If you’re a healthcare specialist on the receiving end of a doctor’s referral, you know how valuable having a new patient who was referred to your practice can be.
But what does the referring doctor have to gain from this professional courtesy?
Actually, a lot.
Referral marketing is a two-way street that offers advantages to both the specialist and the referring physician. The referring doctor benefits in several ways:
Referring patients to a specialist ensures that they receive the best focused care.
Sometimes, a primary care physician (PCP) may not be able to make a definitive diagnosis or provide the level of care the patient needs. By referring a patient to a specialist for a different opinion or for specialized treatment, the primary care doctor is not acknowledging defeat but rather is providing the patient with the means to be diagnosed and treated in the most efficient and effective manner.
This determination to swiftly get to the bottom of the patient’s ailment is a sign of the doctor’s genuine concern for the patient, which can only strengthen the doctor-patient relationship. It enables the referring physician to provide their patients with the best focused care, which reflects well not only on the specialists who provide that care, but also on the primary care doctor who initiated the referral.
It enables the referring physician to devote more time to other patients.
Referring a patient who has a special condition which the primary doctor is not equipped to address frees the doctor to focus on patients who can be readily treated. As a result of this expedited service, patient satisfaction could increase, and the primary doctor’s practice might see more referrals from current patients themselves who are impressed with their overall care.
Referring patients can improve patient access to healthcare.
If a primary care doctor finds it difficult to communicate with a certain patient, or if the doctor is overbooked and therefore cannot see the patient in a timely manner, a referral is often the best solution. This results in improved patient access in regard to the referred doctor’s availability of appointments.
It allows the referring physician to remain involved in the patient’s course of treatment.
Just because a patient is referred to a specialist doesn’t mean the referring physician will never see them again. The specialist will certainly keep the referring physician in the loop about the patient’s diagnosis and treatment – especially if the specialist wants to continue receiving referrals from that referring physician.
Also, the patient will invariably need to follow up with his or her primary care physician. If anything, patient retention will be strengthened by this collaboration. It comes across to the patient as confidence on the referring physician’s part.
It’s a win-win-win situation.
Everyone benefits when physicians exchange referrals – the primary care doctor, the specialist, and the patient. And it all begins with a conscientious referral management system.
However, not all doctors have the time or expertise to build a doctor referral network. That’s where outsourcing this important source of new business to the experienced professionals at Doctor Referral Institute can help.
We provide face-to-face representation of your specialty practice to potential referring doctors. This way, we will ensure that you obtain the condition-specific patients who need your unique, specialized services. Our proven system increases the quality of your patient referrals and, in the process, your bottom line.
To learn about how Doctor Referral Institute can provide for your specific marketing needs, contact us today at (888) 703-9167 or request a consultation via our online form. We look forward to hearing from you.