Think Outside the Box to Generate New Patients

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AUTHOR:
Neil Baum, MD
Clinical Associate Professor of Urology, Tulane Medical School, New Orleans, LA

Author, Marketing Your Clinical Practice-Ethically, Effectively, and Economically, Jones Bartlett Publishers

New patients don’t always have to come from traditional sources. Of course, the most common sources are satisfied patients and referrals from other physicians. But there are potential patients outside of those conventional resources. For example, if you are a sports medicine doctor, consider a relationship with the local health clubs. Write a regular column in their newsletter. Give a talk on sports injuries one evening or early one morning. If you are a rheumatologist, consider dialoging with the manicurists. If you are a podiatrist, meet with the pedicurists. Bring them lunch and talk to them about common podiatric conditions that are easily recognized by the pedicurists. Finally, if you are a psychiatrist, meet with the barbers, hair stylists, and beauticians because all of their clients bare their souls to the one that cares for their hair!

Bottom line: A little out of the box thinking can go a long way to generate new patients.