From: Dr. Margolies.. 3-15-24

Review Previous E-mails

Review My Patient and Community E-mails

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Referrals 2

Last week I covered the general topic of referrals. A number of my recent e-newsletters covered referrals but below is my humble attempt to focus on a few. First, if your practice is humming along and you are satisfied with the numbers and daily work schedule, then carry on. If your practice needs a jumpstart of new bodies then read on. But, if you feel you can manage more but haven't the staff or will to do it yourself then consider a PR person to manage it. 

There is a skill in the process of hiring a PR person but simply put look within for a multitasking staff member or even a patient that has the personality to spearhead a community outreach as well as patient interaction. This will be wildly cost effective if they are trained correctly and focused on their task to bring interest and new patients to your office. If you need some advice or help organizing and training reply to me at: joel3639@aol.com

Let's discuss medical referrals. In our business the most common referrals are to primary care physicians, orthopedists, neurologists and physical therapist. Now, before you tar and feather me, there are times when a medical referral is necessary and if you find chiropractically friendly docs both your patient and the physicians will be pleased opening the door for your patients referring their family and friends to their caring chiropractor, as well as the medical doctors referring to your office with their chronic pain or injury cases. Goal is to have a steady stream of referrals from patients, community and medical providers. 

Start by adding on your new patient intake form their primary care provider's (PCP) name and phone number. You may wish to include a check box giving permission to share your findings with these doctors. Consider that very few if any chiropractors send findings to patient PCPs. So, imagine if you were the PCP receiving an informative fax or letter with your patient's finding and this is repeated time and again, do you think you would get the hint that a kind referral to this chiro office would be wise idea. I would hope so. Create a simple but friendly report and after the second visit either fax or mail the form. Along with this report include a short introduction about yourself, your office and the advantages of collaboration between chiropractic and medicine for their chronic pain and injury patients. Hang in there eventually you'll get a bite and it grows from there.

Ask for referrals. Oh, never be shy to ask patients who received great results to refer their family and friends. Many consultants create scripted visits for their clients to ensure that the message gets out on a timely basis. A casual discussion once you get the green light or affirmation that the patient is satisfied with their results can simply start by acknowledging your initial findings and their results and how many people unfortunately have limited or no knowledge of chiropractic. Establish an image for them to expand their relationships. Who they know that also may need care at work, church, their social gatherings etc. Hone it further with specific conditions related to their specific work description or lifestyle. Be creative as you are opening opportunities for others to receive the care they need. Have questions e-mail me: joel3639@aol.com

Therapy Room Referrals: The best time to discuss specific issues with a patient is when the therapist has dedicated alone time with them. Using EMS, ultrasound, cold laser, rehabilitative exercises or even taking an x-ray a discussion can begin how they are doing, how far they have come and how chiropractic can help others if only they knew more about it. Every staff member should be aware of available educational material, have ready business cards and be able to stimulate a discussion with ready answers. Staff meetings should always find time do role play so they too can be part of practice growth.

Doctor, the dynamics of your office may differ from others but one common default should be asking for referrals and unfortunately, it is the most overlooked or worse never explored. Pity.

By the way, if you read this far, please take a moment and reply to me with your name, office contact information, techniques, year and school graduated from and office website for my chiropractic referral network. I know these e-mails reach doctors throughout the world, so I would especially appreciate your information. Also, if you have colleagues that would like to be added to these weekly e-mails, reply back with their e-mail address as well 

Next Week Patient E-mail and Networking Campaign