six months, in a year? Give them a call or send them a
friendly email to check in. Keep your referral network list clean, so that you
can focus on quality referral relationships.
One tip is to prospect for new healthcare practices that have recently opened
in your area. To identify prospects, take a look at your local county’s online
records to look for new doctors that have just received their business license.
Try to contact the office with a welcome message, or invite them to a simple
networking meetup. Helping new practices is not only a great way to give
back, but also a way to solidify your place within the community.
Ready to build your referral network? You might be interested in how to use
platforms like Zocdoc, Yelp and Klara to optimize your patient retention rates
and grow your practice.