Issue 8 - June 2003

Success file by Bob Levoy
Best friends forever
How to win referrals from MDs

It doesn’t matter if you specialize in a sub-set of chiropractic, such as workers’ compensation or sports medicine, or if you treat the general population of your city, establishing a working relationship with medical doctors can be a rewarding experience.

Seventy percent of new patients in the Allentown, Pa. office of Gary Tarola, DC., are referred by physicians. The key to building that kind of practice is for you to make good referrals and show the physicians that you are as serious about caring for your patients as they are.

Good referrals are those patients who have been properly diagnosed and are referred to an appropriate provider, at an appropriate time.

A bad referral is a patient who is not referred until you’ve exhausted everything you can possibly do and/or after an extended period of time with no improvement in the patient’s condition. It shows a total lack of regard for the patient’s well-being (and pocketbook) and in the process, ruins your credibility. In addition, the more chronic a condition becomes, the more difficult it is to treat.

“If the patient is a candidate for chiropractic treatment,” Tarola said, “then initiate a reasonable trial period of treatment. If the patient does not show significant improvement after a reasonable time, say three or four weeks, then refer him or her to an appropriate provider for a second opinion on the diagnosis and/or treatment recommendations.”

The next step is good communication with the provider to whom you’re referring the patient. Include the patient’s history in conventional (not chiropractic) terms; your impression of the patient’s condition; a summary of what you’ve done for the patient; the patient’s response to your treatment (be honest); why you’re referring the patient to that particular physician; and most importantly, what (specifically) you’d like that physician to do.

“This last step is an important one.” Tarola says. “Without letting physicians know the reason for your referrals, they may assume you’ve done everything you can do and now expect them to do something different, such as prescribe medication, refer to a physical therapist or perhaps recommend surgery.

After a number of good referrals physicians will know by the timeliness of your referrals, your clinical approach and the nature of your communication that you handle patients in an appropriate manner. With your credibility established, you’ll begin to see referrals from physicians.

“Acknowledge [the referrals] promptly,” says Tarola. “Send a letter thanking the doctor for the referral. Include the patient’s history, your clinical findings, your impression of the patient’s condition and your plan of treatment. Then send periodic supplemental reports to keep the doctor abreast of the patient’s status.”

Reality check: It takes time — not weeks or months but years — to establish your credibility in the healthcare marketplace.

Bob Levoy is a seminar speaker and writer. He can be reached at 516- 626-1353.