Say thank you. It sounds so simple, but demonstrating your appreciation for referrals from other medical providers goes a long way. It has been said that if you demonstrate your appreciation the right way on the first physician referral, the referring doctor is 5x more like to refer to you again.
Thank you for the business.
Thank you for the feedback.
Thank for you for the referral.
When a physician refers to you, they want to feel confident that the patient they referred is in good hands and that the referral was appreciated. NOT thanking the referring physician is the quickest way to cut off referrals.
The best way to say thank you is face-to-face. If that’s not possible, consider utilizing a physician liaison to go to the referring physician’s office and thank them on your behalf. Follow this up with a personal phone call and accompany the visit and the phone call with a handwritten note. An idea to make this process easier to implement – put a stamped envelope on a new patient’s chart as a reminder.
Some ideas for handwritten notes, sent to the referring physician via snail mail:
- Thank you for the referral. We appreciate the confidence you place in our practice.
- We appreciate your referral. Thank you for your trust and confidence.
- Your referrals are our greatest compliment. Thank you for your trust!
- The sincerest compliment that our practice can be given is a referral from another healthcare provider. We appreciate your confidence and assure you that your patient will be treated with the same skill, care and judgment they receive in your office. Thank you.
In closing, let’s break down the cost of saying “thank you” in order to increase patient pipeline cultivation and retention.
- A phone call to the referring physician to let them know about your meeting with their patient: a couple of cents
- A handwritten thank you note thanking them for their referral and for the trust and confidence they have placed in you and your medical practice: $3
- An endless referral source: PRICELESS
Remember, one of the main pillars of a successful medical practice is to obtain and maintain physician referrals. It is crucial to let your referral sources know that they are appreciated!
THANK YOU!
