Best Practices for Developing a Strong Referral Network in Private Practice
Referrals and word-of-mouth marketing are still among the most powerful tools that you can use to bring new clients into your private practice. Building referrals and relationships can be what makes or breaks a practice. People talk, and if you want them to talk about your practice in a positive light, you have to put in the work. Granted, every practice will get some referrals and positive reviews just by doing what they do every day. However, you can’t rely on hoping that people will share.
Instead, you should work on creating a strategy to build a referral network for your private practice. This can create a steady stream of new patients calling for appointments and ensure that your existing patients are satisfied with their experience at your practice. The way that you go about getting those referrals, of course, will dictate how successful you are.
The Value of Referrals
Doctors often benefit from referrals more than other professionals. In healthcare, people want to know they are working with providers that they can trust, who will take care of them. Although many patients are limited by things like insurance coverage and provider networks, there is still plenty of room to use referral marketing to build your practice reputation. Digital marketing and patient interaction make it even easier to get reviews, but that also comes at a cost—it’s much easier for people to leave bad reviews, too.
For every referral you get, you are spending fewer marketing dollars on patient acquisition. This means that if you can build a successful referral network, you’ll be able to save a small fortune on your outreach campaigns and trying to access new patients. Referrals can come through various avenues, including your insurance partners, other medical providers and specialists, existing patients, and more.
Tips for Creating a Referral Program
As with anything in your private practice, you have to have a plan in place to build a solid referral program. Here are some tips:
- Make sure that you outline the parameters of your referral program—who is involved? Which patients are you targeting and why? Do you have specific channels you’ll use to reach out or promote the referrals? Is there some type of incentive you want to offer?
- Implement technology tools to help. EHRs and other practice management tools will ensure that your private practice is running smoothly so that you can focus on things like patient care, referral marketing, and other efforts.
- Pay as much attention to negative reviews as positive ones, or more. Even if you can’t resolve the issue immediately, addressing it shows that you care, which is often enough for many people to consider you a worthwhile choice.
- Ask for feedback. If you’re creating a program for your patients, wouldn’t it make sense to see what they want or expect from something like a referral network? Often, your best sources of information and inspiration are your patients. Take advantage of that.
In addition to these tips, you’ll want to embrace social media and other resources to connect with your patients. With the right technology and strategies, you can set up a strong referral network and streamline practice management all at the same time.
Can You Use Social Media and Other Digital Tools?
Referral marketing has become much easier and more streamlined, thanks to technological advancements. The Internet has dozens of places where people can leave reviews and recommendations, talk about businesses, and share information about experiences that they have. This can benefit your practice in several ways, provided that people are talking positively about your services. Social media is no longer just for fun. Many people use it to find information about businesses, including healthcare providers.
Consider a total digital marketing strategy that will help you build outreach campaigns and create that referral network that you need to keep your practice growing. Embrace social media and other platforms where you can engage with patients in a more personal manner, too. Platforms like Google, Yelp, and Facebook are important to keep an eye on for existing patient testimonials that can positively or negatively impact your practice.
The Challenges of Getting Referrals
One major challenge that comes in referral marketing is trying to incentivize the business without appearing like you are “paying for business” in some capacity. Referral networks often include some type of benefit for those involved—a discount on services, something for free, or another perk that encourages people to share your practice can go a lot further than you might realize. Of course, in healthcare, you can’t exactly just start giving discounts left and right to drum up business- services have rates and insurance companies have billing processes to follow.
This can make it a little more difficult for private practice managers and owners who want to set up a network for referrals for their clinics. The reviews and recommendations must be genuine, but you might not be able to get people to offer them just by asking. People are busy, forgetful, and they’ve got a lot on their minds. Even if they have a great experience, they could easily forget to leave a review because they are distracted by life.
The good news is that when you utilize technology, you can engage with people in more interactive ways and find more natural avenues to get referrals. Social media marketing, for one example, is a great way to get people talking about your private practice. You can also use Google reviews to bolster your referral network, as well as professional healthcare forums and networks where you can drum up business for your practice.
Where Does ClinicMind Software Come In?
ClinicMind offers a total practice management solution that is going to change the way that you handle day-to-day operations. The ClinicMind platform offers a comprehensive EHR/RCM system with tools for easy documentation, compliance, and billing, including insurance coding resources and claims compliance tools. You can integrate scheduling, billing, charting, and patient referrals all in one place, and even coordinate with payors through their credentialing services. This kind of streamlined operation will get people talking.
Conclusion
It pays to know people and in the business of private practice, it pays in folds. People like referrals and recommendations for their healthcare needs. That’s where having a strong referral network can benefit your private practice. ClinicMind can streamline the information exchange and patient management process, handling the day-to-day tasks so you can focus on those patients and continue growing your referral network. Contact them now to find out more.
