Though it may sound oversimplified, when you make the decision to increase new patient visits by physician referrals, you will find that opportunities present themselves readily.  Many doctors assume that their peers are thriving and do not need referrals, so you need to relieve them of this misperception. Once you adopt the right mindset, you will notice numerous opportunities in your conversations with other physicians to mention your desire for new patients. 

How you go about spreading the word to your fellow physicians depends on how active you are in participating in social and professional gatherings with your peers.  If you frequently attend social functions with other physicians, you probably won’t need to do much else other than take advantage of the opportunities that are already available to you. 

If you are not as actively involved with your peers, you may have to stretch your comfort zone a bit.  The best way to do this is to simply begin by interacting more with other physicians in your building or facility whom you do not know very well.  Making conversations in the elevator is a basic example of how to do this. Just start, and opportunities will present themselves.

The best way to broach the topic is to approach referrals from the other direction.  A great method is to seek first to provide referrals to other physicians.  Ask questions of your peers to understand their specialty and what constitutes an ideal patient for them, and make it clear that you are ready, willing, and able to send referrals their way, and let them know that you will do so when the opportunity arises. 

Your peers will often then turn around and ask you the same questions so they are best prepared to send you referrals.  Don’t be shy about letting them know you are trying to build your practice and use the word “appreciate” when you mention the idea of referrals.

There are two other things you should keep in mind.  First, do not take your physician referrals for granted. If someone has been consistently sending you referrals, schedule some time to send them a thank you note, or take them to lunch or treat to a round of golf, or something similar.  Let them know you appreciate the referrals and let them know how helpful it has been to you.  And of course, return the favor whenever you can. The more generous you are with referrals, the more you will receive. 

Conversely, if you are consistently sending someone referrals, and they are not returning the favor, don’t be afraid to start sending those referrals to another physician who will return the favor.  Your referrals are valuable, like cash gifts, and you are under no obligation to give out referrals to someone who doesn’t understand their value or appreciate them.

Keep Your Practice Website Vital

When it comes to getting new patients and increasing revenues, most doctors don’t think of their website as an important tool. In fact, many doctors don’t bother with a website at all, and the ones that do commonly put up a “generic site” that doesn’t contribute at all to the bottom line health of the medical practice as a business. I have found that this is based on some misconceptions about the role and function of the Internet when it comes to providing medical services.

Here’s why:Websites play several very important roles in your practice. At the most mundane end of the spectrum, a website provides patients or potential patients with your critical contact information, hours, directions, maps, etc. This is convenient for the patient, and helps reduce the number of repetitive calls that come in to your front desk or receptionist.

More importantly, a website can help offload many of the common tasks that your staff performs