If you’re a specialty medical practice, your referral sources cannot be underestimated. The same rules that apply to other businesses apply to your practice: it costs as much as 5x more to gain new business than to keep existing business. Keeping your practice “top of mind” with your referral sources is key to maintaining a steady referral stream. Here’s some ideas on how to endear yourself to your referral sources:

1. Keep high quality note paper customized with your practice logo available for quick hand-written thank you notes to your referral sources. In these days of email and EMR, a hand-written note creates a lasting impression of class and personal service.
2. Small items, like candy jars engraved with your practice’s logo, can make a big impression. Order a set and give them out to your top referral sources along with a small weekly shipment of candy refills by mail or staff delivery.
3. Survey your referral sources to determine their level of satisfaction with your practice. The answers may help you catch potential problems early on and capitalize on what you’re doing right. Referring physicians will appreciate that you value their opinions.

Most importantly, take the time to track your referral sources so you know when new physicians are sending patients to your practice, and then take a moment to acknowledge them!

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 9th, 2009 at 10:05 am and is filed under All Posts, Referral Marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.