At the 22nd Annual Spine, Orthopedic and Pain Management-Driven ASC + The Future of Spine Conference, Daniel Goldberg, SVP of Marketing & Growth at United Musculoskeletal Partners, will discuss how to grow new patient volume using data driven strategies.
Question: How has the relationship of referring providers and MSK physicians changed in the past few years?
Daniel Goldberg: Historically, many practices relied on referrals from PCPs to drive new volume and while that is still a valuable strategy, MSK physicians should understand the headwinds facing PCP practices and tailor their marketing strategies to address these challenges. The first challenge is around availability. A recent AMN Healthcare study showed that the wait time for an appointment is up across most subspecialties. For Family Medicine, the wait time is 23.5 days, up 14% since 2022 and up 16% since 2009. However, the only subspecialty that showed a decrease was orthopedic surgery where the wait time for an appointment was 12 days, down 29% since 2022 and down 29% since 2004. Given this shift, MSK practices may want to focus more in direct to patient marketing as most younger patients do not want to wait 3 weeks for an appointment with a PCP who will then refer them to an MSK specialist.
The second challenge is around consolidation as hospitals and health systems have continued to acquire PCP groups. As of 2024, 54% of PCPs were employed by a health system. Additionally, 20% of PCPs were employed by an insurance company or an MSO. This consolidation may lead employed PCPs to shift referrals to other employed physicians or practices in the community aligned with a health system. Furthermore, many large PCP groups are now adopting alternative models, such as CINs or going at risk with payors. If your MSK group is not sharing in that downside risk, these PCP groups may remove you from their referral network. Understanding PCP practice models in your market can help shape referral strategies and marketing initiatives.
Q: How does access impact new patient growth?
Access is one of the most essential elements of growth but is often overlooked. Practices who are engaged in marketing efforts to drive new patients should ensure that they have the resources to facilitate this growth. Otherwise, they may be spending money but not capturing new patients due to long hold times on calls, provider capacity or a myriad of other factors that affect patient access. One area around access where healthcare has lagged is the adoption of online scheduling tools. Whether it’s making a reservation at a restaurant or scheduling an oil change, most businesses have the ability to schedule online. However, in healthcare, many practices still require the patient to call and schedule an appointment or fill out a form online and wait for a call back. Neither of these options are convenient for the modern patient.
Research shows that 89% of patients want the ability to schedule online. Implementing online scheduling functionality is not only more convenient for patients but can also help streamline workflows in call centers, both of which can lead to measurable growth.
