Marketing Your Clinical Practice : Ethically, Effectively, Economically

by Baum, Neil

• ISBN13: 9780763733346
• ISBN10: 0763733342
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-04-01
• Publisher: Jones & Bartlett

Summary

If you find you are suffering from burn out and/or are not enjoying the practice of medicine as much as in the past, if you have a contracting population base, if you are receiving fewer referrals from other colleagues this year than you were two years ago, or if managed care has moved your existing patients to another health care provider, then this book is for you. Marketing Your Clinical Practice, Third Edition can help you sculpt the kind of practice you want, target a desirable patient population, and get more of a handle on your business. This book will provide you with hundreds of marketing ideas that can be inexpensively implemented and that you can start using immediately. And when you do, you will find that you have happier patients, a more enthusiastic staff, and greater personal satisfaction. This book is full of simple techniques that have been tested and that work. It discusses each of the five components of a successful practice and provides examples from an existing private practice on how to attract new patients, how to develop the loyalty and bonding of patients already in your practice, and how to keep staff members motivated, organized, and dedicated to caring for your patients. Put simply, after reading this guide, you will have all of the tools and resources necessary to effectively, ethically, and economically market your practice. Praise for the book: The content enclosed is priceless. The authors have helped physicians who are trying to build a successful practice to avoid the pitfalls of their predecessors. The user-friendly style makes creating a dynamic practice more fun than challenging. Clearly the authors know what they're talking about. They've collected innovative ideas from all corners of the practice world and allow the reader to use what makes sense. The book is far more useful than a consultant. By offering an extensive menu of options, Dr. Baum whets your appetite to consume the delicious innovations and creative ideas. This book is must-reading for managing partners of practices, business managers, or any physician looking to make his/her medical career more fulfilling. It's not just about money- it's about creating a professional life that is rewarding and stimulating. -- Frank W. Ling, M.D. UT Medical Group Professor and Chair Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynecology Univ. TN Health Science Center Memphis, TN

Table of Contents

Contributors	xvii
Foreword	xix
Introduction	xxi
Acknowledgments	xxix
PILLAR I Love the Ones You're With: Keeping the Patients You Already Have
Chapter 1 Giving Your Practice a Checkup	3	(16)
Personal Interviews	4	(1)
Patient Surveys	4	(8)
Focus Groups	12	(2)
Suggestion Box	14	(1)
Physician Surveys	15	(4)
Chapter 2 Mystery Shop 'Til You Drop	19	(4)
Chapter 3 Don't Be Late for a Very Important to	23	(8)
Do Not Keep Patients Waiting	24	(1)
Identify Problem Areas	25	(1)
Manage Interruptions	26	(1)
Do Not Ignore Delays	26	(2)
Twelve Time-Busters	28	(3)
Chapter 4 Identifying Moments of Truth	31	(6)
Create a Patient Cycle	31	(1)
What to Watch For	32	(1)
Don't Forget the Hospital and Outside Testing Facilities	33	(2)
Other Methods of Discovery	35	(1)
Turn Negatives into Positives	35	(2)
Chapter 5 If Domino's Delivers, So Can We	37	(6)
Learning from Domino's	37	(1)
How Personal Information Notes Are Used	38	(3)
Lessons Learned from the Container Store	41	(2)
Chapter 6 Your Reception Area Is Your Opportunity to Create a Good First Impression	43	(10)
Avoid Negative Perceptions	44	(1)
Reconfigure Your Reception Area	45	(2)
Provide Distractions	47	(1)
Provide a Variety of Reading Materials	48	(2)
Guide Your Patients to Internet Sites	50	(1)
More About You and Your Staff	50	(1)
Other Touches	51	(2)
Chapter 7 Improve Patient Compliance-Provide Medication Information	53	(8)
Chapter 8 Marketing on 10 Minutes a Day	61	(6)
Who Are Your Key Patients?	61	(2)
Who Should Call the Key Patients?	63	(1)
What Time Should You Call the Key Patients?	63	(1)
What Are the Advantages?	63	(1)
Possible Disadvantages	64	(3)
Chapter 9 Different Strokes for Different Folks: Dealing with Demanding Patients	67	(4)
Marketing and Difficult Patients	68	(3)
Chapter 10 Track Your Oldies and They Will Become Goodies	71	(4)
Chapter 11 A Transfer Request Does Not Mean Good-Bye	75	(4)
Chapter 12 Build the Evidence...And They Will Come	79	(8)
Origins of Evidence-Based Medicine	80	(1)
How Evidence-Based Medicine Works	81	(1)
Limits of Evidence-Based Medicine	82	(1)
Evidence-Based Medicine in Your Practice	83	(4)
Chapter 13 Leave Paper Trail...That Leads to the Bottom Line	87	(12)
Welcome to the Practice	87	(1)
Thank You for Consulting Us	88	(1)
Thank You for Your Prompt Payment	89	(1)
Thank You for the Referral	89	(2)
Here's a New Patient	91	(1)
Your Balance is $0.00	91	(1)
Saw You in the News	91	(1)
Sorry About the Delay	92	(1)
Birthday Cards	92	(1)
Welcome to the Area	93	(1)
Thanks for the Compliment	93	(1)
Authorizations, Consultations, and More	93	(4)
Suggestion Box Replies	97	(2)
Chapter 14 Stuffers Soften the Bite of the bill	99	(14)
Choosing Your Topics	99	(6)
Opportunity to Educate	105	(8)
Chapter 15 A Picture Is Worth a Thousand
Words: Creating Office Videos	113	(1)
What Are the Advantages?	113	(2)
Potential Subjects for Office Videos	115	(1)
How to Create a Video	116	(3)
Where to Show the Videos	119	(2)
Chapter 16 Need More Patients? Brochures Are the Cure	121	(1)
What to Include	121	(3)
Production, Design, and Printing	124	(1)
Distributing the Brochure	125	(2)
PILLAR II External Marketing: Attracting New Patients to Your Practice	127	(128)
Chapter 17 Your Net Worth Is Related to Your Network	131	(8)
Networking Shared Experiences	131	(2)
Alternatives to Phone Calls	133	(1)
Networking for Feedback	133	(6)
Chapter 18 There's Strength in Numbers When You Start a Support Group	139	(6)
Topics, Dates, and Places	139	(1)
Choosing Speakers	140	(1)
Getting People to the Meeting	141	(1)
Setting Up the Meeting	141	(1)
Conducting the Support Group Meeting	142	(1)
Following Up	142	(3)
Chapter 19 Marketing to Ethnic Communities	145	(6)
Do Your Homework	146	(1)
Techniques to Attract Ethnic Groups	147	(4)
Chapter 20 Closing the Generation Gaps: Marketing to Boomers and Seniors	151	(12)
Who Are They?	151	(1)
Promoting Your Practice to Baby Boomers	152	(3)
Promoting Your Practice to the Mature Market	155	(8)
Chapter 21 Write That Masterpiece-and Send It to the Lay Press	163	(8)
Why Write for the Lay Press?	163	(1)
How to Select a Topic	164	(1)
Making a Pitch to the Editor	165	(2)
Doing the Hard Work	167	(1)
Capitalizing on Your Clips	168	(1)
Be Prepared for Rejection	168	(3)
Chapter 22 Nothing Does It Better...Than a Newsletter	171	(10)
Why Write a Newsletter?	171	(2)
Keep the Faith	173	(1)
Consider Your Options	174	(1)
Planning and Topic Selection	174	(1)
Writing the Newsletter Copy	175	(2)
Design and Promotion	177	(1)
Getting the Newsletter	178	(1)
Other Uses for Newsletters	178	(3)
Chapter 23 They'll Find You Fast with an Effective Yellow Pages Ad	181	(8)
Getting the Most for Your Money	181	(1)
Setting Your Objective	182	(1)
Necessary Ingredients of an Effective	182	(2)
Size and Location Matter	184	(1)
What Is the ROI?	185	(1)
Specialty Directories	186	(1)
The Hotline	186	(3)
Chapter 24 Care and Feeding of Your Website: Learning to Love Spiders and Crawlers	189	(10)
Web Hosting Services	190	(1)
Selecting a Domain Name	190	(1)
Register Your Domain Name	190	(1)
Website Development-Do It Yourself or Hire a Professional?	191	(1)
Getting Your Web Page Noticed	192	(3)
Direct Marketing	195	(1)
Search Engines	195	(1)
Measuring Methods	196	(3)
Chapter 25 One Small Click for Your Patients, One Giant Leap for Your Practice!	199	(10)
The Stage Is Set	200	(1)
Enhance the Practice Experience	200	(1)
The Range of E-Services	201	(1)
E-Consult Reluctance	202	(1)
Disease Management	203	(1)
Survey Patients Online	204	(1)
Marketing and Practice Promotion	204	(1)
Security and Privacy Caveats	205	(1)
Future of This Technology	206	(3)
Chapter 26 Go Public with Your Message: Speeches That Spur Action	209	(14)
Getting the Gig	210	(2)
Write That Talk	212	(7)
"And the Answer Is... "	219	(1)
Final Advice	220	(1)
Expand Your Platform	220	(1)
Does Public Speaking Always Work?	220	(3)
Chapter 27 Make Slides That Sizzle	223	(12)
Keep the Content Simple and Direct	223	(1)
Stylistic Elements	224	(1)
Choosing Color Combinations	225	(1)
Using Space to Advantage	226	(1)
How Many Slides?	227	(1)
Put Punch in Your Presentations with PowerPoint	228	(2)
Presentation Tips	230	(5)
Chapter 28 Meet the Press: Create Credibility through Celebrity	235	(10)
Booking an Interview	235	(1)
Planning Your Presentation	236	(1)
Dressing the Part	237	(1)
Preparing a Checklist	237	(1)
It's Showtime!	238	(1)
Strut Your Stuff as a Talk Show Host	239	(3)
How to Get Started	242	(1)
Keeping the Show Going	242	(3)
Chapter 29 Become an Instant Expert: Write the Book	245	(10)
In the Beginning Is the Idea	246	(1)
Evaluating Your Idea	246	(1)
Researching and Writing the Proposal	247	(1)
An Agent or Not?	247	(3)
A Contract is Offered-Now What?	250	(1)
Getting to Work!	251	(1)
The Book Is Written-You're Not Finished Yet!	252	(3)
PILLAR III Motivating Your Staff	255	(40)
Chapter 30 Go for the Goal: How to Create Team Spirit	257	(18)
Working Together to Create Goals	257	(1)
Creating a Mission Statement	258	(1)
Constructing a Policy Manual	258	(2)
No-Cost Techniques to Motivate Staff	260	(15)
Chapter 31 Add Sparkle to Your Staff Meetings	275	(4)
Types of Meetings	275	(1)
Starting on a Positive Note	276	(2)
Stimulating Staff Involvement	278	(1)
Chapter 32 Peach Out and Touch Someone: The Telephone is the Lifeline of Your Practice	279	(6)
Answering the Phone: A Five-Step Technique	280	(1)
Screening Calls	281	(1)
Training and Background	282	(1)
Make Every "Hold" Second Count	283	(1)
Other Extras to Increase Telephone Power	283	(2)
Chapter 33 Break Bread and Break the Ice: Start a Lunch-and-Learn Program-Referrals Will Follow	285	(4)
Organizing the Luncheon	286	(1)
The Luncheon Program	286	(1)
Leave Your Staff Alone	287	(1)
Program Benefits	287	(2)
Chapter 34 A Match Made in Heaven: Miring Perfect Employee for Your Practice	289	(6)
Screening Your Applicants	290	(1)
The Interview Process	290	(5)
PILLAP IV Communicating with Other Physicians, Other Professionals, and Managed Care Plans	295	(80)
Chapter 35 How to Obtain and Maintain Physician Referrals: It Takes Patience, Persistence, Politeness, and Prompt Reporting	297	(16)
Facts of Life	310	(3)
Chapter 36 Generating Referrals from Nontraditional Sources	313	(12)
Target Your Market	315	(1)
Other Referral Sources	316	(2)
Imaging and Marketing	318	(1)
From Alternative to Complementary	319	(3)
An Idea That Did Not Work	322	(1)
Approaching Potential Referral Sources	323	(2)
Chapter 37 Avoid Managed Care Paralysis: Conduct a Practice Analysis	325	(18)
Doing Your Homework	325	(9)
How to Use Practice Analysis Material	334	(1)
After You Are Accepted	335	(1)
Suppose They Say No	335	(2)
Caring Enough to Send the Very Best	337	(3)
Staying on a Panel	340	(3)
Chapter 38 Deselection: A Game of Musical Chairs	343	(6)
Where Are You in the Network Chain?	343	(1)
Take a Proactive Approach	344	(1)
Do Not Discount Quality of Care	344	(1)
What Drives Patient Satisfaction?	344	(1)
Physician Profiling	345	(1)
How Patients Perceive Value	345	(4)
Chapter 39 How to be a Darling of the Managed Care Plans	349	(8)
Have You Looked at Your Profile Lately?	350	(1)
A Standard Format for Health Care Data	351	(1)
Match Your HEDIS Profile to Employers' Expectations	352	(5)
Chapter 40 Make the Hospital Your Marketing Ally, Not Your Adversary	357	(4)
Shared Interests	358	(3)
Chapter 41 Big Can be Better: Marketing for Large Groups and Multispecialty Group Practices	361	(6)
How to Help Your Group	362	(1)
The Importance of Networking	362	(1)
Providing Services for Referring Physicians	363	(2)
Marketing a Large Single-Specialty Practice	365	(1)
Other Ideas	366	(1)
Chapter 42 bits Do It, Bees Do It, Even Ivory Tower Doctors Do It	367	(8)
Making Patients Comfortable	368	(1)
Establishing Relationships with "Outside" Physicians	369	(2)
International Marketing	371	(4)
PILLAR V From Pillar to Post: Best Use of Consultants, Technology, and Tips to Assure Your Marketing Success	375	(92)
Chapter 43 Electronic Medical Records to the Rescue	377	(10)
The EMR Advantages	378	(2)
EMRs and Marketing	380	(1)
"Show Me the Money"	381	(3)
Do Not Skimp on Support	384	(1)
Dr. B's Best Bet	384	(3)
Chapter 44 Let Technology Simplify Your Life	387	(8)
Promote Your Practice with Computerized Patient Education Material	387	(4)
Using Automated Phone Answering Systems	391	(1)
Stop Playing Phone Tag with Patients	392	(3)
Chapter 45 Marketing in the Wake of HIPAA: Compliance Shows Patients You Care	395	(8)
Do You Have HIPAA Elements in Place?	396	(1)
What You and Associates Must Protect	397	(1)
Good Compliance Is Good Marketing	398	(1)
The "Can-Do's" and "Should-Nots"	399	(1)
Conclusion	400	(3)
Chapter 46 Banish the Malpractice Blues	403	(8)
Avoiding Suits	403	(3)
10 Never-Evers of a Suit	406	(2)
Ways to Reduce Premiums	408	(1)
Marketing Aspects of Malpractice	409	(2)
Chapter 47 A New Revenue Resource: Clinical Research	411	(6)
Income and Intellectual Challenges	411	(1)
You Must Commit	412	(1)
Getting Started	413	(1)
Attracting Patients to Your Studies	413	(1)
Create a Positive Experience for the Monitor	414	(1)
Future of Clinical Research	415	(2)
Chapter 48 Market Your Expertise As an Expert Witness	417	(10)
Why Become an Expert Witness?	417	(1)
What Is Involved?	418	(1)
The Document, Please	418	(1)
Tips on Diagnosis	419	(1)
Other Steps	420	(1)
Walk the Walk and Talk the Talk	420	(1)
Do Your Homework	421	(1)
Do Not Let Cross-Examination Cross You Up	422	(1)
Fee Arrangements	423	(1)
Where the Opportunities Lie	424	(3)
Chapter 49 Do Niche Marketing As a Super Specialist	427	(6)
The Focused Factory Concept	427	(1)
Examples of Health Care Focused Factories	428	(1)
Why Focused Factories?	429	(1)
Any Bad News?	430	(3)
Chapter 50 Giving Our Patients a FedEx Experience	433	(4)
How Does the FedEx Philosophy Work?	433	(1)
FedEx and Health Care Providers	433	(1)
Parallels between FedEx and Physicians	434	(1)
Invite and Heed the Truth	434	(3)
Chapter 51 Hiring a Marketing Consultant	437	(6)
Be Ready for Your Consultant	438	(1)
Objectives	439	(1)
How to Find a Consultant	439	(1)
How Much Will It Cost?	440	(1)
Other Sources of Advice	440	(1)
Measuring Results	440	(3)
Chapter 52 Medicine, Marketing, and Mirth: Having Fun with Your Medical Practice	443	(10)
Humor and Medicine Go Back a Long Way	443	(1)
Humor Starts with the Top Banana	444	(1)
Why Does Humor Work?	444	(6)
Humor and the Patient	450	(3)
Chapter 53 Lagniappe (Something Extra)	453	(8)
Something Extra for Patients	453	(1)
Want Success? Remember Rolodex	454	(1)
Create an Idea Fund	454	(1)
Cultural Rewards	455	(1)
Remember Your Answering Service	455	(1)
Avoid Hide and Seek in the Office	455	(1)
One Way of Getting a Report to an Attorney	455	(1)
The All-Purpose Prescription Pad	456	(1)
Purge Office Reading Material	457	(1)
Pick Up the Phone	457	(1)
Something Extra for Staff	457	(4)
Chapter 54 Getting Started: The Secrets of Marketing Success	461	(6)
Does Marketing Work?	462	(3)
Conclusion	465	(2)
Index	467	(14)
About the Authors	481