Member-To-Member Marketing Advice
Marketing Tips
Current Tips
Communicate after testing
Submitted by: AAPM&R Public and Professional Awareness Committee
Call your patients on the same day that lab, imaging, or other diagnostic test results become available. In order to facilitate the process, instruct your patients to phone your office immediately after testing is completed.
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Stay away from negative marketing
Submitted by: Academy member Vijay Vad, MD
Because PM&R is a non-surgical specialty, our field has the unique
advantage of an inherent appeal to the general public. However, when broadcasting PM&R’s
attributes, rather than focusing on negative marketing – what we don’t do (surgery)
– disseminate information to friends, colleagues, and patients about what we do
offer.
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Return patient phone calls personally
Submitted by: Academy member Steven W. Thatcher, MD
Never underestimate the power of direct communication. Make it
a priority to call your patients back, personally. You can control the length of the
conversation simply by stating, “Although I am between patients in my clinic now, your
question is important and I wished to call you back personally.” A caring, two-minute
conversation by telephone will have patients calling you for their future needs – and
referring their friends and family.
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Send Thanksgiving cards to patients
Submitted by: Academy member Steven W. Thatcher, MD
As the end of the year approaches, consider sending out Thanksgiving
cards to memorable patients in your practice, thanking them for their continued confidence
in your care. Patients rarely receive a card from their physician, and sending it at
this time of year prevents your card from getting lost with other holiday cards in December.
Keep an informal log or review your past schedule for memorable patients. To make it
even easier, complete the cards throughout the year and then mail them all in mid-November.
This is a powerful gesture of caring from your practice.
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Write thank-you notes to referrers
Submitted by: Academy member Steven W. Thatcher, MD
Handwrite a brief thank-you note immediately after a former patient
refers someone new to your practice. It can be as short as a few lines expressing your
gratitude for their confidence in your professional skills and personal care.
Example: “Dear (former patient’s name): Thank you for telling a friend about
me. I will do my best to help. Your confidence in my practice means very much to
me. If I can be of assistance to you personally at any time, please do not hesitate
to contact me. Professionally Yours, (Doctor).”
Please note: When writing to a patient, please be conscious
of potential HIPPA violations.
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Follow up with lab tests results
Submitted by: AAPM&R Public and Professional Awareness Committee
When receiving labs/imaging tests ordered on a patient, follow
up with a letter explaining the results to the patient and the referring doctor (or
even a non-referring treating doctor of the patient, with the patient’s approval).
As for the patient, you may or may not see the patient in the
office to discuss the results. Even if you do see them, send them a letter explaining
what you discussed. The review and written explanation is often much appreciated by
the patient. The same is true of the referring or non-referring treating physicians
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Marketing to the Public
Submitted by: AAPM&R Public and Professional Awareness Committee
Like it or not, PM&R physicians are in “sales.” The commodity
that you are selling is you (and your medical practice).
Here are a couple of tips to keep your “customers” happy:
- Always call your patients back the same day. This is especially
important when relaying test results. An efficient way to ensure that results are
relayed in a timely manner is to ask your patients to notify your office the day
a test was done. This will help prompt you or your staff to get the results quickly.
- “Blindly cold call” your own office to check the following:
- Number of rings before answering
- Hold time
- Days/weeks until your next appointment
- The friendliness and helpfulness of your appointment secretary
- Anything else you consider important to the success of your practice
This self-check is critical, because a potential patient’s first
impression of you and your practice occurs at the time of this interaction.
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Meet with primary care physicians
Submitted by: AAPM&R Public and Professional Awareness Committee
A great way to market your practice is to arrange a lunchtime
educational talk at a primary care physician’s office. You should bring enough food
so key staff – nurse practitioners, physicians’ assistants, and the office manager/referral
coordinator – can attend.
Ask the coordinator what you can do to make his/her life easier
(e.g., how can you ease the flow of referrals to your office?). Then follow through
with your own promises (e.g., if you promise same-day service, make sure you provide
it and ensure your staff knows to facilitate it).
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Share your notes
Submitted by: AAPM&R Public and Professional Awareness Committee
When seeing a new patient, send a carbon copy of your office notes
to the patient’s primary care physician, even if the patient was self-referred. Include
a cover that opens with a statement such as “I had an opportunity to see your patient”
and closes with “I will keep you apprised of their progress.”
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Keep case managers informed
Submitted by: AAPM&R Public and Professional Awareness Committee
Whenever you see a new workers compensation patient, call the
adjuster or case manager to give them a synopsis of the encounter and an overall “game
plan.” This only takes a couple of minutes of your time (especially if you leave the
information on their voicemail) and will very likely result in future referrals.
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Ask case managers for information
Submitted by: AAPM&R Public and Professional Awareness Committee
If a case manager accompanies a workers’ compensation patient
to your office, try to speak to the case manager before and after the office visit,
privately. This quick meeting will allow you to gain insight into any concerns or issues
they may have with the patient, your care, and/or your office staff. Also, if possible,
provide them with a desk and access to a telephone (preferably a private office not
in use) so they can attend to their work while waiting. Both of these simple gestures
will give them the impression that their time is important to you and their opinion
matters.
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