Resource Centers:(News, information, and tools to support your practice)
November 2009
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Success File: Networking with physicians
By Bob Levoy
Networking with physicians can pay huge dividends — the most obvious of which is referrals to your practice.
Physician referrals are especially valuable because patient acceptance is almost guaranteed and the fees tend to be less important when someone has been highly recommended to you by a trusted physician.
In addition, unlike patient referrals which are self-limiting, physician referrals can be an endless source of new patients.
How do you get started?
A new book, titled Marketing Chiropractic to Medical Practices (Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2009), explains a process that will provide you with tested tips to promote chiropractic ethically and professionally, and most importantly, cost-effectively to the medical world.
The author, Christina L. Acampora, DC, writes, “From a promotional standpoint, we have enough research data to emphatically promote manipulation and chiropractic care for the lower back and neck regions as well as for headaches. These are the conditions for which care should be promoted first.
“This is not to say,” Acampora adds, “that chiropractors can’t associate themselves with carpal tunnel or knee pain and so on. The research shows that we get most of our business from treating neck and lower back. The research also illustrates that physicians have few options to offer these patients except medication and referrals. By starting with these strong cases for which it is appropriate to utilize chiropractic care, we can then build trust and rapport that will open the door to referrals for other conditions.
“The bottom line from a promotional standpoint,” Acampora writes, “is to promote only research referenced in a peer-reviewed, notable journal and to not stretch the meaning of findings beyond which they were intended to relate. If you believe drugs are bad, immunizations are unnecessary, and chiropractic can cure asthma, stop and re-evaluate the position you are putting the profession in when you promote these unsubstantiated claims to medical doctors.”
Action steps: Acampora explains the types of practices with which you can start the networking process; what you should bring
Hello, Dr. XX. My name is XX and I am a chiropractor located on XX Road. I wanted to stop by and introduce myself and my services. As you know, many patients are interested in alternative care and recent warnings on medications are fueling that interest. Are you familiar with any of the evidence-based research on manipulation?
“If the response is positive,” Acampora writes, “indicate that you can make a lunch appointment, or ask the doctor if he or she would prefer to go out to dinner. If the response is really positive, the doctor might give you 10 minutes right away.” If the response is negative, she suggests several approaches to turn the conversation around.
Reality check: According to the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners 2005 Job Analysis, chiropractors spend roughly $1,000 a month on advertising.
“A portion of this money could make a more direct hit,” says Acampora, “if it was spent on lunches or dinner engagements (or arranging a luncheon meeting in the doctor’s office) to help develop rapport and relationships with medical professionals. Spending $50 on lunch with a doctor in a small office who has patients to refer seems like a better choice than spending $500 a direct-mail flyer.”
This 300-page book provides guidelines to educate medical doctors to utilize chiropractic services for their patients; the words to use and those to avoid; and how to overcome the negativity and misconceptions some may have about chiropractic.
It utilizes current evidence-based research to illustrate how chiropractors can present key findings in a convincing way.
“It is time,” Acampora writes, “to introduce ourselves into the inner circle of healthcare and forge relationships with medical professionals.”
Bob Levoy’s newest book, 222 Secrets of Hiring, Managing, and Retaining Great Employees in Healthcare Practices, is published by Jones and Bartlett Publishers. He can be reached at b.levoy@att.net.
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