“Today’s markets are more saturated than ever,” he said. “There are more people expanding, more surgeons coming out and more people competing for [fewer] healthcare dollars. To be successful, you have to be good, you have to be different and you have to let people know.”
1. Be good. Having the skills necessary to compete in a crowded market is the first step to success. However, Dr. Sales stressed the importance of spine surgeons staying up-to-date on not just the best but the newest skills as well. Patients are increasingly knowledgeable about the newest procedures, he said, and knowing the latest can improve patients’ perception of a physician.
Having data to back assertions of skills is also very important, he said. “Now more than ever, data tracking is a part of our business,” said Dr. Sales.
2. Be different. Dr. Sales recommended spine surgery practices offer a service or luxury other providers would have a difficult time imitating. His organization has found success running several satellite clinics in smaller communities near Portland, providing a place closer to home for patients’ pre- and postoperative consults. “It’s amazing how quickly you’ll capture those entire markets doing that,” he said.
Dr. Sales also suggested looking to referral sources physicians have traditionally shied away from, including chiropractors, auto accidents and workers’ compensation cases.
3. Let people know. “We didn’t learn anything about it in medical school, but marketing is unfortunately a big part of what we have to do now,” said Dr. Sales. He recommends looking to new or untapped patient sources such as underserved areas and large employers, and pitch stories about new procedures to local media.
Marketing to referring physicians is also important, he said. Showing investment in one of the physicians’ patients or telling the physician about a new procedure or outcome data that is different from the competition is more effective (and legal) than sending gifts or brochures, he said.
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What the Best Spine Surgeon-Referral Source Relationships Look Like Today
Young Spine Surgeons Entering the Field: 5 Key Trends
