Growing a patient practice doesn’t have to solely include generating new patients. It can (and should) also include a broad scope of patient referrals. This is an easy, manageable way to grow your practice without spending tons of time and money on marketing and advertising. In fact, once you get the hang of it, it may start to happen naturally and build on itself over time. To give a little boost to your patient referrals, try some of these quick tips: Take the time to get to know your fellow physicians. According to Medscape, less than 10 percent of doctors regularly refer their patients to physicians they don't know, and about 40 percent say they know something specific about the specialists' outcomes or quality records. If a referring physician doesn’t know anything about you, why would you be top of mind when the time comes to refer their patient? The more physicians you know, the higher the chances you will be thought of when this opportunity arises. When you do get a patient referral, treat them right. When a physician refers you to their patient, don’t take too long getting them in for an appointment. Don’t make them wait. Don’t make them feel like they can’t ask you questions. Don’t make them feel rushed during the appointment. Don’t make them feel unheard. Be extra respectful to these patients, because their referring physicians will most likely ask how their appointment went. If it went badly, or the patient felt disrespected, it may hurt your chances of being referred to by that doctor again. Network online. With your busy schedule, networking in person may not be possible as often as you’d like. That’s where online networking comes in. You can use social media platforms like Twitter to get to know other area physicians – and their patients – so that you can begin building relationships with them. This will help make you top of mind so those physicians may be more likely to refer you. Find these physicians on Twitter, follow them, and interact with them on occasion (but not too often.) Retweet any tweets you find intriguing, comment with your own personal opinion, etc. If you engage with them consistently, that relationship will naturally blossom. Do you want to have professional social media pages for yourself or your private practice? check this topic: Social Media Marketing For Doctors and Clinics Focus on improving and maintaining your reputation. Your professional reputation plays a huge role in patient referrals, so make sure you’re working to maintain a positive one. That means consistently pushing out positive information. This can include news about your practice, new technology you’re using or your professional accomplishments, positive patient testimonials and stories from those who give you permission to use them, and striving for top awards in the medical industry. Pushing out encouraging information about these subjects can keep your positive reputation going strong. Overall, generating more patient referrals really starts with one task: being the top doctor you know you can be. Having respect for patients and doing your job to the best of your ability is where it all starts. Source
