Endo Mastery

Maximizing the monthly referral analysis meeting

Every month, you and your marketing coordinator should be reviewing and discussing the current status of your referring doctors.

DEBRA MILLER

DIRECTOR OF COACHING

Referrals account for practically all productivity in an endodontic practice. Referral analysis and keeping track of referring doctor relationships is core business requirement. Here are some tips on what your referral analysis should include, and key factors you should focus on during your monthly referral meeting with your marketing coordinator.

Referral activity and history

For each referrer, list their referral activity. This includes the total number of referrals for the last 2 completed calendar years, the total number of referrals year-to-date for the current calendar year, and the number of referrals each month in the current calendar year. 

 

Sort your list by the number of referrals year-to-date for the current calendar year in descending order. That will give you overview of your top referrers at the top of the list and your least frequent referrers at the bottom of the list.

Referrer category

Assign categories to each referrer based on their year-to-date referral activity:

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    “A+” send at least 2 cases per month on average (24+ per year).
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    “A” send at least 1 case per month on average (12+ per year).
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    “B” send fewer than 1 case per month on average but greater than 1 case every 3 months (5 to 11 cases per year).
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    “C” send 1 case or fewer per quarter (Up to 4 per year).

Referral pattern analysis

Assign categories to each referrer based on their year-to-date referral activity:

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    Has there been a change in the top 10 referrers between this month’s analysis and last month’s analysis? Who has moved up and who has dropped down?
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    Based on year-to-date data, have any category shifts occurred? This would include A, B and C doctors shifting up to A+, A or B as a positive shift. It would also include A+, A and B referrers shifting down to A, B or C as a negative shift.
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    Based on the last two months of referrals, which doctors are exceeding or falling short of their overall category. For example, an A referrer (1+ case per month typically) who has sent 4 cases in the last 2 months (equivalent to an A+ referrer) is exceeding their category. Likewise, an A referrer who hasn’t referred even once in two months is falling short.
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    Based on year-to-date data, which doctors are ahead or behind trend compared to the number of referrals they referred last year? For example, a doctor who sent 6 cases last year (once every 2 months, or 0.5 cases per month on average) who has sent 4 cases by the end of June this year is trending ahead of last year (but still in the B category like last year).
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    Are there any new referrers who sent their first case ever in the last month? Are there any referrers who have been lost (retirement, transition to corporate, etc.)?

Target doctors

The referral pattern analysis finds GPs who require marketing attention with a targeted strategy. Both negative and positive patterns need to be addressed.

 

Certainly, any doctor who is dropping down in category, falling short in their referrals in the last two months, or behind the trend of their own referrals from last year should be visited by your marketing coordinator. Something is happening and the sooner you know, the sooner you can take steps to correct it. For example:

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    Has there been a change in the GP practice?
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    Are they sending cases to a different endodontist and why?
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    Do they have a patient or service concern specifically with your practice?

Likewise, positive patterns need to be reinforced. Doctors who have shifted up in categories, are referring more than they usually do, and new referrers should all be discussed individually, and a strategy chosen. For example: 

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    Referrers who should receive a personal doctor-to-doctor call of gratitude and appreciation from you, or an invitation from you to meet face-to-face (lunch, over-the-shoulder, social activity).
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    Referrers who should receive an immediate visit from the marketing coordinator. For example, new referrers.
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    Referrers who should receive more frequent visits from the marketing coordinator. For example, a B referrer who your marketing coordinator would normally visit once per quarter who should now be visited monthly to try to extend the new positive trend.

In addition to the target doctors found each month through positive and negative trending, your marketing coordinator should also select 5 referrers in the B or C category for a 3-month focus campaign. Visit these doctors monthly as if they were A referrers, offering pop-by gifts and other surprises, and then watch if their referral patterns shift.

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