Keep Those Referrals Coming

Delivering superior customer service by has most certainly been our most valuable means of achieving our high level success of success.  All the techniques to deliver this level of customer service could fill a book, so we’ll discuss in this section some specific things we feel have helped to lead to our success.

What has brought our office to its next level of success has been the focus on establishing and maintaining referring physician relationships.  Communicating with referring physicians about the treatment of their patients is the most critical factor in building and maintaining a winning relationship.  If patient reports are sent to physicians in a diligent manner, the bottom line of your practice will be positively affected.  Referral plans mandate that a report be given to the referring physician before subsequent referrals are made.  When a patient is referred and there’s no communication with the referring physician, or when a referred patient is treated without the knowledge of their physician, your relationship with the primary care physician can be adversely affected.

We have found a significant benefit in faxing referring physician reports.  These benefits include being more timely (no mail delay, and the letter can be faxed directly from the transcriptionist's office); no copy of the letter needed for the patient’s file; less effort on the part of the referring physician (handling a fax is easier than a mailed letter); and SIGNIFICANT COST SAVINGS.  Over 60 cents per letter is saved, taking into consideration the cost of postage, an office envelope and stationary.  In our office this resulted in a cost savings of over $1000 per year and a more efficient system.