Case History: OB/GYN Ramps Up Referrals and Improves Patient Mix
Obstetrician/gynecologist Jose Aun, MD had been in solo practice for nine years in El Paso, TX, a city on the border with Mexico. The area has a large Hispanic population and while he was seeing no shortage of obstetric patients, he wanted to attract more surgical cases, including hysterectomies and surgeries for incontinence and endometriosis. Dr. Aun had never done any marketing in the past, and was seeing few referrals from primary care practitioners. His practice was heavily weighted with Medicaid patients.
Dr. Aun and his wife Alma engaged Practice Builders in Summer 2008 to develop and implement a multi-faceted marketing plan. The goals were:
- To increase patient volume by 10-15% with both new and existing patients
- To increase the number of surgical cases
- To create a more favorable payor mix
Elements of the campaign that helped deliver on Dr. Aun’s goals included:
Promotional Practice Brochure
A full-color tri-panel brochure that details all the services available and conditions treated in Dr. Aun’s practice, this piece became a cornerstone in both cross-selling services to existing patients and attracting new ones.
Presentation Folders and Resume
The presentation folders included stepped inserts that each addressed a common gynecologic condition that could lead to procedures Dr. Aun wanted to grow within his practice. Combined with the Practice Brochure and a matching professional resume, these became powerful “pass-along” materials that help grow word of mouth referrals and attract new patients.
Posters
Full-color posters were hung in each treatment room. Each one touched on a common gynecologic condition that could lead to procedures Dr. Aun wanted to increase. They included incontinence, problem periods, and more. Dr. Aun notes that these motivated patients to bring up existing conditions which patients thought they had to just accept, increasing self-referrals.
Website
Dr. Aun previously had no web presence. Patients have been extremely impressed with the website Practice Builders created for the practice. It helps generate additional referrals by establishing a 24/7 web presence, and includes interactive forms and the capability to make appointments.
Physician Practice Representative
Dr. Aun designated one staff member to visit potential refer source practices. Visits were made on a regular basis to primary care physician offices to create awareness of Dr. Aun’s clinical abilities and build relationships with front offices. This has been a key strategy for increasing referrals from other physicians.
Staff Training
Practice Builders conducted training sessions to instill a marketing mentality within Dr. Aun’s staff. This included tracking referrals, cross-selling services, following up on missed or cancelled appointments and other critical functions that establish and maintain a rapport with patients.
Results
Within one year, Dr. Aun has seen a 50% increase in the number of referrals coming from primary care practitioners. His schedule is full and he has seen a 30% increase in surgical cases. In addition, he has seen a 20% increase in private pay patients and a corresponding decrease in Medicaid patients.