Dr. Josephson also encourages his otolaryngology colleagues to form professional alliances with complementary and alternative (CAM) providers in their communities. Ethical complementary providers, such as chiropractors and acupuncturists, can be an additional source of referrals. His book includes a chapter on East Meets West, and Dr. Josephson has found that the book has served as a way to open dialogue with CAM practitioners.
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June 2009Concentrate on Basics
Expenditures on standard marketing techniques are weighed carefully by Dr. Woodruff and his partners at Head and Neck Surgery Associates. At one point several years ago, the practice was spending nearly $40,000 a year on Yellow Pages ads. That was cut back significantly, and recently even more so, partly due to the fact that many consumers now seek their health information online. Marketing in the local Cincinnati Magazine, radio ads, and patient seminars in the office all contributed to initial upticks in new patient inquiries. But a cost-benefit analysis led the practice to conclude that the effort was not yielding enough additional business to continue.
One key marketing technique that the practice continually conducts is the patient satisfaction survey, said Dr. Woodruff. This helps us analyze everything from the parking availability, to wait times, to whether patients’ questions have been answered. And to have patients know that you are focused on them and their satisfaction, and that their questions regarding their problem will be answered before they leave your office is the best marketing, I think, that you can possibly do.
ENT Today contributing writer Gretchen Henkel is coauthor, with Neil Baum, MD, of Marketing Your Clinical Practice-Ethically, Effectively, Economically, Third Edition, published by Jones & Bartlett Publishers. This book has sold more than 175,000 copies and has been translated into Spanish. The Fourth Edition, now in production, will be available in August.
©2009 The Triological Society
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