One of the first things we do with our new clients is sit down with them and get a good feel for who they are as a practice – culture, providers, staff, unique attributes and what makes them special and the best choice for referrers and patients. The better we get to know a practice, the better we’ll be able to represent and promote them in their community to their referral sources, potential referral sources and potential patients. The medical industry is more competitive than ever, so we want to help set them apart from their competition when speaking to and building rapport with referring medical providers. Our clients’ practice success is our priority and we feel that our team working with their team has the opportunity to reap great rewards.
Referral marketing involves collaboration with the entire client practice staff and providers. The role of the Physician Liaison is to be out meeting with referral sources in the community, building brand awareness and trust. Since they are not physically in the client office very often, they need to collaborate with the client office staff and develop a protocol for incoming messages related to referral marketing. It is important they meet with the staff and get familiar with the entire practice because referral sources may have questions or concerns that involve various aspects of the practice and multiple staff members. Without the ability of the Physician Liaison to collaborate with client employees, referral marketing efforts could fall short due to the inability to respond to referral sources’ questions and concerns. The Physician Liaison should be considered part of the team and should be able to communicate effectively and efficiently with client providers and staff.
As a Physician Liaison initiates and cultivates referral relationships in the community, it is important to remember that everyone in the office is responsible for what the patients and referrers experience. The physician and the practice are in the spotlight, but influence occurs at each of the patient touch points. Every member of the team – from Physician Liaisons to front office staff to nurses to the physicians themselves – is vital to success.
Our most successful referral marketing campaigns have happened where the Physician Liaison works as a team with our MedLaunch leaders and the staff in our client’s practice. Our client’s practice success is our success and we hope our clients think of us as beneficial part of their team!
GO TEAM!
