Maintaining consistent contact with MD’s means you remain in the forefront of their mind for possible services for their patients. But how do you maintain appropriate contact without being a pest? We’ll try to capture some of our more popular ideas in this tip of the week.

• Topping the list - patient reports. Why?  Nothing sings your praises louder than results in a patient that an MD has seen struggle. Your discharge report should be limited to one page if possible and produced in a timely manner.  Try walking the report in and in under a minute you should be able to summarize the care directly with the MD. A phone call also works, but nothing beats a face to face interaction and it provides an excellent excuse for personal outreach. 

• Grand Rounds. Google your local hospitals “Grand Rounds” or lecture series which take place anywhere from daily to monthly to quarterly depending on the size of the hospital. These are free lectures open to the health care community where you can sit shoulder to shoulder with the medical doctors in your community enhancing professional relationships.  This is a great way to maintain contact and to establish new relationships. Even better – consider presenting a lecture or case report of your own.

• Literature. It is always a plus to point out pivotal research. It places you as the expert in your  field, illustrates your commitment to continued education and underscores that chiropractic is a research based profession. Whether you simply send a paper or visual aid referencing research via mail or email, it’s one avenue for maintaining contact between face to face encounters.
  

• Holidays. The holidays are an excellent opportunity for face to face interactions where physicians are more likely to be relaxed and open to casual conversations and rapport building. Small gifts (branded or not) provide the opportunity to arrive unannounced - just make sure it's during a time where you can get a quality hello, such as the beginning of lunch. Gifts aren't a guarantee you'll get time, so make sure you are prepared and have a personal card attached.

There are multiple ways to maintain contact. Find what works for you so you don't find yourself 8 months down the road with lackluster results and  awkwardly trying to reestablish contact.

Has a medical doctor ever said to you "You are comparing apples to oranges?" It's a common phrase so what do they mean?

It means that what you are trying to compare maybe similar but not so similar it is fair to compare them. In medical outreach, this would usually come up during a conversation where you try to compare one research paper to another to make a claim. 

For example: You have one research paper that shows chiropractic is effective for managing headaches in 80% of patients treated.  In another research paper it shows that physical therapy is effective for managing headaches in 50% of patients treated. 

If you try to make a statement that chiropractic is more effective than physical therapy for managing headaches the doctor would rightfully state that you are comparing apples to oranges. 

For comparisons to be made correctly, they must stem from the same research trial or be a meta-analysis otherwise you're just comparing apples to oranges. 

Nerves and anxiety are a normal process no matter how experienced you are but can greatly hinder efforts of medical outreach.  If nerves are paralyzing you from acting try applying the following 3 tips:

Tip 1. Start with baby steps. Select smaller offices with 1 to 3 providers and have a goal that is attainable. Maybe it’s simply to open the door and drop off an introductory package with the staff. As you get more comfortable you’ll be able to build confidence and take your outreach to the next level (meeting the doctor or trying larger practices).

Tip 2. Research the physicians you are calling on prior to meeting with them.

This can be done through a simple internet search. Pubmed can provide insight from articles the MD may have published or responses to other published research. Google searches can bring up professional activities, patient comments and of course the MD's own practice website. Each of these helps you understand clinical rational, bedside manner (or personality) and professional interests or memberships.

Nothing helps quell nerves more than having an idea on the type of person you are about to meet. More importantly, it helps you prepare for a more meaningful conversation. 

Tip 3: Have a meaningful conversation

Many doctors trying to forge MD Referral Relationships make the mistake of overwhelming the physician with every condition they treat and every service they provide. Unfortunately its not memorable and its not conversational. Utilizing a conversational method to have a strategic conversation that focuses on meaningful information the doctor is interested in hearing about and uncovering and responding to specific objections. Tip 2 above can provide insight to help you determine your conversational path and apply a conversational sales approach.

Log-in to read more about the conversational sales approach.  

Being competitive doesn't mean you need to bash the competition. Rather it is understanding a problem or weakness of a particular competitor and knowing when your services meet the competitors while resolving an identifiable problem. In sales this is known as the  "Meet and Beat".  For instance both NSAIDs and spinal manipulation can help with pain - this is the "meet", however, SMT does so without systemic side effects - the "beat". 

"Seeds of doubt" can help introduce a competitor without bashing them. For example, medication works on pain which may be a motivating factor for prescribing it, but they typically have side effects or aren't appropriate in certain subsets of patients. These problems can be utilized as a "seed of doubt".  For instance "I understand NSAIDs work well to control pain, what about your patients with GI concerns?" (or at high risk for cardiovascular events etc....).  

Now you can utilize research as a neutral talking point - show the MDs what the research shows on how manipulation acts on pain.  

A seed of doubt can help you professionally position your care as perhaps a more ideal starting point (aka - meet and beat) that maybe hadn't been previously considered.

Building relationships with MD's are similar to many others that we build. They are multi-layered, successful, unsuccessful, and filled with many nuances, variables, personalities and quirks that come with the territory. They can evolve into meaningful exchanges and respect between two providers and they can also crumble when not tended to. It adds another challenge to your marketing efforts and reminds us that approaching physicians is like any other relationship in that we must have enough rapport to have a meaningful exchange of words and for those that we value, we must spend time maintaining them.

The relationships that we build will result in patient referrals. However, there are variances as to how many you might see. There is no magic number. I have heard many of you mention that you see only 2 to 3 MD referrals a month, and others reporting upwards of 3 to 5 a day.

I am often asked, how long will it take to begin seeing referrals? That's a harder answer but I would say I would be surprised if with good effort you weren't seeing them within 6 months and hopefully much sooner. There are other variances to consider from local hospital politics, insurance issues and of course how busy of an MD office that you target can all play a role. For established relationships there is always the opportunity to expand upon the physicians knowledge of your services to expand the number of referrals you are seeing from one particular MD. 

One benefit of a conversational approach is that you can continue to build upon your relationship. Conversations about other conditions that you can treat can be introduced to build upon the foundation you have already laid. Respect and understanding for each others clinical approach can be appreciated when conversations are steered in the right direction. Another benefit is the ability to trouble shoot and ask pointed questions that yield information, needs and objections.

This week our membership blog focuses on this last point. What can you do if you think you are having positive conversations but you aren't seeing any referrals? How can you improve the number of referrals an occasional referring doctor is providing you? How do you handle a doctor who has been referring but suddenly stops or drastically slows down?  

I speak a lot about relationships with MDs, how to reach out, how to build them and how to maintain them because as mentioned above without tending to them, they can go away. You spend a lot of time trying to get them started it's important to keep them going.

My tip for all readers this week is to setup a tracking system that allows you to see where you need to spend the time, how long it's been and importantly what are the results. If you have good medical relationships but you aren't pleased with your results consider joining us in the membership blog. 

It's important to maintain contact with medical doctors to reinforce patient outcomes and rapport. One of the easiest ways to achieve this goal is to provide a release from care summary report. Reports are also a great opportunity to foster new referral relationships. While all health professionals are inundated with paperwork (electronic or otherwise) the thought of sending a report once a patient has completed care may almost induce a tear or two. Not to worry, non medical legal summary reports for the purposes of informing and updating a physician on a patients results isn't as bad as you think.  Here is a quick outline of how to make it consistently easy. On your letterhead include:

Date

Patient Information

Physician

Physician Address

Dear Dr.:

Below you will find a brief overview of Patient’s Name progress with our office.  

Paragraph 1: Overview of initial symptoms emphasizing the impact on ADL's and pain qualities - bring the patients pain and disability to life. For most patients this can be completed within a few sentences. (members may log in for an example on how this might be easily phrased)

Paragraph 2: Summarize your findings and treatment, home care and work place modifications. Again, this is simply an overview. You're not listing every positive exam finding or how many times a week etc.. It's an overview, a summary.  (members may log in for an example on how this might be phrased as an overview)

Paragraph 3: A simple sentence indicating final results. 

For more detailed information regarding "patient name", please feel free to contact me at the above  number. 

Sincerely,

Your name & specialty

cc: any other physicians who may have been involved with this patient for this particular condition

This is a very basic summary for the purposes of providing an update to a referring physician or at the patients request. Hint: You should be asking every patient for permission to correspond with other primary care or specialists who have a need to be updated on that particular patients care.  It takes minimal effort if done on a daily basis. 

Talking about inactive patients always feels a little dark. So much so, many practices turn a blind eye thinking that a good percentage rate, often examined through retention rates provides the justification to turn that blind eye. I think that's a mistake.

We often hear that losing a patient is the most expensive patient to lose and I would agree with that for two reasons. The first is reputation and the second is not adjusting your marketing strategy between inactive and active patients. 

When did you last take a deep look at your inactive patients?

There is a lot your inactive patients can tell you and even if your stats are good, you should still want to know what they have to say and you should still be tracking that statistic for early warning signs. 

You should also be marketing to them differently because what they have to say is invaluable to knowing how to improve your statistics and protect your reputation.  It's this last point that ties the importance of this issue into medical referral marketing. 

Your reputation is everything when it comes to medical outreach and patients who don't return for care have a lot to say about that reputation, even if they are a small fraction of your practice. Examining your patient reviews on social media and on review sites like Yelp won't necessarily raise a red flag, only a small percentage of your inactive patients will take the time to post a negative review - the others do it by word of mouth and sometimes their audience is their MD, maybe even the MD that referred them to you in the first place.  A correlation you may see when an MD stops or slows down what was a good referral relationship.

Most practices try to reactivate or market to their inactive patient base in the same manner as they do their active patient base. For example, many offices simply keep them on the newsletter list, the birthday card list and assume social media posts will keep them engaged but it fails to address the reason they left. The needs from a marketing perspective are different than the needs of your active patient base and this should be factored into your marketing strategy. 

Think about this way -  you have 1,000 patients and 30% have not been to your practice in over a year for a variety of reasons. Maybe they feel fine, maybe they don't have any pain, maybe they had a bad front desk experience or find your office hours or billing procedures inconvenient. Maybe they didn't think your care or the experience in your office was exceptional. What are these 300 patients saying about your practice? 

Take the time to find out and change how you're marketing to this practice demographic. 

I'm not one to pose a problem without offering a solution. If you think you this situation applies to your practice, consider joining our membership blog for only $4.95/mo,  for solutions and additional insight. Your reputation is everything when it comes to building medical referrals and a successful practice. 

You've had a positive meeting with an MD but you haven't seen any referrals. There are several likely causes but the two most common reasons are:

1. Old habits die hard. An MD may have truly appreciated your approach and information with every intention of referring patients. However, they get busy and their regular routine is easy to fall back into. To overcome this problem make sure you are maintaining consistent outreach and when you are able to speak again, talk about their patients who aren't getting better with the regular approach, or patients who have tried and failed traditional care. This last step is effective at reminding them of your services when faced with a difficult patient as another possible solution when the "habitual" routine fails. Consistency on your part, will result in consistency on their part. 

2. Objections. Did you uncover every objection the MD had? An objection can be any reason at all that simply means they aren't yet sold and not every MD will be forthcoming. You have to control the conversation and make sure you are asking questions that will help the physician voice any concerns. These can range from more serious concerns over safety to more simple ones such as insurance coverage and cost. The objections will vary from doctor to doctor which is why following a sales algorithm is so critical. If you're going to take the time to meet with MDs don't you want to make sure you actually get the referrals? If so, you need to know that it is not only about the features and benefits of your care but also uncovering and addressing physician concerns. If not, even the best presentation may fall flat.

If a physician you have met with has not referred, then next time you speak, ask them if a question or concern has come up since you last spoke. This will allow you to respond to and overcome an objection to get things on track. 

If you like what you're reading please consider joining our members only blog which provides more detail and content or try our online learning course  Marketing to MDs. 

This is a really popular question I often get! The realistic answer is that there is no finish line to cross because you should always want to meet the physicians in your area. It's similar to asking how many friends you should have - do you ever really stop trying? Of course not. It's the same with medical relationships - you should always want to meet physicians in your community, to know who to refer to, to know who not to refer to and to just be a part of a professional community. 

What does vary is the phase of practice you are in. If you are new, you will be actively reaching out to and meeting as many MDs in your community as possible, looking for ones that you align with both in therapeutic approach and in part personality wise.  As you become more established you will transition from actively knocking on physician doors, to meeting physicians through activities such as hospital grand rounds and introductions by other physicians and through reputation.  

There is no magic number or equation that says if I meet this many MDs I'll get X referrals. There are a lot of variables that come into play. How outgoing are you? Are you more shy and introverted or are you a natural born sales person? What is the climate in your area relative to physician attitudes towards alternative care - the same could be asked about the area you live in and economic pulse all factors that drive how patients seek care and are referred. What's the competitive environment - how many of your competitors are also seekind medical referral relationships? Do you have established networks - maybe a family member or good friend that is in the medical community? How likely is it that the first physician you meet will refer you 100's of patients?

With so many variables the only accurate answer is there is no number - you should always want to meet and mingle with the physicians in your community - and degrees don't matter - you never know what specialist is an influencer in the medical community or can escalate you into the hospital system if that is your end goal. 

If you think in terms of numbers the intent is lost - is your intent numbers based for what MDs can do for you or is it relationship based upon which referrals are a benefit? Which one do you think is better for a stable source of new patients that spans the life of your practice? 

It's not to early to start planning for National Chiropractic Health Month. I know it's not until October but you need to be ready to go on October 1st, not start planning. This is a great time to not only engage your current patients and attract new ones it's also a wonderful opportunity to work on your new and existing medical relationships. 

To execute without pressure and to make the greatest impact, now is the time to start making initial plans, especially if you plan on placing any paid advertisement ads, renting space,  ordering specialty food and placing branded product orders. As all of these cost money, planning early ensures you have time to shop around and plan your budget. 

ACA will soon be providing members with a NCHM campaign kit which will further aid in simplifying your events! But events such as these are not just for October, they can also be planned to boost the times in a practice that would otherwise be slow.

January is a great example, when deductibles are reset and holiday spending is being paid off. August is another when families plan the last of summer vacations and pack in the rest of the summer festivities. November and December bring along the rush of the Holiday season and travel. All of these times interrupt the natural weekly rhythm and statistics of even the most established offices. 

When you look at your practice stats do you see months that tend to have dips in them? If so, plan public relations events just in front of these slower times, or look to use these quieter practice times to book more public relations events and plan your other marketing efforts for a strong start when the normal routines return.

Events can range from small daily office events to larger events such as community health talks. Each month, each week and each day has something that can be used to boost practice engagement and presence to help overcome anticipated practice lulls. But to be successful and mindful of spending, planning a couple of months in advance will yield the best results!

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