{"id":15050,"date":"2017-05-15T13:16:32","date_gmt":"2017-05-15T18:16:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/about\/?p=15050"},"modified":"2023-10-30T13:53:47","modified_gmt":"2023-10-30T18:53:47","slug":"how-to-start-a-patient-referral-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/blog\/article\/how-to-start-a-patient-referral-program\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Start a Patient Referral Program"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the social media age, health care providers have taken heavily to Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms<\/a> in order to reach potential new patients. Others, including dentists<\/a>, might opt for the old-school method of investing in local television or billboard advertising, spending thousands in the hope that blanketing a community with stock photos of pearly-white smiles will reach that small percentage in the market for a new caregiver.<\/p>\n

Does any of it work? To varying degrees, it does. But in the realm of non-primary health care, there is nothing that provides as much benefit in relation to its comparatively small cost as a patient referral program. An active marketing strategy that relies on word of mouth, patient referral programs\u00a0use a provider\u2019s existing clientele to entice newcomers. Unlike mass advertising, there is virtually no waste on disinterested parties. And unlike social media, patient referral\u00a0programs are essentially a series of one-on-one sales calls\u2014a current patient tells a prospective patient about the benefits of visiting their provider.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver 50 percent of new patients should be coming from referrals,\u201d says Xana Winans, the CEO of Golden Proportions Marketing<\/a>, a marketing firm that\u2019s worked with over 1,500 dental practices on increasing their patient pool. \u201cIf not, then you\u2019re losing them to other practices.\u201d<\/p>\n

The challenge, according to Winans, is that patient referral programs\u00a0are not passive engagements like a Facebook video or TV spot. \u201cIt\u2019s not waiting for the phone to ring. It\u2019s not processing leads. It\u2019s asking for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

If soliciting current patients for a referral sounds a little scary, it\u2019s not\u2014but it does take a little planning, structure, and a thorough understanding of exactly how patient referral programs\u00a0work. In this four-part series, we\u2019ll be walking you through the steps you\u2019ll need to take in order to maximize<\/a> the substantial benefits of this marketing approach, as well as how to avoid the pitfalls<\/a> of a poorly-executed program.<\/p>\n

Done right, a patient referral program\u00a0can add years of income to your practice\u2014all for the cost of printing business cards and a little office diligence. In the first installment, we\u2019ll examine the proper definition of a patient referral program\u00a0and the beginning steps to making it part of your daily office routine.<\/p>\n

What Exactly is a Patient Referral Program?<\/b><\/p>\n

A patient referral program is a marketing system designed for health care providers who recognize that new patients are key to growing their practice. How these programs look and operate can vary widely depending on state laws that govern incentive-based marketing\u2014which we\u2019ll address shortly\u2014but in most cases, a provider will communicate to an existing patient that their office welcomes new opportunities to provide care and ask they recommend their offices to family and friends. To help motivate patients to reach out, providers will often provide gratuities in the form of sweepstakes, gift cards, discounts off future service, or other tangible \u201cthank you\u201d responses when that referral is converted into a new-patient appointment.<\/p>\n

As an example of how a patient referral program\u00a0might work, Winans often recommends a \u201ctwo-card system\u201d strategy at the front desk. \u201cWhen the patient is checking out, the provider hands them two business cards,\u201d she says. \u201cOne has the doctor\u2019s personal cell phone with an invitation to call with any concerns. The second card is a regular business card. The doctor might say, \u2018If you think today\u2019s visit exceeded expectations, we\u2019d love for you to tell your friends and family.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

This invokes the law of reciprocity, Winans says. \u201cYou\u2019re putting yourself out there, and human nature will have them feel like they want to reciprocate.\u201d The ideal outcome: the patient goes home and hands off your card to someone in need of care. Dentists, physical therapists, optometrists, and other providers who have impressed a patient are virtually guaranteed to see new patients come in a result of this practice.<\/p>\n

Before we go further, it\u2019s important to note that many guiding or supervisory boards, like the American Dental Association (ADA), have strict regulations regarding how your referring patients are thanked. When a third party benefits financially from a provider being matched with a new patient, it\u2019s called fee-splitting, and it could be problematic for providers who don\u2019t take care with their patient referral program\u00a0protocol. Writing a thank-you note to a patient who\u2019s introduced someone new to your practice and enclosing a gift card is a perfectly ethical gesture of gratitude. Depending on your state, however, having a giant sign in the lobby promising money for referrals might be frowned upon.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll cover this in detail in a later installment of this guide, but for now, don\u2019t be too concerned: Many patients will want to assist matching a friend or relative with someone they believe provides excellent care with or without a gratuity. Despite this innate urge to \u201chelp\u201d someone by referring them to a good health provider, some doctors don\u2019t utilize patient referral programs\u00a0because it feels like a sales job.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not natural to ask someone to send a new patient to you,\u201d Winans says. \u201cIt takes practice. Some want to farm it out. That\u2019s why it\u2019s important to have a system in place and for employees to have a script to follow.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Step-by-Step Guide to Starting a Patient Referral Program<\/b><\/p>\n

Financially, implementing a patient referral program in your practice is extremely affordable. Aside from the price of printing some literature, cards, or signage, your investment is minimal, and any thank-you gifts are only applicable once you\u2019ve enrolled a new patient to the practice. That low risk, however, means that some practices take a more lackadaisical attitude toward their programs, making only a halfhearted attempt to realize their potential. To get started on the right track, take a look at these easy first steps:<\/p>\n

Step 1<\/b><\/p>\n

Treat the patient referral program\u00a0like the crucial and valuable tool it is by making it a priority in the eyes of both your patients and your office staff. \u201cYou need to make patients aware you\u2019re looking for referrals,\u201d Winans says. \u201cGetting signage up is important. Don\u2019t let people assume you\u2019re a practice closed to new patients.\u201d<\/p>\n

Step 2<\/b><\/p>\n

Identify any applicable state laws or provider ethics that dictate whether you can offer gift cards or other incentives to referring patients, or if you\u2019ll be better off sticking with discounts for the referred patient. (Generally, there are no laws or industry prohibitions on discounting services for new customers.) If you have the all-clear, consider what you\u2019d like to offer. Some practices hand out discounts on services for both parties\u2014a dollar amount or percentage off a cleaning or whitening, for example\u2014while others enter names into drawings for prizes like tech devices.<\/p>\n

Remember that if you\u2019re prohibited from rewarding referring patients, it doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t still incentivize them into referring you. \u201cIf you give a patient a coupon for $100 off a service, they\u2019re not likely to throw away something worth that $100,\u201d Winans says. \u201cThey\u2019re going to want to pass it on so someone can benefit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Step 3<\/b><\/p>\n

Assign some accountability to staff. Instead of suggesting everyone try to mention the program to patients, personalize it by asking a specific team member to ask a specific patient about a referral that day. \u201cThat way, it\u2019s not just on any one person\u2019s shoulders,\u201d Winans says. At the end of the week, you can examine how many referrals you\u2019ve requested and begin to keep track of how many wind up reaching out for appointments.<\/p>\n

Step 4<\/b><\/p>\n

Take action. How will your office be requesting referrals? Will your reception desk handle the request, or will your providers petition patients directly? Will you hand out cards, brochures, or both? Will you send a follow-up email to your patient to remind them, or make it the first approach?<\/p>\n

A lot of these decisions will depend on the personality of your practice, how you and your staff like to engage patients, and how aggressive you want to be in recruiting new business. We\u2019ll be covering strategies\u2014including best practices and pitfalls\u2014in future installments, as well as how primary care physicians and other specialists can utilize their own referral programs. For now, keep in mind that the best first step is deciding to take one at all.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of doctors are uncomfortable putting themselves out there like this,\u201d Winans says. \u201cBut the only real mistake is not doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Next: In part two<\/a> of our four-part series, we detail some specific strategies to make sure your patient referral\u00a0program is living up to its full potential. \u00a0<\/em><\/b>\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the social media age, health care providers have taken heavily to Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms in order to reach potential new patients. Others, including dentists, might opt for the old-school method of investing in local television or billboard advertising, spending thousands in the hope that blanketing a community with stock photos of pearly-white […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17197,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[110],"tags":[73],"class_list":["post-15050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-insights","tag-referral-programs"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Start a Patient Referral Program<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Patient referral programs have little financial risk and the potential for great reward. 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