Spotlight ON TECHNOLOGY & TECHNIQUE

Dialing for Doctors: Better Patient Referrals

By Robert Murphy, Contributing Editor

The image of a concierge calls to mind a gracious, well-groomed and-attired man or woman who is expected to know every restaurant and bar in town and be ready with a quick description. They also know the sights to see, the cruises to take, the places to shop, and that night's shows and sporting events. An all-purpose helper, invariably polite.

Concierge service is a well-adopted metaphor which officials at the ophthalmology patient-referral service 1-800-DOCTORS can justifiably use to describe their service. The idea of a concierge in this context is a matter of helping patients navigate the entire process, from recommending two or three well-qualified doctors that will satisfy their needs through a follow-up patient survey.

The Woodbridge, NJ, company is now recruiting physician-members among ophthalmologists (and the ODs with whom they may work). Going about it region by region, the company started their recent subscription drive in New England and appears to be moving down the east coast to the mid-Atlantic states and beyond. They plan to have an upgraded national patient referral system up and running for ophthalmology by August.

At $4,800 a year (paid yearly or quarterly), it may reward consideration as a prudent and perhaps fruitful marketing investment costing a modest outlay. “Our practice has just subscribed to the service, which will launch in August,” says renown refractive surgeon Marguerite McDonald, MD, of Long Island.

“There are two things about the 1-800-DOCTORS program that reassure me greatly,” Dr. McDonald says. “One is that the senior management team has a long history of repeated successes in the health care industry. Secondly, it is easy for a subscriber to exit this program if he or she is dissatisfied. Basically, a subscription to 1-800-DOCTORS is a ‘can’t lose and should win big' proposition. I look forward to the August launch.”

How Does it Work?

The process begins when an ophthalmologist chooses to participate and then completes a profile that conveys his or her specialty or subspecialty, insurances accepted, educational background, board certifications, residencies, languages and other criteria.

The company intends to recruit no more than 50 percent of ophthalmologists — who must be board-certified and Fellows of the American Academy of Ophthalmology — in any area. “In our market research, we asked ophthalmologists about this,” company president Jay Smith says. “And they said, ‘I don’t want everybody in. I want this to be exclusive.' And based on the volume of patients that we are going to generate, especially in the first couple of years, we want to make sure we're able to produce ROIs that we really want to generate.”

Once the patient selects a physician, 1-800-DOCTORS then books the appointment with the patient online, which usually is scheduled within three or four days. Key criteria from the patient's viewpoint is driving distance, insurance and why exactly they require an ophthalmology visit, which may run the gamut from a general comprehensive exam to attention to suspicious symptoms.

The company provides directions to the doctor's office and sends out a reminder of the appointment. The patient pays no fee for use of 1-800-DOCTORS's services.

That reminder call is important. “Thirty to 40 percent of first-time appointments are no-shows,” Mr. Smith says. “So our job is not only to be a concierge to the patient but also to the physician.”

Word From a Trusted Friend

Sometimes a friend's recommendation can validate a decision such as joining a patient referral service. This was precisely the case with Dr. McDonald. “I was influenced in my decision by comments from my friend, Jai Parekh, MD, chairman of the 1-800-DOCTORS Ophthalmology Advisory Board,” Dr. McDonald says. “Jai said, ‘The name itself has so much recognition and recall. To attach an ophthalmology network in a high-level concierge fashion is exactly what ophthalmology needs.”

Dr. Parekh expects the patient-friendly educational content on the company's Web site to dispel any misunderstanding about the scope of an ophthalmologist's practice. “Nine out of 10 consumers really don't understand the difference between an OD and an MD,” Mr. Smith says. Further patient education will include information on specific ocular disorders.

No doubt, the company's ophthalmology referral advisers likewise wish to be viewed as a sort of trusted friend to the patient. That's especially important if the patient happens to be new in town, traveling or simply has no one else from whom to obtain a physician recommendation. For them, it's nice to have a service like 1-800-DOCTORS at their fingertips. Call it a win-win for doctor and patient. OM

For more information, visit www.1800doctors.com.