Nitin C: Today, I have on the phone with me the editor of Impact Magazine and someone I look up to and a very successful private practice owner his name is Jeff Ostrowski. Jeff once again, I appreciate you taking the time to talk to us.
Jeff Ostrowski: You are welcome. It is good to be on with you today.
Nitin C: Jeff, my first question. For a physical therapist in a new practice who has few or no relationships with physicians and who is essentially starting from scratch, what are some of the strategies that you would recommend so that he or she can start getting some awareness and some referrals?
Jeff Ostrowski: A high quality physical therapy provider is the backbone to a successful practice. That is the foundation upon which you deliver a good service. Now, I think the good news is that we understand this as private practice owners. But the importance of quality care goes a little deeper. The patients you have get the results and then get back to the physician and apart from that, it helps build your reputation and the patient also tells friends and family and neighbors and so on maybe need a physical therapy and helps to build your exposure in the community.
You need a mechanism for physician contact because that is still the most critical and fruitful area of referral development of new patient referrals. Physicians are still a great source of patients and building relationships with physicians is important.
Direct marketing to the community is important. It helps to get you in front of groups that might need therapy.
Questions I asked Jeff during our interview..
Nitin C: Have you used any specific strategies to initiate contact with physicians that you don’t know at all or that you are communicating with for the first time?
Nitin C: Jeff, do you think there is a trend towards marketing more towards patients. I wouldn’t necessarily say less towards patients but proportionally higher emphasis on direct patient marketing with direct access and given the fact that consumers are becoming more aware more savvy and more independent in their choices?
Nitin C: What is your opinion on physician owned private practices and are we potentially looking at legislature that discourages that or is it something we just have to accept and move on with? There is a lot of talk about that. There already has been.
Nitin C: Absolutely in terms of marketing directly to patients, final question, what are the strategies that have worked well for you for marketing directly to patients’ advertisements, press releases, direct mail, post cards, and email works best for you?
