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DENTIST -PERIODONTISTManaging the referral relationship
DENTIST -PERIODONTISTYour Question: How do I get GP’s to send me
patients??
DENTIST -PERIODONTIST
1. Join the Military: The military dentists have to send to you.
2. Practice in corporate dentistry:
The Drs in the corp have to send to you.
3. Join Insurance Networks: some patients will come
because your are “In Network.”
4. Work the Referral Process.
5. Market directly to consumers.
HOW DO I GET REFERRALS??
THE BEGINNING
Whether Start Up, Buy a Practice or Associate you must:
Get your paperwork in order
FORMS AND LETTERS- REFERRAL SLIP
THE BEGINNING
Whether Start Up, Buy a Practice or Associate you must:
Meet the Referring Doctor
THE BEGINNING
FROM DENTALTOWN:
“Go meet them in person, even if its just stopping by the office to
introduce yourself or to leave a card. We have a new perio in the
area. He came by and I met him personally (never met the others in the
area) and now he'll get every perio referral from me. He's spent a lot of
time going to offices, meetings after work, going to bars, etc... and picked up a lot of referrals that way. Same goes for ortho... I've only met
the docs at one office and they get all my referrals.” And……
“Definitely stop by yourself, and ask if the GP wants to do lunch. I'm
always amazed when specialists send referral pads and don't take the
time to introduce themselves. We pitch'em straight in the trash.”
THE BEGINNING
Whether Start Up, Buy a Practice or Associate you must:
Meet the Referring Doctor
2 Methods:
Just Show up- unannounced
Call to make appointment
Best times- 15 min before day starts or lunch hr or afternoon
THE BEGINNING
Whether Start Up, Buying a Practice or Associate you must:
Meet the Referring Doctor
What do you talk about?
Introduce yourself, summarize your training.
Firm handshake and lots of eye contact.
Always bring a “goody” for their office.
Let them know you are here to serve their practice and patients.
THE BEGINNING
Whether Start Up, Buying a Practice or Associate you must:
Meet the Referring Doctor
What do you talk about?
Ask them where they trained. How long have they been in that
location
Ask them about their prior experiences working with periodontists
(SHUT UP AND LISTEN).
Give them your cell # in case they need you for any perio
emergencies or to get a patient scheduled in a hurry. Write it on the
back of your business card.
Ask them for referrals in closing.
THE 4 REFERRAL METHODS
1. Single Doctor
THE 4 REFERRAL METHODS
1. Single Doctor
2. Two or Three
THE 4 REFERRAL METHODS
1. Single Doctor
2. Two or Three
3. Full list
THE 4 REFERRAL METHODS
1. Single Doctor
2. Two or Three
3. Full list
4. No Name
THE 4 REFERRAL METHODS
1. Single Doctor
2. Two or Three
3. Full list
4. No Name
COMMUNICATIONS WITH DENTISTS
Forms and Letters
FORMS AND LETTERS- REFERRAL SLIP
FORMS AND LETTERS- REFERRAL SLIP
AL SLIP
FORMS AND LETTERS- REFERRAL SLIP
i referred you so-and-so and he should be calling you
soon. his main concern is X. restoratively, i'm also
planning on doing Y and Z perio is a concern. we
have a recent FMX if you want his fmx i can send that
over. so-and-so is nice, but can be a PIA at first. we
should be able to get through that. look forward to
hearing your thoughts. dr. somebody
FORMS AND LETTERS- REFERRAL SLIP
pt cc is #17 for one week. soft tissue impaction w/
pericoronitis. deep pocket distal of 18 with bone loss.
patient anxious and requests sedation. rx'd
amoxicillin, tylenol 3, peridex and
dispensed syringe. please evaluate and treat as
necessary. refer back for continuing care. thank you.
FORMS AND LETTERS- REFERRAL SLIP
POOR REFERRAL SLIP
what is frustrating is when i get a patient who is a dental or mental disaster that i have no idea is coming and get blindsided....or when the DDS doesn’t have even a rough overall plan in place…. or when the patient has no clue as to why they are in my office.
i like to walk in the initial exam room and already feel like iknow the patient a little bit and have a general sense of what is going on.
In this case your assistant should spend some time taking a history with the patient’s chief complaint.
FORMS AND LETTERS- REFERRAL SLIP
“ # 3 is problem ”
FORMS AND LETTERS- INITIAL CONSULTATION
FORMS AND LETTERS- POST INITIAL PREP
FORMS AND LETTERS- THERAPY COMPLETION
FORMS AND LETTERS- IMPLANT THERAPY
FORMS AND LETTERS- SPT REPORTS
GP TELEPHONE CONTACT
IMHO- at least 1 telephone contact with each
referring GP per month!
Have a basis for your call…like to discuss a particular
patient.
Exchange pleasantries, show genuine interest in their
lives / practice.
Discuss the patient.
End the call by always thanking them for their referrals
GP TELEPHONE CONTACT
IMHO- at least 1 telephone contact with each referring GP per month!
Keep a data file on each practice / ref dr.
Note date of call and any specifics learned about them or their practice. You want to know their staff’s names, dr’s spouses’ name and occupation, dr’s birthday, dr’shobbies, # of children and names
Use this info in future contacts
THIS IS RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT
GP TELEPHONE CONTACT
IMHO- at least 1 telephone contact with each referring GP
per month!
After your 1 call per month, only call if you have a specific
issue to discuss about a patient.
Practice telephone etiquette:
Try to take calls from referring drs if you are not in surgery (sometimes OK, if you are in sx)
NEVER, EVER have your staff call a ref dr, have them get that
dr on the phone, then go and get you on the phone…RUDE!
GP TELEPHONE CONTACT
Inter Office Staff Communication
First name basis.
Call to request records, if needed.
Call to let their practice know patient has finished tx and to
schedule their first apt with GP. Let them know a Tx letter will
be forthcoming.
Call to ask who GP refers patients to for endo, OS, and orthowhen needed.
Call to let them know if there will be any reason patient will
be delayed in returning to GP’s office.
OTHER GP CONTACT
Go to lunch
Study Clubs
Dental Association Meetings
Continuing Education Events
MORE ON THIS IN THE SEGMENT
ON MARKETING
THE WORLD IS CHANGING
2 Issues
IN HOUSE (in GP’s house) Specialists
Jack of all trades GP’s
GP= your team partner or you competitor
THE WORLD IS CHANGING
LOS ANGELES AREA EMAIL TO GENERAL DENTISTS
“My name is Marc. I work with a team of friendly specialists in your
neighborhood looking for additional offices to travel to on a monthly
basis. Specialists which include Periodontists, Oral Surgeons,
Endodontists and Orthodontists. Our Specialists are located within an
hour driving distance of your office. They travel with their own
Surgical instruments, Bone Graft Material, Implants from Nobel
Biocare, Surgical motors, and liability insurance. Our Oral Surgeons
all travel with their own AMUS certified experienced chairside
assistants along with their IV sedation meds. All of our specialists
have graduated from US accredited Speciality programs such as UCLA,
USC, Loma Linda and Harvard.” from AAP message boards (next page)
THE WORLD IS CHANGING
“They all work off an adjustable production basis making it a Win Win
scenario for your patients and your office productions. Insurance
Plans such as Delta will reimburse your office almost twice as much
if not more utilizing the power of a specialists as a rendering
provider under your tax ID. You are most likely throwing away over
100k a year in production being referred out. Isn't it time to
consider bringing in a specialist? The entire Dental Industry is
shifting towards the In House Specialty platform.
Give us a call today for more information.
855-SYNSERG “
THE WORLD IS CHANGING
Message board response:
“The reality is that the climate we live in provides limited options. There was a time when a recent graduate had their
hometown periodontist clamoring for them to join their practice
to take on the overload. At that time the cost to open up a
practice was significantly less. That was a time when educational debt was significantly less. That was also a time when the
general practices wanted to get perio out of the office. That was
before the altruistic practice management community re-
discovered non-surgical periodontal therapy under the soft tissue
management rock. That was a time when performing surgical
procedures was more about patient benefits than insurance
benefits.”
THE WORLD IS CHANGING
Message board response:
This has nothing to do with perio-restorative relationships, perio-
endo challenges, periodontally-assisted orthodontics. It has to do
with money. And it has to do with the decreasing level of care
that patients get. If all goes well, a patient treated in this fashion
will be fine. But if they are only seen for one-month follow-ups,
what happens when complications arise? It is not good for
patient care. But, and I see this all the time, it's not about patient
care anymore. It's about money.
THE WORLD IS CHANGING
What are you going to do about this?
How do you want to practice?
Decide which game you wish to play
THE WORLD IS CHANGING
My Recommendation:
For now, The Referral Route is best in this area.
THE WORLD IS CHANGING
Strengthen your referrals with consistent marketing.
Become their “go to” clinician for the following:
Traditional periodontics.
Periodontitis
mucogingival surgery
Aesthetic and functional crown lengthening
Frenectomy
Assisting your restorative dentist goes a long way in building referrals.
THE WORLD IS CHANGING
Strengthen your referrals with consistent marketing.
Become their “go to” clinician for the following:
Implantology
Site preparation. Extraction and socket graft, sinus grafting,
ridge augmentation.
Immediate implants.
Implant temporization.
Implant maintenance.
Treatment of implant complications.
THE WORLD IS CHANGING
Strengthen your referrals with consistent marketing.
Become their “go to” clinician for the following:
Occlusal therapy.
Splint therapy.
Occlusal adjustment.
TMJ therapy.
THE WORLD IS CHANGING
Strengthen your referrals with consistent marketing.
Become their “go to” clinician for the following:
oral pathology.
Diagnosis
Biopsy- Conventional and immunofluorescent
Medical therapy when indicated
THE WORLD IS CHANGING
My Recommendation:
For now, The Referral Route is best in this area.
Gradually work toward “Periodontist as
“Gatekeeper.
THE WORLD IS CHANGING
Periodontists should be the first choice for patients
needing complex dental treatment plans.
Who knows better than we how to assign a prognosis?
Who knows better than we how to save teeth?
Who knows better than we went a tooth should be
extracted?
Who knows better than we how to preserve a bone in a
socket?
THE WORLD IS CHANGING
The problem is patients don’t know it and
dentists will fight it!
THE WORLD IS CHANGING
You should develop a stealth internal marketing plan
to strategically make your patients think this way.
Develop a practice brochure to give to patients.
THE WORLD IS CHANGING
You should develop a stealth internal marketing plan
to strategically make your patients think this way.
Develop a practice brochure to give to patients.
Give them your business card
Offer a free consultation
THE WORLD IS CHANGING
To sum up this section:
The referral process still works with some GP’s and
for specific procedures.
The more you work on internal marketing directly to
patients, the less vulnerable you will be if the GP’s
choose to stop referring.