Help Providers Win New Patients from Large Local Businesses with These Tactics Large or dominant employers in your local communities are excellent targets of opportunity for new patients and cases. Most healthcare providers have local businesses that are (or could be) a source of new business. Whether it’s a company that's conveniently located across the […]
Get expert advice on today’s latest physician liaison strategies to build doctor referrals.
A well-run physician liaison referral marketing program can be a game-changer for hospitals, health systems, and multilocation practices. It can draw in consistent revenue and support long-term referral relationships. But what’s at the heart of these programs? A skilled, well-trained, and motivated physician liaison. I’ve met some fantastic physician liaisons over the course of my […]
The quick backstory here started on LinkedIn and turned out to be an amazing little coincidence. Although I was busy preparing for (yet another) business trip, I happened to notice the name of a business acquaintance that popped up via LinkedIn. Our West Coast offices are close to each other, but we both travel a […]
[Part of a continuing series] Consider how these important marketing touchpoints intersect: Video content now accounts for well over half of the traffic online Well over half of health and healthcare searches begin with an Internet search Positive reviews and testimonials strongly influence purchase decisions So this formula—video-plus-Internet-plus-testimonials—is a powerful combination for effective healthcare marketing. […]
Someone who knows that I work in marketing passed along this little idea. As it happens, it comes from a retail small business, but with minor modification, it would play well in healthcare. Let’s call it: A Poor Man’s Reputation Management Idea. And, large office or small, it’s an effective idea that you’re welcome to […]
Anyone who knows me personally or professionally would likely agree that I’m sort of a high-energy guy. Nevertheless, we would also agree, that heavy-handed swear words are not in my usual nature or vocabulary. But -- there’s an important lesson for others in this tale, so I’ll confess to this recent, embarrassing exception. The story goes […]
All too often a healthcare practice will wait to ask for my help until the “eleventh hour.” That was the case when a medical group (belatedly) discovered their growth curve had become a flat line. It turned out that their once-robust stream of professional referrals was vanishing. A rival practice was attracting this group’s lifeblood of […]
It turns out that “missed appointments” aren't the core problem for specialty practices. At first glance, it seems like it would top the list. Almost every office has some “no shows.” But what cripples business the most is when a doctor referral never happens at all. Therefore consider the net effect of these three shocking […]
The business of physician referrals—that stream of new cases and revenue—depends on maintaining a solid relationship with colleagues. Doctor-to-doctor patient referrals rely on a trust and confidence that goes beyond your CV, clinical skills and professional experience. Your reputation is on the line. I have the good fortune to travel throughout the country working with […]
[Series Installment] Not long ago, we were talking with the lead physician of a multispecialty medical practice. She was losing sleep because the once-dependable physician referral pipeline had become a leaking bucket. We discovered that part of the problem was the competitive environment of roll-ups, consolidations, mergers and acquisitions in the marketplace. Longstanding referral bridges […]
When opportunity knocks, you’ve got five minutes or less to answer the door or the game’s over. Consider this: The most wasteful expense in inbound marketing occurs when you fail to respond quickly…or at all. Healthcare providers, hospitals and medical practices pump big bucks into content-driven, inbound marketing efforts that engage and entice prospective patients […]
Even the most carefully constructed 37-page Curriculum Vitae is a sure-cure for insomnia. Other than the doctor who compiled the CV, it’s common for heads to droop after the first few pages. A detailed and current CV is a useful tool in professional circles, but the document is not at all the same as a physician’s […]
Doctors don’t always wear the title of CEO for their practice, but if it’s your business, you’ve got the top job. And along with it, you hold the ultimate hire-fire responsibility for the organization. Command, as the saying goes, is a lonely place. Personnel matters are often tough. Employees can be liked, but perform marginally. And even […]
A curious thing about professional referrals is that nobody pays much attention until they disappear. Sometimes, what doctors don’t know about professional referrals is alarming. The analogy of a “life blood” source of business is appropriate, particularly for specialty medical practices that rely on the flow of new patients. Although referrals from other providers is central to […]
Are you pretending that your professional referral stream is “business as usual?” Let me tell you about an experience that just might be an abrupt wakeup call. At an oncology conference recently, I spoke with a Healthcare Success client who attended one of my keynote presentations. The topic, of course, was about effective marketing in […]
The historic picture is nothing like today. For decades, competition within the nation’s healthcare delivery system was low-key, even passive. And the vital professional referral stream that traditionally brought new patients to hospitals and specialty practices required little marketing attention…if anyone thought much about it at all. But the dynamics of healthcare reform and other forces […]
Maintaining the flow of doctor referrals is vital—if not life-and-death critical—in many professions. What’s more, healthcare reform and intense competition has made the whole business of professional referrals more challenging than ever to sustain. In our experience, working with hundreds of referral-dependent practitioners, we've identified a nearly a dozen “secrets;” proven techniques that give stability […]
Healthcare marketing is more involved than simply hiring someone to write an ad or create a brochure for you. (After all, your practice is not a simple box of detergent or a used car lot.) To be successful, you will need a well-considered marketing plan and budget, complete with ethical, appropriate and proven strategies. While […]
Our Senior Consultant and Training Specialist Lori Ann Waltz just sent over another marketing success story, and you may be able to relate. This time Lori was off to Kentucky (birthplace of Abraham Lincoln). She went there at the request of a specialty practice that may have been one of “the best kept secrets” in the […]
Marketing Trainer Lori Waltz is something of a healthcare Road Warrior with a string of success stories and travel anecdotes. Here’s the scoreboard: She has helped over 1,000 practices and hospitals in her career, including 48 states, plus a few nearby countries and territories. Oops…only 48 states? It’s true. Lori has provided marketing training—about telephone/front desk […]
I just came away from a discussion with two practice representatives who work with one of our highly successful specialty practices. Real world, “from the street” healthcare marketing information is often perceptive, and the conversation left me with important insights that I wanted to share with our readers. For context... Three years ago, our client […]
The six key elements in an effective CRM program for specialty practices and others. Healthcare is business that's all about relationships. Every practice or organization appreciates a new patient referral, but specialty practices that depend on referrals don't leave the process to chance or pure goodwill. The basics of a relationship program guide reps, business […]
Who's this guy Vilfredo Pareto and what makes him a partner in my practice? Anyone with a specialty healthcare business –one that is primarily fueled by referrals from other professional practices–should recognize the business rule named after a turn-of-the-century Italian economist. The "Pareto Principle" is better known as "the 80-20 rule." And, as it turns […]
We’re not sure that we can say this any stronger. Up and down the nation’s healthcare delivery system, professional referrals are the essential lifeblood of business for many practices. In the world of hospitals and specialty practices, doctor referrals are an indispensable factor in the function of the practice. When a professional referral system is an […]
Some old-school ideas needlessly linger on. There’s a tired notion that sometimes whispers in the back of a physician’s brain and says: “Doctors shouldn’t advertise.” Or, more specifically, they fear: “My professional peers will think less of me. Physician advertising will hurt my relationships with referring doctors.” In fact, the reverse is often true today. […]
Massachusetts primary care physician groups—some 500 of them—are the focus of a first-in-the-nation comparison from Consumer Reports. As we see it, medical providers, practices, and healthcare and medical practice marketing professionals in the other 49 states will want to take note for several key reasons: 1. Ratings primarily reflect the “patient experience”—and are marketing significant. […]
At first glance, this looks like another one of those instances of a “surprising secret” article where the subject material is neither too surprising nor too secret. It turns out that the recent WSJ/SmartMoney article about the work of physician liaisons and practice representatives is good info for patients, but it isn’t startling news to […]
Not so long ago, only a few hospitals and medical practices had some sort of “ambassador” on their staff. But as healthcare marketing and delivery systems have changed in recent years, this occasional and sometimes informal position has evolved significantly. Practices, hospitals and health systems large and small have hired physician liaisons for the primary […]
As everyone with a holiday shopping list knows, “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday” have propelled the season into high gear…including the search for the perfect gift idea for one healthcare practice or hospital to give to a physician’s office. Our earlier post, Whacky or Wonderful? Making Gift-Giving Memorable in Medical Practice Marketing, challenged medical practice […]
Each year, about 22 million patients are referred from one healthcare professional to a professional colleague. And patient referrals account for hundreds of times more than that number. In physician marketing, direct referrals into the practice often represent a large and significant segment of new business development, which, regrettably, is a neglected part of the […]
Lately we've been increasingly aware of the growing importance of word of mouth (WOM) advertising in physician practice marketing and medical marketing in general. WOM can be either positive (resulting in a patient referral and new business), or it can be negative (resulting in, well, nothing). Having experienced both edges of that sword, we all […]
Professional referrals—typically from generalist to specialist or to hospital admitting—are the financial lifeblood of many specialty practices, hospitals and other medical and dental providers. However, once rock-solid referral sources have eroded or evaporated with the dynamics that are reshaping healthcare delivery systems. It’s an increasingly urgent problem for hospital and healthcare marketing in general, and […]
The numbers are an eye-opener: Two-thirds of primary care physicians say they regularly send patient referral information to specialists, but only one-third of specialists report receiving it. Clearly there’s a communications disconnect, according to a national study published this month in Archives of Internal Medicine. The study did not directly address the marketing implications of […]
Walgreens, the nation’s largest drugstore chain, is turning-up the heat in family practice marketing. It’s been ages since the corner “drug store” confined it’s offering to only pharmaceuticals. But about 350 Walgreens locations are now part of the changing competitive healthcare landscape and likely to be an increasingly important factor to consider in FP, GP, […]
How to lose colleagues faster than you can say "Professional Referral Faux Pas" Each time we roll up our sleeves and work with a group of doctors at one of our 2-day marketing meetings, the professional referral marketing strategies and tactics session is one of the most interesting, lively, popular and productive segments. It hits […]
Here's How We Develop Hospital Marketing Plans, Medical Marketing Plans and Dental Marketing Plans For Our Clients
The three big ideas behind every successful Professional Referral Program. Referrals are all about relationships. And professional relationships—the source of professional referrals—don't blossom spontaneously. There's a well-considered system that fuels a successful Professional Referral Program, based on these three concepts. Healthcare referrals are the financial lifeblood of many hospitals and practices. And for others, referrals […]
