1. Reach out to primary care physicians. Patients who are unfamiliar with orthopedic and sports medicine practices often visit their primary care physician after an injury, says Angie Van Utrecht, director of operations at Orthopedic Specialists in Davenport, Iowa. However, some primary care physicians are not experienced in reading x-rays from orthopedic injuries or providing treatment, such as casting. Practices should form relationships with primary care physicians by offering to give x-rays a second look and discuss patient diagnosis and treatment plans. If a primary care physician is familiar with your practice physicians, he or she will be more comfortable referring patients to the practice.
2. Add spine procedures to your orthopedic-driven ASC. Advancements in technology and technique have allowed more spine procedures to move from the hospital setting to ASCs where these procedures can be performed on a more time- and cost-efficient manner. Orthopedic-driven ASCs should consider adding spine procedures to their facility to increase patient volume and profitability. Some key considerations ASCs must be mindful of before making spine procedures fully available are buying necessary equipment, consulting with your their anesthesiologists and working with payors to make this a financially feasible venture.
3. Hold community outreach programs. Physical therapy and athletic training services often hold community outreach programs, such as injury clinics, to treat young and amateur athletes for non-surgical injuries, says Diane Ryckman, director of sports medicine and orthopedic services at Kettering Medical Center in Dayton, Ohio. Practice physicians can collaborate with the rehabilitation specialists during these clinics to further associate the practice with active individuals and potential patients. If an athlete with a more serious injury arrives at the clinic, the rehabilitation specialists can also refer the patient to the orthopedic practice.
4. Ask where the patient heard about the practice and increase those marketing efforts. When patients come in for initial visits, ask them how they learned about the practice. Often, primary care physicians refer the patients to the practice. However, if the practice is engaging in multiple marketing tactics, such as websites, newspaper and radio advertisements to increase patient volume, learning which methods are most effective is an important part of running the business, and it allows us to identify the optimal points of emphasis for us, says Jimmy St. Louis, Chief Corporate Operations Officer of Laser Spine Institute.
