Referrals: A two-way process

Rottinghaus has gone to extreme lengths to align himself with others in the medical profession. Partly for credibility, partly to network, and partly to add indirectly other services to his offerings, Rottinghaus has built a small but wide-stretching group of physicians in related disciplines, a group which is responsible for 30 percent of his own patients, via referrals.

“I’ve spent a lot of time building relationships with medical doctors,” he says. “I see patients with them. They refer patients directly to me.”

The referrals started with a patient of his own, who happened to be a chronic-pain psychologist. Rottinghaus referred him to a new spine surgeon in town. The surgeon was part of what today is known as the Freiberg Orthopaedic group. That referral sparked a meeting between Rottinghaus and the surgeon, and ultimately the two began having breakfast periodically.

“He wanted to know if I wanted to start seeing patients with him,” Rottinghaus explains. “I started seeing patients on Monday afternoons. He would do consultations and when necessary, refer patients.’ He would send me four, five, six patients every Monday afternoon.”

The relationship grew with the Freiberg group, and as it evolved, other orthopaedic doctors began referring patients to Rottinghaus.

“It broadens their scope,” Rottinghaus says. “People call and ask if they have physical therapy or chiropractors. It makes them more inclusive.”

Rottinghaus even gets frequent referrals from physical therapists, still somewhat unheard of in the profession. In turn, he refers patients for physical therapy.