Building and maintaining a solid physician referral network is a critical resource for an independent musculoskeletal practice.

Last year was the first that less than half (49.1%) of patient care physicians worked in a private practice wholly owned by physicians, according to the American Medical Association’s 2020 Physician Practice Benchmark Survey. Shrinking referral networks and lack of access to tools and resources for patient acquisition have been key contributors to the shift from independence to employment models.

Here are five tips you can implement today to help optimize your referral network and patient acquisition strategy:

1.  Create a List of Prospective Referral Sources

This may sound simple, but getting your office team together to brainstorm ideas can uncover some referral sources you might have missed. These can be prospects for official referrals or health professionals who can help spread the word about your practice. In addition to primary care physicians and non-competing specialists like radiologists, neurologists and general surgeons, think about physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians, physical therapists and rehab centers, fitness trainers, middle and high school athletic programs, massage therapists, chiropractic clinics, urgent care clinics and freestanding ERs. Include those in your geographic area with good patient volumes that appear to share your practice’s values. This will help you build and maintain an outreach plan.

2.  Introduce Yourself to New Providers in the Area

3.  Seek Personal Interactions with Other Physicians

4.  Be Available

5.  Keep the Referring Physician Informed