1. More people see medical doctors then any other alternative health care professional.
2. People will generally go to their M.D. for their input before undergoing care with an alternative health care professional.
3. Essentially, the ratio of patients visiting chiros vs. M.D's  has remained unchanged.

As such, an easy way to acquire new patients is to gear your marketing to the way the MAJORITY of people think, NOT the way the chiropractic doctor's mind thinks.

In other words, when it comes to health care, people typically function on the medical model of "I have pain/problem, please remove it!"  Therefore, create your marketing such that it talks about symptom relief! NOT about "Wellness Care".

Why?  Because the fact remains that the Wellness market is tiny in comparison to the "I have pain/problem, please remove it!" market.  Thus, you will get more bang for your marketing $$, marketing to symptom relief patients than you would to wellness care patients.

Now here's the "catch"...
Once you've have made these "Symptom-Based" people into your patients, treat their condition.  But in the course of care, educate them about chiropractic and what TRUE health is all about.

HOWEVER... keep in mind,  "Symptom-Based" people/patients have a different mindset than those who are interested in wellness care.

With wellness care patients you can talk all day to them about chiropractic principles, but with "Symptom-Based" patients YOU CAN'T! (of course, there are always exceptions).  

Want proof?  Ever have a Spinal Care Class with these types of people?  lol Trying to get them there is like pulling teeth and you get a lot of sighs in the process.

So, with the "Symptom-Based" patients, your chiropractic education has to be done gradually... and not every day.  

If you shotgun and shove the chiropractic philosophy down their throats, you will only frustrate and anger these patients, and if they don't drop out during care, they most certainly will at the end. 


However, when education is done on a gradual basis, these patients will be more accepting of the chiropractic philosophy and will develop a greater appreciation of it and the end result... a long term maintenance care patient.  That is to say,one that understands what true health is and how to optimize it without blindly taking medication etc.

Now that you have educated and "won" over your "Symptom-Based" patient, how do you get M.D. Referrals?

On the Patient Intake form and during your history taking with your patient, you should get your consult's medical doctor's name and contact information so that you can mail their M.D.'s a report of your examination and proposed treatment plan.

I recommend that you mail it in a #10 white envelope (if you mail the report in any other size, it will likely be perceived as a marketing piece).  

TIP: Hand write, in red at the bottom right corner of the envelope, "Personal - RE: Mutual Patient" (check your local state laws if this can be written - generally, there shouldn't be an issue).

This is done for 3 reasons...

1. Hand Written: does not look like a marketing piece.
2. Red Ink: so that message will get noticed. 
3. "Personal": so that the letter goes straight to the doctor.

After 3 or so days of sending the report (at this point the letter should have be received and hopefully the patient is under your care), follow it up with a phone call...

"Hello, this is Dr. X (don't tell the receptionist that picks up the phone that you are a chiropractor).  I am presently treating a mutual patient of yours and I was wondering if Dr. Y available to talk?"


At this point, the receptionist will pass you on to the doctor.

"Hello Dr. Y, this is Dr. X and I am presently treating Ms. Z as she is a patient at my chiropractic office for her XX condition.  She thinks very highly of you and I just thought that I would touch base with you in regards to what we have done so far and how she is responding to our care, etc., etc.".

At this point, the M.D. will have probably already read your report and is pleased that you called to keep him/her informed.

After informing the M.D. of  your findings etc., end the conversation with "Well, thank you very much for your time and if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call me at any time". DO NOT START TO ASK FOR REFERRALS OR ANYTHING OF THAT NATURE!

As your patient is going through care, send follow up reports to their M.D., but this time include some business cards (or better yet, make a referral pad with your clinic logo on and send a couple sheets).  In the follow up report, at the end you can say something like...

"If you have any patients with XX condition that you think may benefit from our care, please feel free to refer them to our clinic"

(Although it is fine to send this note in the second letter, I would suggest that you send it the last letter when  you have done the final follow up exam with your patient).

THEN... sometime during the course of this patient's care, they are going to visit their doctor to give them an update.  Find out when your patient is going to do this and give them a brochure about chiropractic care so that they can give it to their doctor as they sing your praises. (note: staple on some business cards or prescription sheets).  At this stage, you want to start to inform the M.D. of the true meaning of chiropractic.

LASTLY, make another call to your patient's medical doctor and tell them about the awesome results they got.  At this point, the M.D. will be more receptive to understanding more about chiropractic care.  NOTE:  Just like your symptoms-based patient, do NOT go over board with the chiropractic explanation as you will lose their interest.  Finally, tell them that if they have any patients that they think could benefit from your care, that you will always welcome them and treat them with the respect and skills that they would.

LASTLY, LASTLY... put the M.D.s office on a mailing list and send them letters or postcards reminding them of your office.

GREAT NOTE: When you get one M.D. that refers to you, make sure to use that doctor's name (with his/her permission) on other marketing pieces/letters that you send to M.D.s  When M.D.s see other doctors trusting you with their patients care, they will send more patients too.

So every M.D. that send patients to you, put their name on each marketing piece.  EVEN BETTER... get the referring M.D. to write a one line testimonial that you can use! ~ THIS IS VERY VERY POWERFUL!

Hope this helps!

If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to leave a comment below or email us at contactus@promodocs.com!

Don't miss our next blog where we will be talking about the best way to talk about the cost of care to today's patients!

Yours,
Promodocs!

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