The Referral Goldmine: Building Relationships with Other Healthcare Providers
Declining reimbursements and rising administrative burdens are leading many providers to rethink traditional growth strategies. An underutilized approach to growth is building a strong referral network. These relationships help to enhance patient care and open the door to a sustainable and cost-effective pipeline for new patients.
To build a network it is essential to be strategic, have mutual respect for referring physicians, and consistently deliver value. It’s not just about increasing patient volume, rather it’s creating an experience and providing a patient-centered approach to healthcare. You may be thinking, “I’m not a salesperson and I don’t want to feel like one.” So, how can you build authentic connections? A steady stream of high-quality patient referrals can come from relationship building, a streamlined referral process, and ongoing communication with your provider network. One of your goals should be to position your practice as a trusted leader within your field of expertise.
Let’s take a deeper dive to further explore the referral goldmine and how you can access it to grow your practice.
Referrals Still Matter
Data and numbers don’t lie. More than 30% of patients are referred to a specialist each year, highlighting just how important referrals are for patient acquisition.
Normally, referred patients:
Are more likely to actually book and show up for appointments
Have insurance and cases that are a better fit for your practice
Trust you more and feel happier with their experience
Are more likely to stick to recommended care plans
In healthcare today, many patients are skeptical and will often seek second opinions. A huge advantage for physicians, particularly specialists, is that referred patients already have a sense of trust in the system and believe they will receive good care. That trust in healthcare is priceless.
It’s important to remember that you can’t just snap your fingers and instantly have a referral system. Relationship building is a process and most successful doctors make it a priority.
How Strategic Partnerships are Built
Referrals are not a way-on street and neither are effective partnerships. You can’t just sit and wonder, “Who can send me patients?”.
As a physician, you need to be proactive and begin by asking yourself these simple questions:
Who are the doctors or specialists my patients usually see before they end up in my office?
Which specialties naturally work well with mine?
What providers share my approach to patient care?
Even if you rarely find yourself on the referring side and sending patients out, it’s important to recognize whom you may be able to work with.
For example, a neurologist may benefit from strong relationships with endocrinologists (for diabetes-related neuropathy), primary care physicians, and even mental health professionals.
It’s important to remember that not all referrals are the same. To maximize the value of your referral network, focus on connecting with healthcare providers whose patients are the best fit for your services.
Think of yourself as a relationship builder, someone who’s actively looking for high-potential providers you can team up with for better patient care.
Effective Relationship Building
It’s difficult to build relationships through emails and direct mail alone, instead put your face to your name. In addition to electronic and traditional mail delivery:
Meet with other providers to collaborate in-person (invite fellow providers to your office)
Attend local network events
Seek out mutual providers and ask for introductions
Don’t Be Afraid to Educate
Because providers may not fully recognize what you do or how you can help their patients, it’s important to educate them on your services.
To get started, you can:
Provide professionally designed informational brochures and one-page summaries that clearly highlight the unique benefits of your services.
Host interactive lunch-and-learn sessions at your practice to explain your expertise and how your office can help support their patients.
Offer real-world case studies highlighting successful patient outcomes achieved as a direct result from your care.
Demonstrate the Unique Value You Provide to Potential Patients
Referring providers want the best for their patients. To build confidence in your practice, emphasize how your services are designed with the patient in mind, specifically to deliver the highest care quality, minimize complications, and improve overall patient outcomes.
Keep the Process Simple
A complicated referral process will keep you from building relationships and receiving quality referrals. It’s vital to make the entire process as easy as possible in order to build stronger partnerships with referring providers and ensure patients receive quality care. Simply create clear instructions for referring offices offering multiple referral options, including phone, email, and electronic medical record (EMR) integration, to accommodate different referral preferences. Communication is also key. It’s important to send prompt confirmations upon referral receipt in order to keep providers in-the-loop when it comes to patient care.
Additionally, leveraging technology can help you to develop a HIPAA-compliant online referral utilizing EHR, while offering telehealth consultations enables you to make patient access even easier.
If you want consistent referrals, you must be referrable. You need to build trust, have open lines of communication, offer feedback, demonstrate availability and access, and continue to offer quality care.
Express Gratitude
Expressing gratitude to referring providers is a simple yet powerful way to strengthen professional relationships. It helps encourage ongoing collaboration.
To demonstrate your appreciation, send a personalized note or email acknowledging their trust in you. If granted the opportunity, publicly recognize the provider in a newsletter or forum. Acknowledgement makes the provider feel valued, but also helps to further boost your practice and continually fill your patient pipeline.
A Strong Referral Base Can Lead to a Thriving Practice
Referrals continue to be one of the most reliable sources of new patients for physicians. For providers, it shouldn’t merely be about increasing patient volume, but rather creating professional relationships and leading with a patient-centered approach to care.
Success begins by identifying natural partners within your medical community and making it as easy as possible for them to work with you. By streamlining the referral process and maintaining ongoing communication, you can help to ensure a steady stream of high-quality patient referrals.
Strong professional relationships are a key factor that determines whether your patient pipeline grows and your practice thrives. A healthy referral network leads to enhanced patient care, but to get there, it’s important to continually invest the time to build relationships that will position your practice as a trusted leader.
