Whether you are a new physician, starting a new practice or a seasoned provider looking to augment your patient base, developing and sustaining relationships is an art form that can only help you. Just like any relationship, you have to spend time and effort and there is no quick formula.

So where should you start?

The Hospital

Seems like it would be a “no-brainer” for the call center and marketing department at your affiliated hospitals to be disseminating your information but this is sometimes an overlooked area. Think about that call center operator and imagine how much more enthusiasm they might provide a newcomer to the area if they have actually met you – the physician? Taking the time to introduce yourself to call center personnel and the individuals in the marketing departments helps them put a real face on their work and also lets them know you respect and appreciate the work that they do. Along these same lines, make sure that the individual charged with the hospital’s website has your information. Ask them if they engage in any social media platforms like Twitter and find out what kind of information they like to have from medical staff members. And, of course, make sure that the public relations teams has a good sense of your services and find out if they have a speakers’ bureau they promote to local organizations. Can you and your service be one of the topic areas of interest?

Practice Partners or Former Colleague

If you are taking over a practice for a retiring physician, make sure there is a hand off between the former provider and you. Letters mailed to all existing patients about the practice changes help prevent leakage and provide you with a solid and respected introduction into the community. This communication process also works well if you are joining a practice. Your new colleagues can send a letter to their existing patients about the new provider/new specialty.

The Medical Community

Go beyond simply providing an announcement to the members of the medical community and get personal. Face to face introductions make a huge impression. Take the time to arrange introductions. Consider who will be most likely to refer to you and get out to meet those individuals on their turf – their offices. You can also introduce yourself to office personnel for in most cases, they will handle the mechanics of the referral and it helps them to really know who you are.

Ask the medical staff leadership to introduce you or call or drop by on your own. And of course, make sure you do send out those announcements to all potential referrers and to any non-physician referring sources as well. To reinforce your presence, send out the announcements first and follow-up with the face to face contact. And then, send out a letter to those contacts thanking them for their time and reiterate the services you offer. This in an ideal time to include a rolodex card with your contact information. In a short period of time, you provide three “touch” points and demonstrate your communication abilities.

Outreach Tasks

You have covered the basics – hospital promotion centers and the medical community. But don’t stop there! In order to develop relationships, you have to be out in front of people. Help them get to know you by some of the following actions:

· Offer an Open House in your new office for referral sources.

· Offer an Open House with a health twist for the community – free screening or healthy check-list.

· Participate in CME lectures.

· Partner with a fitness center or health spa and provide a service screening.

The Real Basics – Don’t Overlook

Once you start getting referrals from providers, make sure you are worthy. Worthy? This goes beyond provide good care for these patients. You need to make sure you provide easy and convenient access for your referral sources. If they need to talk to you, make it easy for them to do so. Instruct your office staff to be warm, friendly and HELPFUL. One unpleasant conversation with you or a staff member can turn a referral source into a non-source and they won’t come back.

Close the loop once the patient has been seen. This is an easy quid pro quo (this for that) that must be done. If a referring provider sends you a patient, be sure to call them/email them/fax them and tell them what happened with THEIR patient. Make sure they are the first to hear the news. Make them feel like a partner in the care and tending of THEIR patient.