Don't do what they hate. There's probably no end to the list of possible mistakes, but here's our list of hot buttons that we know from experience will quickly kill a referral pipeline. In random order, here are things that primary care physicians, or referring practices, especially hate (and what you can do to avoid the problem):
- Having the impression that you are stealing their patient. (The key word is impression.) Simple neglect, oversight or unintentional error or omission can create the feeling that their generous referral has cost them a patient. So always send the patient back–with some deliberate process steps and a bit of ceremony if necessary for notice–to the referring physician.
- Failing to keep the primary care physician informed. Let the referring practice or business know that the patient has been scheduled, that you appreciate the referral and that you will continue to communicate about what follows. Let them know often with regular progress reports.
- Not seeing referred patients promptly. Referring physicians hate to have their patients' care delayed because the patient can't get in to see you in a timely way. Make a special effort to accommodate the referred patient as soon as possible. And let the referring practice know what transpires.
- Telling the patient that the primary care diagnosis was wrong. Nobody likes to be wrong, especially doctors. And absolutely nobody likes to be told they were wrong. If your specialist treatment plan is different from what the patient or PCP may be expecting, find a smooth-as-silk way to communicate this to both.
- Talking down to the primary care physician (or sounding like it). This is almost as bad as telling them they were wrong. A general practitioner may not know your specialty as well as you do, so take care to communicate peer-to-peer, as colleagues in the care of the patient.
- Referring the patient on to another specialist without consulting the original referring physician. When the best course for the patient is to see a different or second specialist or sub-specialist, consult the primary doc. This courtesy is respectful, avoids the "stolen patient" impression, and covers the "keep them informed" mandate. Good diplomacy has many benefits.
- Being unavailable when treatment is unsuccessful. The specialist who quietly fades away without recommendations on a next course of treatment leaves a bad impression and bolts the door on future recommendations.
- Refusing to take a "lesser" case after taking many good-paying cases. Enough said.
By the way, there's no fanfare when people stop referring. You will not get a telegram or fireworks ending a referral relationship. They just quietly stop referring. You may not even know what happened (or failed to happen). And worse, if a practice stops referring, they probably will NOT tell you, but they may tell their friends. Your reputation is damaged and you may quietly lose other referral sources.
It is difficult to fix a referral relationship gone sour. Even when the cause was unintentional or an oversight, or a simple error–once stopped, referral channels are likely stopped forever. It is difficult to build the bridge of trust–and once lost, probably impossible to repair.
For more enquiries, please email us at sales@medicalamrketing.com.hk or call us at 852-25801059 in office hour HKT 10:00 to 14:00 / 15:00-19:00.
Hire us! Why? Because we have …
1. Solid experience in management of medical-related projects.
2. Ability to collaborate and work well medical professionals.
3. Good understanding of usability, conversion funnels, web analytics, web design, and information architecture design.
4. Good understanding of technical requirements of organic search
5. Good medical writing skills and HTML skills
6. Similar approach and philosophy about organic search as yours.
7. Familiarize with Google’s webmaster guidelines.
If you have interest on the web marketing in Asia, you are also recommended to visit www.asia-web-marketing.com as well.
