3 Essential Questions to Ask an MD- by The Evidence Based Chiropractor

Using the Socratic method during your MD Meetings is absolutely essential for success. The Socratic method is "based on asking and answering questions to stimulate critical thinking and to illuminate ideas". In the context of an MD Meeting your goals are to gain insight and position your message.

There are 3 main questions that you should ask during your meeting. These questions will give you the information necessary to match your "message to the market".  When you message matches the market it creates a foundation necessary to fluidly build referral relationships. Let's take a look at the 3 questions.

1. Do they see patients with spine complaints in practice?

2. What specific complaints?

3. What are their current treatment protocols?

Believe it or not, the first question is often overlooked by most chiropractors! While most primary care physicians daily case load consists of 20-30% spinal complaints, there are some which do not see any spine patients. This could be due to a variety of reasons. For some, their partner physician may see all the spine patients.  Others may have an affiliation with a local spine group. In either case you can see why its important to first confirm that they see spine complaints in practice. 

Second, you will want to determine what complaints they are seeing practice. It will very likely be a broad range, similar to your practice. However, you will find that a substantial amount of docs will provide you additional information. It may be an increase in lumbar disc herniation because the snow birds are back in town. They may see a lot of cervicothoracic pain because they perform in-office trigger point injections. Any answer they give will provide you with additional insight to refine your message to their exact patient profile.

Finally, you will want to understand their current treatment protocols. We have found that 99% of the time medical doctors refer to physical therapy, other MD's, or treat in-house (meds) for spinal complaints. Thankfully, chiropractic has distinct advantages over all 3 of these choices. These advantageous are reviewed in detail in our free MD Meeting guide and my book, Marketing Chiropractic to Medical Doctors. By understanding their current choices you will be in the best position to fine tune your message to the market.

As you can see, asking 3 simple questions can give you a plethora of information to accelerate your marketing and outreach. Efficiency, affordability, and elegance.

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-The Evidence Based Chiropractor has assisted hundreds of chiropractors around the globe build interdisciplinary referral relationships.

Have you viewed our FREE Guides?  Download The MD Meeting and the 5 Secrets to MD Referrals today.

How to Dramatically Increase the Impact of Your MD Marketing- by The Evidence Based Chiropractor

Marketing to MD's (and other physicians)  is a topic many chiropractors are very interested in, however, few have any tangible expertise.  Previously, we have looked at the 5 Secrets to MD Referrals and also how to execute a MD Meeting. But, how can you really maximize the effectiveness of your outreach?

Lets look at two scenarios:

1. Chiropractor A speaks with a local medical doctor and spends an hour exuding the virtues of chiropractic, demonstrates chiropractic technique, gives a history of chiropractic, and delves into the intricacies of neuromuscular rehabilitation.  He never learns the spine conditions which the physicians sees regularly in practice; he has no idea what the doctors current treatment protocols are; and he has not addressed any of the well documented hinderances to chiropractic care.
2. Chiropractor B speaks with a local medical doctor. By asking questions she finds out that lately the MD is seeing a lot of lumbar disc herniations, and he is currently referring these patients to a physical therapy clinic with a 2 week waiting list. She then presents information regarding the efficacy of chiropractic care for lumbar disc herniations, explains she will evaluate patients from her referral partners within 24 hours, and proactively addresses the MD's concerns regarding referrals to a chiropractic office. 

Which of these two scenarios do you think is more likely to result in a positive outcome (referrals)? Of course Chiropractor B is in a much better place!

Matching your "message to the market" is an age-old adage which is often underutilized in chiropractic/MD marketing.  Make things easier for yourself, and for the referring MD, by learning about their practice (which also develops rapport) and then presenting information on how you may be able to better serve their patients in comparison to their current choices.  Ultimately, we are building relationships to help our friends and neighbors in the community. Let's break this down into simple steps.

Step #1- Learn About Their Patient Base

Ask questions to learn about their patient base.  Maybe golf season just started and the doctor has seen an increase in lumbar disc herniations.  Perhaps football season just started and the pediatrician has seen an increase in cervical spine injuries. This information is worth its weight in gold!

Step #2- Learn About Their Current Treatment Protocols

In order to determine if you can serve their patients better than their current choice you must know what their current choice is.  Ask the physician about their current treatment protocols. Ninety nine percent of the time MD's "treat" spine complaints with: medication, physician therapy, or referral to another MD.  As chiropractors we are fortunate to have distinct advantages over all three of these options.  However, you must know their preferred choice before you can explain the benefits which you clinic can provide. 

Step #3- Proactively Address the Hinderances to Chiropractic Care

We know that over 85% of MD's have been asked about chiropractic care by their patients. We also know that only 11% have made a formal chiropractic referral. Some of the hesitance to make a referral stems from what we have identified as the "3 Big Hinderances to Chiropractic Referral". Quickly, the hinderances are the perception of long term treatment plans, a lack of communication, and the fear for patients who don't return. Doesn't is make sense to address these proactively with a simple statement such as, "We like to let our referral partners know that patients in our office receive an initial trial course of care (no long term treatment plans upfront), you will receive case notes on all patients (communication), and we agree with the research that shows patients receive the best outcomes when their PCP and Chiropractor work together (no patient vortex)."

These 3 simple steps can make a huge difference in your MD marketing. Chiropractic care is one of the most safe and effective healthcare professions in history. It's time to increase our utilization and help more people by building interdisciplinary referral relationships. If you are ready for a simple, elegant, cost effective MD marketing solution click here now. 

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-The Evidence Based Chiropractor has assisted hundreds of chiropractors around the globe build interdisciplinary referral relationships.

Have you viewed our FREE Guides?  Download The MD Meeting and the 5 Secrets to MD Referrals today

Imaging Representatives Are a Hidden Key of MD Marketing - by The Evidence Based Chiropractor

Meeting with every physician in your community can be a challenge.  Some offices are just difficult to "get in to".  However, the perfect person to help you bridge this gap may be right under your nose. Imagine a individual who-

• knows every medical doctor in your community
• knows every front office staff member in your community
• spends all day building these relationships
• is not a pharmaceutical rep
• is more than happy to break the ice and set up an introduction for you
• does not charge you anything!

Enter the imaging representative.  Nearly every chiropractic office in the country has imaging representatives which visit to solicit business for their imaging centers.  Even chiropractic offices that take their own radiographs typically have representatives visit to promote the services of their MRI facilities.  These representatives can be a gold mine of information and connection.  

The imaging representatives know nearly every primary care practice in your community.  Typically, they also have very good relationships with the offices they visit.  Furthermore, they are usually very open to helping physicians connect with each other.  Next time your imaging representative comes into your practice you can simply ask them if they would introduce you to their favorite general practice offices in town.  Being in and out of offices all day, your imaging representative will have a great idea of the practices which would resonate with your message/practice. Using this knowledge to your advantage can make a world of difference when setting up formal MD meetings. You may choose to schedule this into your personal calendar, or you may choose to send your marketing representative. Utilizing your local imaging representative is one of the most overlooked physician outreach techniques. But they are often a source of qualified, focused knowledge which can greatly accelerate your progress with physician communication. 

How to Overcome the 3 Big Obstacles to Chiropractic Referrals- by The Evidence Based Chiropractor

Gaining traction with your MD Marketing

Without a plan, reaching out to medical doctors can be challenging.  Many chiropractors have spent time meeting with MD's only to see little progress in the way of referrals.  Often this is because they don't have a plan!  Like everything in life; when you have a plan and are prepared to execute, you will have far greater odds of success.  Through the years we have found that medical doctors have 3 big obstacles to initiating a chiropractic referral. Today we will touch on these 3 obstacles and how you can overcome them in your conversations. 

#1 - The Never Ending Long Term Treatment Plan

Almost everyone (including your local MD's) have heard stories of patients visiting a chiropractic office for mild low back pain and subsequently being prescribed a course of treatment which lasts months (or even years).  Certainly there is a place for long term care for certain patients.  Additionally, there are patients who are interested in chiropractic maintenance care.  I don't believe anyone would argue that point.  However, many physicians are under the impression, and ultimately fearful of making a referral, if they believe they are sending a patient to a physician who is going to possibly prescribe a long term plan for every patient.  I like to address this directly and let the MD know that ever patient in my office first goes through a initial trial course of care.  At the conclusion of the trial course of care we will re-evaluate and determine the next step.  Typically the trial course of care can run anywhere between 4-12 visits depending upon the presentation of the patient and the diagnosis.   

#2 Lack of Communication

Research shows us the communication between MD's and DC's is inconsistent at best. Case notes are the foundational tools of physician communication.  By simply sending case notes, it is unlikely that you will immediately receive a flood of referrals.  However, when you combine this with your monthly research brief and periodic meetings, you will have a potent combination of outreach and marketing.  Of course, when communicating patient information you must follow all local, state, and federal laws regarding protected health information.  Chiropractors often overcomplicate their case notes.  Simply, the physician wants to know- who? (patient name, date of birth), when? (date of service), what? (chief complaint), how? (plan of care).  This information should take up only a half page or so.  Nearly every EMR system can be programmed to export this data automatically for every new patient visit.  Some systems even allow the ability to fax directly from your workstation.  

When you consistently sending case notes the physician will become familiar with your name.  Additionally, they will begin to identify the great results you are getting in practice when they follow up with the patient!  Again, we have found that the combination of case notes, monthly MD Research Briefs, and periodic physical meetings are a fantastic way to build referral relationships. 

3# The Patient Vortex

Finally, physicians are fearful of patients being taken from their care.  Simply let the doc know that the research shows that patients receive the best results when their primary care physician and chiropractor are work together.  This simply statement shows that you intend to work in a collaborative fashion. 

A Final Word

By addressing these 3 obstacles you will not only "ease" the mind of the potential referring physician, but also professionally position yourself.  Currently, only 11% of Primary Care Physicians report that they have made a formal referral to a chiropractor.  By using the formula above you will be putting your practice in a great position to receive referrals.

Would you like our complete FREE guide to MD Meetings?

In it you will learn

• -why should I meet with local MD's?
• -should I provide lunch?
• -how to set up the meeting
• -getting prepared for your meeting

Get your copy HERE.

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-The Evidence Based Chiropractor has assisted hundreds of chiropractors around the globe build interdisciplinary referral relationships.

Have you viewed our FREE Guides?  Download The MD Meeting and the 5 Secrets to MD Referrals today.

The Email Paradox - by The Evidence Based Chiropractor

Why Email Marketers are Getting Better Results Sending MORE Often

The biggest question regarding email communication is - how much is too much?  It takes a lot of hard work to develop an audience and the last thing most businesses want to do is alienate them by sending emails every other day; or gasp! every single day!  This is the great paradox of email marketing/outreach/communication.  

Well, contrary to what you may think, engagement actually increases significantly when people are emailed more often.  As a matter of fact, daily emails seem to generate the best engagement. But, there is a catch.  It must be valuable content!  When you are able to send relevant, valuable content with consistency you will see your engagement soar. This is a good thing regardless of your business.  However, if you fall into the trap of lazy, spammy, promotional emails everyday you will find a less than enthusiastic audience and high unsubscribed rates.  I must give credit to Ben Altadonna who has extolled the value of consistent communication for quite some time.   For more information regarding email marketing I highly recommend learning from Noah Kagan (employee #30 at Facebook, employee #4 at Mint),  Neville Medora, and within our own industry, Ben Altadonna. 

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-The Evidence Based Chiropractor has assisted hundreds of chiropractors around the globe build interdisciplinary referral relationships.

Have you viewed our FREE Guides?  Download The MD Meeting and the 5 Secrets to MD Referrals today.