“I want more referrals but don’t have a physician liaison.”

This is a topic that comes up a lot.

Even if you don’t have a physician liaison, there are several things you can do to foster relationships and boost referrals.

Here are 8 simple steps to grow referral volume in the next year (with or without a physician liaison):

Start with what you know.

Who are the doctors you already know or are currently sending patients? They know you. They like you. Chances are, they have more patients that are looking for the care you provide. Reach out to them or pay them a visit. (learn more about successful office visits here) Find out what their needs are and how working with your practice can help meet those needs.

Communicate. Communicate. Communicate

You’ve heard it said before, communication is key. The number one request from referring doctors after clinical skill is communication. Let referring physicians know how their patient is doing and when they can expect to see them back. Very few practices do this well. Master this and get more referrals.

Develop a referral process.

Referral leakage. It’s a problem. Without a good process or follow up plan in place, referrals will continue to slip through the cracks. 

Here are some questions to consider when creating your referral process:

• How does a referral come in?
• Where does the referral go when it’s received?
• Who is responsible for getting the patient scheduled?
• How quickly is the patient contacted?
• What is communicated back to the referring doctor?

If at first you don’t succeed, try again.

How many practices miss out on the opportunity to care for patients because they contact the patient one time and then forget it? This happens more often than most people care to admit.

If you’re unable to reach a patient on the first try, follow up and try again. And again. And again.

Reach out right away.

True story… One time I was referred to a specialist and it took them a month to call me. By that time, I had long moved on to another provider. 

Contact the patient within 24 hours before they have time to go someplace else. 

Measure what you treasure.

If you’re not tracking your referrals, you’re missing out on patients without even realizing it.

Use a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to keep track of your referrals and the status of each patient. If you don’t have a CRM, there’s no time like the present to invest in one (that’s an entire article itself so more on that another time). 

Even if you don’t have a CRM, start with a simple spreadsheet if you have to. Anything is better than nothing. 

Return the patient.

The fastest way to lose a referral source is to steal their patient. All too often, patients are absorbed into the specialist practice and never returned to their primary care doctor. Let referring offices know when their patient will be returning and never, ever steal their patient.

Say thank you.

It is a privilege to care for another physician’s patient. When a new doctor refers a patient, pick up the phone and thank them. Let them know you are available to answer any questions they have and how honored you are to see their patient.

Follow these simple steps and you’ll be well on your way to a busier practice in no time!