Getting MD Referrals

US Chiropractic Directory

"Preferred Listing Consulting"
 

　From the Desk of Mark Studin DC, FASBE(C), DAAPM, DAAMLP

 

"Getting MD Referrals"

This practice step is a long term project as it takes time to build relationships and to gain the trust of the medical professionals in your area. The steps are easy and will not involve too much of your time on a daily or weekly basis. If you begin with your next new patient or the new ones that came in over the last few weeks, you will start to build the foundation of a whole new referral source for years to come.

You may be asking yourself, "Why do I want to get involved with the medical community in my area?" My answer to that question is, "The medical community sees and takes care of more than 90% of the population while we, as chiropractors, see about 5%." They see the patients and we need to become part of their referral base. The time is ripe because managed care requires communication between all providers. MD’s do not like to treat musculoskeletal problems such as neck and back pain and they will refer out to the local physical therapist or orthopedist. Why not make yourself and your office another option?

Think about this: If you, as a medical professional, were the recipient of a consistent and professional effort by a local DC, would that change your opinion of the DC and the chiropractic profession in general? This is about your generating consistent and professional initial reports, interim reports, and discharge summaries. How do you think a patient’s MD would respond to the following: "I was thinking of consulting a chiropractor. What do you think?" With this program in place, your name will be the one that pops up.

You need 3 things to make this program work:

1. Work. Your desire to work and the persistence to keep at it. It will take energy on your part and consistent education of the medical doctor. We have created an educational program for you that will be discussed later

2. Knowledge. What type of information is the MD interested in and how do you deliver it to them in a professional manner?

3. Long term planning. Most MD’s already have preconceived (correct or not) ideas about chiropractic and what it does. It will take time to give them a steady flow of professional information to build these relationships.

4. A professional, admissible CV. Yours should have already been built on this site to make sure that it is reflective of your outstanding credentials.

To begin, add a space on your intake forms for the names and addresses of the patients’ primary care doctors. On your consultation, ask the question, "Is it okay for us to forward a report of our findings to your family doctor?" If the answer is yes, then the following reports should be part of your communication with that MD: 1) Initial "narrative" report that must be typed similar to all other specialists; 2) interim reports; 3) discharge summary.

　

Initial "Narrative" Report:

- Medical professionals expect a report once a referral is made, no different than any other specialist they work with.

- It doesn’t have to be lengthy and overly detailed, but it must be complete.

- It should take no longer than 3-4 minutes to read and must have a conclusion outlining the problems.

1. Introduction- "Your patient consulted me today..." or "Thank you for referring ________ ..."

2. History

3. Examination findings - Positive findings only

4. Standing orders or suggestions for further testing

5. Assessment - Clearly state your diagnostic impression as per ICD-9 nomenclature.

6. Treatment plan - Include all modalities, therapies, frequencies, and when your next re-evaluation will be (no longer than 4 weeks). Refer back to the MD when appropriate

Get this report out within 3 days of the initial visit. Do not try to get the report out…Get it out!

 

Interim Report:

This report is very important in order to keep the referral system moving. Write this in narrative style also. Show and report all improvements and include any new diagnostic test results or orders.
 

Discharge Summary:

 

This is a very important aspect to help establish trust and credibility. This is only a discharge that relates to the injury or condition for which the patient was referred to you. No matter your practice philosophy, you still have a duty and an obligation to educate your patient about the benefits of a lifetime of health and wellness and how you, as a chiropractor, can help.

If you follow this plan, it will show the MD that this is not about your trying to take over the control and care of his/her patient, but rather that you want to co-manage the care of the patient with the MD. You will have the appearance of being a part of the overall medical community in caring for patients.

If you do your job properly and your education process is in place, then the patients will develop the confidence in you and your office and begin to refer others to you. It will also give the MD confidence in you and your ability.

This consultation is only the very beginning, as there are numerous other strategies that are working nationally. If getting a high level of MD referrals is your goal, then go to www.teachchiros.com and on the left toolbar click "Build a Huge MD Referral Practice." Once on that page, listen to the brief audio that will further educate you and give you the opportunity you work with specialists who have consistently gotten 4-5 referrals per week in offices from coast-to-coast. If you want someone to chat with, call Dr. Bill Owens at 716-228-3847. It will be worth your time.