Don’t forget that patient referrals aren’t the only type that bring new patients to your door. Doctor-to-doctor referrals do too…
Do you already have a doctor-to-doctor referral program in place? That’s wonderful!
Here are six tips to help make it even better.
Sit on the porch
Sure, doctors like donuts, chocolates, flowers and gifts. But the key is not just to give a gift. It’s to have a relationship. Success really comes down to who is delivering the gifts. Is this person a permanent part of your practice? Someone who’s there when the referring practice calls? Think of practice-to-practice relationships just like sitting in a rocking chair on the porch and having a conversation. So whether you’re bringing Bundt cakes or watermelons, the key is walking in that front door, having a conversation and establishing a genuine relationship.
Ask this very important question
As a medical practice, you are in the business of providing care and service. Don’t forget this when it comes to your colleagues! While sometimes it may be enough to say to a colleague, give me some sugar, long-term referral relationships come from a much deeper place—one in which you provide service. The relationship builder at your practice must regularly ask this question (while sitting on the porch): How can we better serve you? By opening yourselves up to a dialogue about how your practice can better serve your colleagues and their patients, you can build relationships that are much stronger than donuts, flowers and gifts.
Have events for doctors
Strong referral relationships aren’t just about your practice’s relationship-builder bringing gifts and asking important questions. It’s about the doctors seeing and connecting with you, their colleague! Every 4 months, host a lunch, a continuing education workshop or a happy hour. Face time with your colleagues will keep the relationship—and the referrals—strong. Events are gentle reminders that say…Y’all come back now!
Send birthday cards
Acknowledging birthdays makes people feel good—plain and simple. Send your colleagues personalized birthday cards. The most important part is that they’re handwritten with signatures! And Lord have mercy, put in a little effort—write something nice inside! Show you’re taking a little time to recognize and celebrate your colleague—and they will take some time to recognize and celebrate you (by way of genuine referrals).
At Virginia Creative Group, we create awesome birthday cards—that are branded for your practice—so your colleagues will enjoy and remember them!
Say farewell to form letters
You might be thinking, Impossible, there’s no time for this! We say Y’all hush. Have you ever seen the way a doctor reacts to a personalized letter about a patient from another doctor? We have. And we’ll just say—the doctor was blown away. We know this isn’t possible all the time, but an occasional non-form letter thanking a referring doctor will really get noticed. You bring a personal touch to your patients. Once in a while, let the doctor who referred that patient know about it.
Be consistent!
So you’ve done these things a few times but your efforts sputtered out? If your efforts are sporadic or watered-down, the results will be too. If these elements are done consistently, you will see a drastic increase in referrals. Consistency is critical! Keep a spreadsheet, set up alerts, whatever it takes.
Need help staying consistent? We’d love to help.