Search ChiroEco.com
 

 

 

 

November 2007

Chiro Biz Quiz: How to get more MD referrals

How to get more MD referrals
By Marc H. Sencer, MD

Would you like to get more referrals from medical doctors (MDs)? Well, who wouldn’t? Referrals have the potential to increase your patient base, revenue, and standing in the community.

Do you wonder why you don’t get more referrals? Today’s quiz can help.

Which statement(s) about referrals from MDs is correct?

A. The best referral sources are other specialists who treat the same patient population, but with different treatment modalities from yours.

B. If you could educate medical doctors about the value of chiropractic treatment, they would make more referrals.

C. Adding a physical therapist (PT) or medical specialty, such as PM&R (physical medicine and rehabilitation) or neurology, will increase referrals from primary-care doctors in your community.

D. It is important to arrange personal meetings with MDs because most doctors refer to doctors they know.

When it comes to referrals from MDs, all statements are true except “B.”

“A” is true. Many orthopedic surgeons and pain management specialists are aware DCs can be a source of referrals and are happy to reciprocate when they have patients needing chiropractic care.

 

The referral pair of chiropractic and orthopedics is becoming more common. This is one arena where it pays to explain what you do and invite prospective specialist referrers to visit your practice.

“B” is false. It is a common misperception that if you could educate MDs about the value of chiropractic, they would make more referrals.

Proponents of this idea fail to recognize the main reason MDs don’t refer: Their standard of care and training paradigm is to send musculoskeletal problems to an orthopedist, neurologist, or PM&R doctor. For this reason, they often don’t consider chiropractic as a first-line referral.

“C” is

true. Rather than educating medical doctors about chiropractic and relying on referrals for that one service, many DCs have added other services to their office.

When you add a medical specialist or therapist, your practice becomes a specialty practice. For example: If you add a neurologist, your practice becomes a neurology practice.

So positioned, you can seek and get referrals from primary-care doctors the same as any other specialty practice.

By becoming part of the medical community, you become part of its referral network.

“D” is also true. Personal meetings are important, because most physicians (DCs and MDs) make referrals to other doctors they know or have met personally.

One way to initiate personal meetings is through a patient you may have in common. If appropriate, you can send the patient back to the MD for an opinion or consult. This provides a way to make contact with the MD to discuss the case. From there, you may be able to arrange a meeting.

It is important to monitor and track your referral sources and maintain regular contact. You should update your referral-tracking forms at least every 30 days to 60 days for frequent referrers, and keep track of patients you have referred to them.

Thus, one of the fastest ways to increase referrals from primary-care and other MDs is to reposition your practice as a specialty to which they currently refer. Remember to check with a healthcare attorney regarding acceptable models of integrated practices in your state.

Marc H. Sencer, MD, is the president and founder of MDs for DCs, which provides intensive one-on-one training, medical staffing, and ongoing practice management support to chiropractic integrated practices. He can be reached at 800-916-1462 or through the Web site, www.mdsfordcs.com.

 

---

---