A Kaiser Family Foundation study found that visits by private insurance patients decreased 17 percent from 2009 to 2010, while the number insured only decreased 2 percent. Specialists may have experienced a sharper decline, notes Physicians Practice, since the study did not separate primary care and specialists. This means that for specialists, referrals are more precious than before. So how can your practice obtain new referrals and maintain existing referrals? The keys to maintaining referrals are patient satisfaction, a consistent experience, ease of referring, and follow-up.
Patients may vocalize their experience with your practice, good or bad, when they return to their primary care provider. This influences willingness to refer future patients. One way to ensure that staff is providing good service is to “mystery shop” the practice by having a friend call the scheduler, billing department, etc. to objectively rate their experience and provide feedback. When Physicians Practice surveyed primary care providers on what motivated their referrals, consistency of service was mentioned. The practice needs to have a patient focused culture to ensure that the same excellent service is delivered evenly.
One of the common barriers to consistently positive patient experiences happens when staff members have to perform both front office functions where they interact with patients and back office billing functions. If billing and collections calls or activities interfere with the staff’s ability to be responsive to patients calling, referring physicians calling, or patients in the office, it may be time to outsource these distractions and refocus on your principal business of direct patient care and service. Many practices struggle with staff turnover, hiring, and training, so outsourced billing companies can often provide a more consistent experience, as well as handle patient calls during extended hours, freeing in-office staff to focus on the patients in the office and getting ready for patients coming in the following day.
The easier it is to refer to the practice, the more likely it is that the practice will receive referrals. Technology, such as referral portals, can increase volume by making it easy for the referring physicians’ staff to send patients. Are your referring physicians and their staff aware of the tools your practice has in place? Checking in with staff at referring practices and offering to show them easy ways to refer patients can increase volume.
Good follow up practices include making a point to send a consultation report back quickly (ideally in 3 days or less) and thanking the referring provider or staff for their referrals. It’s also a good idea to periodically follow up by asking referral sources for feedback on how the practice is doing and how it can improve. Part of follow up also includes ensuring that referring providers know about any new services which can help their patients.
Research suggests that many practices receive 20 to 40 percent of their patients from primary care doctors, so it is worth periodically checking patient satisfaction and service consistency, investigating referral technology, and periodically soliciting feedback from referring providers.
