When working for a regional health system, I often heard physicians say, “I’ve sent patients to Dr. Smith at your facility from time to time, but we’ve never met . . . ”

The alarms sound, the opportunity is staring you in the face. As a hospital representative, this is your chance to connect these physicians. However, laying some groundwork on the front-end can be the difference between just getting acquainted and facilitating a meeting that provides value for both physicians, and your organization.

What are your expectations—the best possible outcome- from a meeting to connect the two physicians? Do you want the meeting to continue getting referrals or is it an intentional opening to gain additional referrals? If you’re interested in expanding your referrals, take the time to make sure you’ve done your part to facilitate that result.

The representative needs to ask good questions to understand the physician’s practice and patient demographics

• “Dr. Doe, tell me about the type of patients you referred to Dr. Smith in the past…”
• “When you choose to refer patients, do you usually call the specialist and talk through your findings prior to sending?”
• “Beyond this specific diagnosis, I know Dr. Smith is recognized for his work in total joint replacement. Would it be ok if I suggested he come prepared to discuss that area as well?”

Create an environment that facilitates good dialogue.

• Know the specialist’s style. Determine if they’d do better with a group presentation or a relaxed discussion in the referring physician’s office.
• If your physician is fuzzy on the details of the regional environment, take the time to prep him or her.
• Prepare a one-page summary for the specialist based on the questions you asked, and ask that they review it before the meeting.
• Take the initiative to attend with the specialist, if necessary. Special situations include the new or shy specialist or the potential loose-cannon physician.

Follow up.

• Help reassure your specialist. These sessions are sometimes uncomfortable for them, so make certain they know they did the right thing.
• Make certain the physician found the meeting helpful, and encourage a process to send new business your way.
• Prepare dialogue that affords you the chance to essentially close the deal: “Was the information Dr. Smith provided helpful?” Assuming yes, “Why don’t I speak with Mary your scheduler, so she has all the details for purposes of sending referrals his way?” Remember, it’s your job to make certain there’s planned action as part of the process.
• Measure new referrals that can be attributed to the visit. Ask the specialist if you can work with their office manager to get this detail. And be sure to track and trend any new admissions to the hospital.

Beyond face-to-face opportunities, there are many venues for getting physician-to-physician connections, including education events, social events, grand rounds, and invitations to observe surgeries on their patients. Make your own list—and get creative. To grow your referral base, these kinds of connections are essential.

Kriss Barlow, RN, MBA, is a senior consultant with Corporate Health Group, a national healthcare consulting firm, and is based in Wisconsin. For additional information, please call 715-381-1171 or contact us via the Web.

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