In 2015, when Jessica Chapman, MD, joined the Center for Rheumatology LLP in Albany, N.Y., as an associate, she had to build a patient base from scratch. “Referring physicians did not know me, let alone trust me,” she says. “Patients didn’t know me, either.”
Her solution: Develop a brand and incorporate systems into her practice to enhance that brand. One key component of her brand was to establish herself as an expert physician and communicator among both referring physicians and patients.
“Building trust requires effective communication, as well as professional competence,” Dr. Chapman says. “Trust is probably the No. 1 factor that determines whether or not a physician will refer a patient to you.”
Dr. Chapman notes, “Referring physicians want to know that their patient is in good hands. They are inviting you to be part of their patient’s care team. Team members need to communicate effectively. When providers don’t communicate, patient safety suffers and the patient experience diminishes.”
One of her communication strategies is to promptly send referring physicians a detailed assessment and care plan after a patient visit. She includes a diagnosis, detailed differentials, what she plans to do next and what she’ll do if certain outcomes occur. Also, she does not hesitate to pick up the phone and talk with colleagues to coordinate care.
Patient Considerations
To maximize communication with patients, Dr. Chapman doesn’t use a computer in the exam room. She reviews a patient’s chart before seeing them. She’ll take note of the patient’s condition and review recent laboratory test results and the patient’s medication list. She’ll also review notes about any personal or non-medical discussions they may have had, such as a child’s upcoming wedding, and then she’s sure to follow up during the exam.
During the interview, Dr. Chapman writes down important information. Additionally, she says, “I make direct eye contact with the patient for about 95% of the interview. Patients greatly appreciate this.”
Taking a course on memory retention helped her get rid of the computer in the exam room. In addition to taking notes, she is looking at the possibility of using virtual scribes when seeing patients to improve her process. During a patient visit, a virtual scribe would enter patient data into Dr. Chapman’s electronic health records in real time. The scribe is not physically in the room, but is connected via an encrypted line and HIPAA compliant.
Another effort focused on good communication is to write a personalized result letter to each patient for every test result—whether it is normal or not. “No news is not good news,” she says. “It means no news.” Also, patients tend to forget what the doctor says to them, so putting it in writing improves patient understanding.
Each letter summarizes the findings and patient instructions. The letter reinforces the care plan, and patients can refer to it as needed. Additionally, either Dr. Chapman or her nurse return every patient phone call by the day’s end.
Dr. Chapman also uses indirect communication, such as social media and a blog, to provide patient education and encourage patient engagement. “These media allow me to communicate, albeit indirectly, with patients between appointments,” she says.
Technology in Marketing
Although the practice doesn’t have a formal marketing team and most referrals are word of mouth, Dr. Chapman would like to see the practice start a monthly email campaign that targets referring physicians. “We could highlight practice developments, achievements and success stories,” she says. “We could produce informative articles to educate non-rheumatology colleagues [in such topics] as how to recognize the early signs of scleroderma or rheumatoid arthritis.”
Dr. Chapman also foresees social media use as an increasingly important tool for patient engagement and marketing, as more and more patients, particularly millennials, use it.
“Medicine traditionally values privacy, confidentiality, one-on-one interactions and formal conduct,” she says. “Social media involves sharing, openness, connection, transparency and informality. I don’t think these concepts are necessarily mutually exclusive.”
Many methods enable rheumatologists to build a patient base. Consider what ones may work best for your practice.
Karen Appold is a medical writer in Lehigh Valley, Pa.
