Chiropractic Marketing: 6 Ways How to Get Referrals from Doctors

Highlights

• When you know how to get referrals from doctors, it helps you gain new patients and grow your chiropractic practice.
• Get more MD referrals through building a contact list, sending case notes, and following up with primary care and specialist doctors.
• Switch to ChiroTouch to streamline your workflow and create case note reports to share with MDs.

Getting referrals from doctors is an effective chiropractic marketing technique you can use to bring new patients into your chiropractic practice.

How to Get a Doctor Referral

Learn how to boost your patient numbers by implementing these six ways to get more referrals from MDs and discover how a fully integrated chiropractic EHR system like ChiroTouch can support your marketing efforts.

1. Create a Target List

Building a targeted list of doctors is your first step toward MD referrals. A target list allows you to compile a master list of practitioners in your area based on size, area of practice, and location. You can use this master list to build a referral network for your chiropractic practice.

Consider the following when building up your targeted list of MDs.

Size of Your Target List

Aim to create a master list with between 50 and 75 doctors. Not every MD you reach out to will be a good fit for your practice. Keeping at least 50 providers on your contact list provides you with a good number of opportunities to connect with someone and start getting referrals.

Where to Find Providers

The number one place to find providers for your list is through your patients. On your intake forms, include a space for them to write their primary care physician and any specialists they are seeing. Also, have a consent box that allows you to share their information with this provider.

You can also find MDs by conducting searches on sites like WebMD, ZocDoc, or typing your zip code and type of doctor on Google.

Who to Include On Your Target List

Try to create a list that is made up of 75% primary care doctors and 25% specialists. When including specialists, target those who specialize in areas relevant to your ideal patient type.When building your list, also consider the size and location of the practice. Choose smaller practices, as they typically have more leeway when referring patients. Pick offices close to your practice, as proximity encourages more referrals.

2. Send Case Notes

Once you compile your target list, take the first step toward building a referral relationship. You can achieve this by speaking a common language with the MDs you contact. This includes sending case notes and providing the MD with an introductory letter.

Introductory Letter

Although you can initiate contact with MDs through case notes, sending an introductory letter early is a good idea. Craft a simple, one-page letter that includes a short blurb about who you are and what your practice does, your intentions, and how you will follow up.

Case Notes

Case notes are the most significant factor in gaining MD referrals. They demonstrate to the MD that your chiropractic care is effective for the patient and creates a circle of care that includes all forms of treatment that the patient is receiving.

Effective case notes contain four concisely written elements:

• Date of service
• Patient name
• Diagnosis
• Treatment

Ensure your case notes contain these four elements and that the format is short and easily readable.

Consider sending patient notes regarding their initial evaluation and reevaluation and upon discharge from active care.

3. Determine Relevance and Value

As you develop your relationship with the MDs on your target list, take some time to determine the relevance your chiropractic services have to their medical care and what value you can bring to your partnership.

By focusing on the provider’s needs, you can better understand how to communicate and share information in a way that makes them see the value in referring patients to you.

Ask yourself the following questions before preparing to meet with an MD:

• What is this MD’s specialty, and how do my chiropractic services fit in?
• What types of treatments does the MD offer? How can my approach augment this treatment plan?
• Does this MD have any restrictions on referring patients?
• What is the MD’s opinion on chiropractic medicine?
• What will the MD gain by referring patients to my practice?

4. Share Chiropractic Research

To further cultivate value with doctors on your targeted list, contact them monthly with research reports about chiropractic medicine. By sharing peer-reviewed chiropractic research, you demonstrate why chiropractic care is beneficial to their patients and associate your practice with actionable, trustworthy information.

Create a monthly at-a-glance report based on one peer-reviewed chiropractic study to share with the MDs on your list. Include a summary, quotes, practical takeaways, and a citation in your document.

To find studies, perform a Google search for scholarly studies or sign up for a free account with PubMed, where you can find reports that contain a desired keyword phrase or topic.

5. Meet MDs With Confidence

At some point during your contract, you’ll want to set up a meeting with some of the MDs on your list. Meeting face to face or through virtual meeting tools helps develop trust and rapport with the provider. It also makes it more likely they’ll refer patients to your practice.

Set Up the Meeting

Have a staff member reach out to their office to set up a meeting. Consider offering to take the MD out to lunch or have food delivered to their practice to make a good impression.

Prepare for the Meeting

Once the meeting is set up, prepare by collecting a professional information package that contains helpful material about your chiropractic business.

This packet can include:

• An introduction letter
• Business cards
• Brochures about your practice
• Promotional items

Conduct the Meeting

During the meeting with the provider, use the Socratic method to learn about their practice and how you can make things easier for them. This means asking questions rather than talking at them. Ask questions focused on their practice rather than giving them information about yours.Consider asking questions such as, “Are you currently seeing many patients with spine complaints?,” “What are you seeing more of?,” and “What is your current treatment protocol?” to get the ball rolling.

6. Follow Up Consistently

As with any great marketing technique, follow-up and consistency are key. If you make contact with a provider, take the time to send a thank-you note for the meeting and also to their staff.

Follow through with sending case notes and chiropractic research monthly, and check back in with providers you could not meet with every few months.

How ChiroTouch Can Support Your Chiropractic Marketing to Medical Doctors

As you implement your MD referral plan, it’s important to maintain your practice’s high level of professionalism and efficiency. To free up the time you and your staff need to develop MD relationships and gain referrals, you need an EHR system that streamlines your administrative workflow and simplifies documentation.

ChiroTouch offers you benefits like online scheduling, seamless insurance management, integrated payment processing, built-in templates, SOAP notes in seconds, and actionable reports and insights that allow you to spend more time on marketing and growing your business.

Learn why ChiroTouch is the most-referred chiropractic EHR software on the market.