Cultivating Existing Patients
One way to double your referrals is to tap into an existing resource: Every patient is a potential referral source.
Patients who refer you to other patients have one thing in common: They’re happy with your services. But patient referrals rarely happen unless you make them happen. Even when patients are happy and have an impulse to refer, they also have many things going on in their lives. They aren’t likely to go beyond a mere mention, so you must provide follow-through.
Here’s a simple formula to ask for referrals from patients:
- Note the patient is “winning” (before discharge or during the discharge interview). Listen to and acknowledge his gains.
- Let the patient know that you’re really glad you could help him. Tell him that because he is a client of the clinic, you’d be happy to help friends or family who might need care.
- Some clinics offer a courtesy screening as an “easy” way for people to refer without obligation. In any case, tell the patient what you’re willing to do for his friends or family. Have a business card ready or design promotional material explaining any special offers for referrals.
- If there is any interest at all, ask the patient who might benefit from having a screening or therapy. Give the patient a minute to think about it and then just listen. When the patient comes up with a name, get some details so you can discuss possible screening and services.
Of course, I can hear you saying, “But, I’m not a salesman. I’m a clinician. I could never do that.” You may have an aversion to selling, but substitute that word “selling” with “helping” in your mind. Your motivation and intention is helping. If you’re genuinely interested in the person in front of you and in his friend, sincerity will speak for itself and you’ll get more referrals than you know what to do with.
To make this procedure routine, you need to put someone in charge of the process. In addition, you should drill this procedure into each of your therapists’ routines so it becomes second nature. We often spend up to five days with clinicians to perfect these referral skills.
If you live in states that don’t have direct access, you may balk about friend and family referrals. I’m not an attorney (and urge you to consult one for further direction), but in most areas, there is nothing to stop you from having a chat and screening patients to see if you can provide further service.
If a patient needs a doctor referral for legal or insurance purposes, you can then refer him back to his doctor. If the patient doesn’t have a primary care doctor, you have an opportunity to refer out to a deserving physician who would be pleased to have a new patient. Either way, this is a workable relationship development strategy.
Another way to kick-start referrals is to join or even form a national or regional network of other people in your profession. Such networks seek out more clout than going it alone.
If you are joining an existing network, follow these tips:
- Ask for and then survey a cross-section from an uncut list of network members. Ask network members about their experiences and ease of obtaining reimbursement. Also, what are the pros and cons of belonging to the network?
- Carefully examine the contracts that the network already has and those that they are negotiating. Scrutinize the amount you may have to write-off and what kind of patients you’ll be receiving. For example, if membership in the network means you must take a large number of patients at low reimbursement, it probably isn’t worth it.
In the next few weeks we’ll look at the third and last part of this series. In the meantime, give these a try and see for yourself how they can increase the referrals of your practice.
