How To Market Your Practice Without Advertising By Dr. John P. Barrett, Jr.

How To Market Your Practice Without Advertising

By Dr. John P. Barrett, Jr.

How To Market Your PracticeWithout Advertising

About the Author… Dr. John P. Barrett, Jr.Dr. John P. Barrett, Jr. , now retired, founded The Florida Knee and Orthopedic Centers in Clearwater, Florida in 1983. In his career, he has personally performed more than 20,000 knee surgeries, including 7,000 total knee arthroplasties. Agraduate of Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, Dr. Barrett completed an Orthopedic Residency program at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was Chief Resident in 1972. Dr. Barrett also served as a Teaching Fellow at Harvard University prior to beginning his private practice in 1974. Dr. Barrett has established training programs for orthopedic surgeons in Eastern Europe.

The Arthritis Research Institute of America, founded by Dr. Barrett, is a national non-profit foundation conducting a 20-year epidemiologic study of osteoarthritis. There are now 5,000 cases and 5,000 controls included in the study.

The Barrett family sponsors both clinical and research awards annually to senior residents at Massachusetts General Hospital, where Dr. Barrett completed his residency. Dr. Barrett operated in one of the most competitive markets in the country, yet his practice consistently ranked a leader in orthopedic market share. He has created this long-term market dominance through an intense focus on patient satisfaction and “positively outrageous service,” along with a commitment to clinical excellence. Dr. Barrett’s system for patient care in joint replacement, called JointVentures®, has been adopted by more than 500 hospitals in the U.S., Western Europe and Australia, and has been translated into five languages.


Table of Contents…Birthday cards ..........................................4Park it........................................................5Phone home..............................................6Internet web site.......................................7“A rose by any other name...” ..................8Focus groups ............................................9“It’s news to me!”....................................10Wall of Fame ...........................................11Sit down and speak..................................12Diploma-see.............................................13Thank you notes......................................14“Learning Center” ...................................15“Showing up is 90% of life” ....................16Leave spaces open..................................17Smiling faces...........................................18Video education......................................19Seminars.................................................20“Take-out anyone?”................................21Meet, eat and critique ...........................22The “Happy Patient” list ........................23The staff of your life ..............................24Notable notes.........................................25Get political ......................................... ..26“Fore!”....................................................27“Dear Doctor...”......................................28Mystery shopper....................................29

Flexible hours.........................................30Learn to love complaints .......................31Toot your own horn ..............................32Let them watch TV.................................33Tear down the barriers...........................34“Flag” new patients................................35Chewed out............................................36Clocks......................................................37Recognition.............................................38“No music so sweet...” ...........................39Speak up & speak out!............................40Open house ............................................41Refrigerators that work for you .............42Signage....................................................43People, Time, & Us..................................44Phone etiquette......................................45“Survey says...” ......................................46Message in a bottle.................................47Good housekeeping ...............................48Dressed to impress.................................49Shameless self-exploitation ...................50The “door knocker”................................51Credo cards.............................................52Follow up ...............................................53Little things mean a lot...........................54Implementation Worksheet…………………55, 56

1. Electronic Cards

Send Birthday Cards To Your Patients Every Year


2. Change Your Parking PlaceTo The Worst One On The Lot


NEVER take the best space in the lot for yourself or your staff.

3. Call Patients To SeeHow They Are Doing


4. Set Up An InternetWeb Site


The internet is the primary source for medical information among consumers.

5. Send Patients A FlowerWhile In The Hospital


Flowers are the traditional expression of health and good wishes for hospitalized patients.

6. Conduct PatientFocus Groups


Industrialist Henry J. Kaiser said “Marketing is very simple… find out what your customers want, and give them lots of it.”

7. Create A Simple NewsletterWith Patient Success Stories


Patient newsletters are great ways to keep patients in touch with your practice, and for cross-selling your services.

8. Create A Patient“Wall Of Fame”


Patients will continually offer pictures, ideas and stories that they believe qualify for the Wall of Fame.

9. Sit Down When You AreTalking To Your Patients


You can help dispel the perception that you are in a hurry by sitting down.

10. Move Your DiplomasTo The Waiting Room


Patients are interested in your training and educational background, and they will be impressed by it.

11. Send “Thank You” NotesTo Patients Who Refer Other Patients


The note should be hand written with a brief personal message, not just signed.

12. Convert Your Waiting RoomInto A “Learning Center”


Instead of tired, out of date magazines, add informational posters, displays, videos or other educational media.

13. Be On Time!


Patients are like other consumers and simply will not tolerate long waiting times.

14.


The ability to see new patients within one or two days is critical to the long-term growth of your practice.

Set Aside AppointmentSlots For New Patients Each Day

15.


This person is the first and the last person your patientssee and probably has more influence over their perception of your practice than everyoneelse combined, including the doctor.

Hire A Smiling FaceAt The Front Desk

16.


Using videos to educateyour patients on key diagnoses insures that the information is passed on effectively and consistently.

Put A DVD Player InEvery Patient Exam Room

17.


The seminars should be short, no longer than one hour, and should be presented in an easy to understand format.

Conduct EducationalSeminars In Your Facility

18.


Negotiate a deal with a delivery service to send a healthy dinner for two to the home of all your hospitalized patients after discharge.

Send Patients “Take Out”Dinners After They Leave The Hospital

19.


At the luncheon, solicit input on how well your office meets the needs of these referring practices.

Invite Local Office Managers To A Luncheon To Assess Your Service

20.


Many patients delight in telling others about their experience, and they will become your strongest supporters in the process.

Create A “Happy Patient” List

21.


Customer service is most important to your practice from a marketing standpoint because it has a direct bearing on the “word-of-mouth” marketing you will generate in the community.

Provide Serious CustomerService Training To Your Staff

22.


Sending them a copy of the office notes will help them understand the results of their visit and will prevent miscommunication when they are discussing the visit with family and friends.

Send Patients A Copy OfTheir Office Notes After Each Visit

23.


Instead of complaining about service, staff and equipment in the hospital, offer ideas you can do to help the hospital save money and improve care at the same time.

Have Lunch With YourHospital Administrator

24.


Host A Golf Tournament For Patients

25.


Volunteer To Write AColumn In The Newspaper

Writing a weekly column isa great way to establish yourself as the local “expert” in your field.

26.


Hire A “Mystery Shopper”

Everything from parking to payment policies shouldbe reviewed, with an emphasis on those people and things that directly contact patients.

27.


Offering occasional “flexible hours” will give you access to patients who may have either put off seeing a physician or simply visited a 24-hour “doc-in-a-box” for routine care.

Offer Early Morning AndEarly Evening Hours Once Per Week

28.


This simple gesture often turns an unhappy patient into one of your biggest fans!

Write Personal LettersOf Apology To Patients Who Complain

29.


It is vital that you measureand publish your results in a format that can be passed on to referring physicians,insurance companies, benefits managers, adjusters and patients.

Create A Brochure That Highlights Your Patient Satisfaction Outcomes

30.


Produce a thirty minute “loop” video that introduces your staff, along with a brief biography on their background and training.

Use A Lobby VideoTo Market Your Services

31.


Remove the glass barrier and open up yourreception area so people feel welcome.

Remove The Frosted Glass Window From Your Reception Area

32.


Everyone who handles that chart should see that as an opportunity to add a little “positively outrageous service” in order to make a lasting first impression.

“Flag” All New PatientCharts So Everyone Makes A Fuss

33.


Enough said!

Institute A “No GumChewing” Policy In Your Office

34.


Until you conquer your problem of keeping patients waiting, don’t provide them with a constant reminder of how long they have been out there!

Remove All ClocksFrom Your Waiting Room

35.


The goal is to make customer service partof the culture and climate in your practice. To do so demands constant reinforcement, publicity, training and reward.

Recognize And RewardStaff Who Exhibit Extraordinary Customer Service

36.


Insist that your staff address everyone by their namesand that they use courtesy titles (Mr., Mrs.) for anyone over forty.

There Is No MusicSo Sweet … As Your Own Name

37.


Hospitals, civic groups, and other local organizations are constantly looking for guest speakers.

Join The Hospital’sSpeakers’ Bureau

38.


Prime time for functions of this type is a Sunday after noon or the lunch hour. Make sure the office is immaculate.

Conduct An Office“Open House”

39.


Take advantage of theeasy publicity by making sure the one they see every day has your name and number on it.

Give Away Refrigerator Magnets With Your Name And Phone Number

40.


Choose a name foryour clinic that people remember the first time they hear it, and use it on your exterior signs so that it can be read easily from at least 150 feet away.

Make Sure Your Signage Is Large And Easy To Read

41.


It is essential that you assign one of your staff the specific responsibility of ordering and replacing the magazines on an issue by issue basis.

If You Must HaveMagazines In Your Lobby

42.


Write a brief script for how the phone should be answered and insist that it is done this way each time.

Train Staff To Use AConsistent Phone Greeting

“Thanks for calling our office.This is Jean. May I help you?”

43.


Written surveys are good, telephone surveys are better, because you will get a much higher response rate.

Send Satisfaction Surveys ToYour Patients—And Act on the Results!

44.


Using a bright, upbeat voice and music to cross-sell your services is easy and fairly effective.

Add “On Hold Message”To Your Phone System!

45.


Take serious steps to insure your office/clinic reflects a truly professional image.

Keep Your Act Clean!

46.


Golf shirts work well, are easy to obtain, and are relatively inexpensive.

Have Staff Wear TeamShirts And Name Tags

47.


Send Golf Caps To ReferringPhysicians With Your Logo On Them

These are fun and memorable little advertising items that can help keep your name in front of the physician“gatekeepers” in your market.

48.


Hire A “Door Knocker”

Large practices can benefit directly by hiring a “door-knocker” to literally make sales callson referring physicians and corporate customers.

49.


One of the most effective ways to reinforce your philosophy of customer service is to print the “standards” on a small laminated card and to require all employees to carry the card to work each day

Print “Credo Cards” AndHave Your Staff Carry Them Each Day

50.


You might be surprised how many patients each year in your own practice do not followthrough with your recommendations.

Follow Up

51.


Install a telephone for patients’use in a part of the waiting room that provides reasonable privacy. Provide water andcoffee for patients and theiraccompanying families.

Provide Simple AmenitiesIn Your Waiting Room


Implementation WorksheetUse this form, or facsimile, for organizing and scheduling the important tasks that need to be assigned, coordinated and implemented into your practice. Applying these concepts will ensure the successful integration of your practice enhancements.

How To Market Your Practice Without Advertising By Dr. John P. Barrett, Jr.

Documents

Transcript of How To Market Your Practice Without Advertising By Dr. John P. Barrett, Jr.