Healthcare Referral Marketing Tips for Practices
For many specialists, local physician referrals can be the lifeline of their practice, which means specialists need to build strong referral relationships with local physicians to create a consistent stream of patient referrals. The best way to do this is with healthcare referral marketing.
Maybe at one time, at the beginning of your practice, you had some time to introduce yourself to the referring physicians in your community, but as time went on, there was less and less time to spend meeting with local physicians.
The time you initially had visiting with local providers is now committed to patient care leaving a void between the needed touch points to help cultivate and maintain a highly engaged physician referral network.
As physicians find they have less and less time to cultivate relationships with local referring physicians, they are employing physician liaisons to help them implement an active healthcare referral marketing program.
What is Healthcare Referral Marketing?
Healthcare referral marketing is the process of going out and building PCP and specialty referral networks and relationships to generate new patient referrals. This is done by a physician liaison.
A physician liaison is a professional ambassador for the medical practice and the physicians they represent. The goal of a physician liaison is to create healthcare referral relationships that increase patient referrals and practice growth.
The Benefits of a Healthcare Referral Marketing Program:
- Get The Reputation of A Top Practice
- Gain That Competitive Edge
- Improve Physician Communication
- Increase Patient Referrals
- Focus On High Revenue Procedures Or Surgeries
- Increase Practice Revenue
- Expand Your Physician Network
- Scale Your Practice
Get The Reputation of A Top Practice
A physician liaison is a professional ambassador of the practice and specialists they represent.
They serve as “service” like representatives to referring practices to not only enhance the referral relationship and referral processes but ensure the patients have the best possible experience during their time receiving care.
This additional support of providing a physician liaison with the priority to improve communication between physicians, streamline the referral processes, and address the concerns and needs of patients will catapult not only the referring practice’s experience and relationship but the patient’s as well.
A physician liaison can help your practice earn a reputation for professionalism, top-quality care, and the ability to provide direct communication. A physician liaison is a representative trained to handle the needs of both patients and referring physicians.
Gain That Competitive Edge
How do you stand out from the competition?
Gain that edge above your competitors by providing physician liaisons to visit and cultivate relationships with local referring practices.
Physician liaisons can communicate directly with referring physicians about the capabilities of the practice and create systems to improve the referral process saving the referring practice time and adding the needed additional support.
The capability to have a physical representative developing touch points and creating direct communication with providers and staff can be a BIG game changer.
A Physician liaison will deliver the information on your practice and competitive advantages that can be essential factors in the referral decision and help direct those referrals to your practice.
Improve Physician Communication
The benefits of establishing secure communication between specialists and referring physicians are expansive but can result in better quality patient care and an increase in patient referrals.
A physician liaison will establish direct lines of communication to save time and improve the patient care communication process. They also help introduce physicians to their community doctors. Physician liaisons will make connections with local physicians and initiate conversations with face-to-face meetings and direct lines of contact with their specialists.
Increase Patient Referrals
Maintaining an active line of patient referrals can be the lifeline for a practice. Connecting with local physicians and practices is the key to building referral relationships.
Utilizing a physician liaison to connect with the referring practices in your area will help you create consistent touchpoints, improve communication, and address the needs and wants of your physicians.
Having a representative like a physician liaison to capture vital insight and feedback from referring providers and provide the needed material and collateral for practices to use in the patient referral improves the chances to increase patient referrals.
Focus On High Revenue Procedures Or Surgeries
Develop a healthcare referral marketing campaign with a physician liaison to educate the referring community on the capabilities, quality of care, and a unique approach to patient treatment.
A physician liaison will create a direct message to discuss or open the conversation toward specific procedures, surgeries, or services the practice provides.
Often the referring physician community may be unaware of the advantages of referring patients for specialized care to your medical practice or the benefits to your approach to treatment; so having a liaison to help cultivate those relationships, educate, and introduce your physicians to their community will help increase your surgical referrals.
Increase Practice Revenue
One of the benefits of a highly engaged healthcare referral marketing program can bring to your practice is an increase in practice revenue.
A physician liaison will increase patient referrals and high-revenue procedures, resulting in an overall increase in annual revenue for the practice.
Expand Your Physician Network
Physician liaisons create the opportunity for their specialist to make introductions and build relationships with the surrounding healthcare community.
While the physicians are focused on patient care, the liaison can add new contacts and meet with practices and healthcare professionals across the community because they are not limited by time and availability.
The connections that a physician liaison can make can create new ways for their specialist to connect, relate, and get actively involved in their healthcare community to expand the reach of the practice.
Healthcare Referral Marketing Strategies Wrap Up
Implementing a healthcare referral marketing program with a physician liaison is about positioning your practice for growth and expansion to include new physicians and locations.
The benefits of developing a highly engaged referral network are both the possibility of patient growth and revenue growth.
When deciding to implement physician liaison marketing make sure you are investing the proper time and resources to build a strong physician liaison marketing program. Ensure the success of your program by providing a physician liaison training program.
A physician liaison training program will help your liaisons gain the necessary skillset, tools, and resources to succeed and give you the confidence there is a professional representation of your practice.
For more information on physician liaison training, you can click here!
