Beyond a Tin of Popcorn:
Strategies to Recognize Your Loyal Physicians
By Ann Maloley, MBA
The holidays can present an interesting time of year to make office calls. Offices are especially busy and distracted, and the same goes for the field staff. So how can you make the best use of your time during these last few weeks of the year?
Consider focusing on your most loyal physicians – the group of doctors that may get less attention during other times of the year. These are the physicians that likely fall in your “retention” bucket, which means the strategy is to add value to the relationship and enhance their loyalty with tactics that encourage ongoing commitment and involvement.
Here are some suggestions to get you started. Let your personal style and technique and organizational culture help customize these ideas to make it really count for these loyal physicians.
Celebrate!
We know how important it is to not set the expectation of bringing treats each time you visit an office/physician. But this is the time of year when it just makes sense to do that, isn’t it? To give this special event some depth make sure it’s more than just a ‘drop off’ – do something unique to really show your appreciation for their business. For example, for select physicians, invite the CEO, CMO or another member of your executive team to join you in the delivery or attach a year-end letter from the CEO (more on that later). Call ahead to make sure the physicians you want to see will be there.
Asking physicians their opinions on improving patient care or crafting the strategic direction of the hospital is one way to garner mutual respect…
Scripps Health in San Diego, CA, created a physician leadership cabinet to help guide the strategic direction of the organization…
The percentage of physicians satisfied with Scripps rose from 78% in 2003 to 86% in 2007. The advisory group of physician leaders has been a key component to regaining the medical staff’s support…
Carrie Vaughan, “A Familiar Resolution: Improve Physician Relations.” HealthLeaders Media, January 2, 2009
Spread the Cheer.
Some of your specialists may experience a little downtime during the holidays because, if they can, most people avoid major surgeries during this time of year. Find those specialists from your key service lines and invite them to physician meetings with you. Since we’re talking loyalists, the brief visit should be about thanking the physician for their business and making sure that referral communications are meeting their needs. If the specialist happens to be using some new technology or has received recent training or certification on a special procedure now would be a good time to share the news.
Prepare for 2010.
‘Tis the season for goal-setting and resolutions. Use this time as an opportunity to meet with your loyal physicians to talk about what they hope 2010 will bring for their practice in terms of growth and success. If the physician is employed, this conversation can evolve into practice development support. If your administration is supportive of providing practice marketing assistance for your employed physicians, think through what an offer to this physician group might look like and present it.
Invite Them to the Party.
Research reminds us that a key way to engage your physician audience is to involve them in discussions about the hospital’s strategic future. Consider organizing an ad hoc committee of committed physicians to discuss the organization’s focus for next year. There’s plenty to talk about as the industry evolves and physicians will appreciate you asking for their perspective.
Tell Them in a Holiday Letter.
Beyond the face-to-face connection, think about ways to close out the year with your loyalists by reaching them with a written message and/or interactively. Work with the CEO and CMO on a correspondence that briefly highlights the successes of the year – clinically, operationally, strategically – and outlines a few leading strategies for the coming year. Hand-deliver it to a select few, mail them and/or post it on your physician portal.
Bottom line, you can still be effective in your role during the hustle and bustle of the holidays. This is a good time for ‘touch base’ interactions and to set the stage for relationship expectations for next year.
