Client Success Stories
Following is a sampling of some of our many radiology clients for which we have developed and executed highly successful marketing/sales campaigns.
Suburban-Based Radiology Practice Needed to Improve Existing Referral Relationships and Cultivate New Referring Practices
Background: Well-known radiology practice with several locations had received robust referrals for several years but then noticed a reduced volume from many of their referring groups. They wanted to identify the issue and turn it around.
Challenge: Reduction in referrals from ongoing quality referrers was leading to reduced scan volume and profitability.
Strategy: To identify the issue of why these quality referrers had reduced their referrals we immediately contacted each of the provider offices by phone to speak with the physician, administrator, referral manager and/or other key contact. We were able to learn a range of reasons, most of which were anecdotal one-off’s, i.e., poor communication, insurance issue, reports taking too long and being unaware of pre-auth assistance. Many of these issues were able to be resolved by us following up with our radiology client, learning the back-story, and getting back to the referrer with the information they needed and the message that they were extremely important to the practice. We were able to do a complete turnaround for most of the situations. We then stratified the radiology practice’s referral data into VIP referrers, former referrers, drop-off referrers and others and developed separate marketing protocol for each group. The next step was to identify a large number of additional potential referrers in the marketplace and we then engineered a full marketing launch including a highly targeted one-to-one direct mail campaign, consultative telesales and distribution of fulfillment referral packages.
Results: Scan volume increases after 12 months included… 1) 17% of former referrers were “re-started” and brought back into the referral pool, 2) Drop-offs were not only stabilized but turned around for a 25% increase in studies, 3) Regular referrers generated 12% increases, and 4) VIP referrers not only increased volume but several of them told us they appreciated our “white-glove” service so much that they stopped sending to other competitive imaging facilities and began sending even more to our client. These were referrals that would not have taken place had it not been for our strategic communications and referral generation program. Continuity and consistency of targeted marketing efforts truly eliminate “out of sight, out of mind” in the world of radiology referrals!
Utilizing our Radiology Client’s Physician Portal and Pre-Auth Services to Drive Scan Volume in a Highly Competitive Market
Background: This small radiology practice offered all traditional imaging services but had many aggressive competitors in the area, both independent and hospital/network-owned. They were looking for a vehicle to market themselves as both technologically advanced and customer service-focused to differentiate themselves in the marketplace.
Challenge: To stand out from their competition and market themselves as technologically forward with outstanding customer services abilities (for both providers and patients) in order to generate additional volume from a wide range of providers.
Strategy: This medical imaging client had a robust physician portal which we leveraged as a business building tool. Ownership also believed in a white-glove customer approach to both physicians and patients including a full team to support pre-authorization assistance. We utilized the practice’s existing referral database file to identify portal and pre-auth usage and utilization of the services. We implemented our proprietary market research survey program to generate further intel about non-referrer’s attitudes and opinions of those services (garnering a 21% response), then enhanced the referral file with our custom database development program. We heavily marketed the portal and pre-auth services to physician offices depending upon if they were users or non-users, and to what degree. Tactics included a custom, results-driven direct mail program targeting all prospects in addition to our consultative telesales program, as well as fulfillment distribution of referral packages.
Results: We were able to see a huge increase in both portal and pre-auth assistance sign-ups, in addition to strong increases in utilization of both… 35% and 64% respectively for sign-ups and 31% and 52% in utilizations. This generated tremendous benefits including increased scan volume, new referral sources and increased loyalty of active referrers.
Large Independent Radiology Group in Competitive Market Targets Chiropractic/Attorney/Orthopedic Specialists to Increase Workers Comp/MVA Volume
Background: A large independent radiology group of 25 + radiologists is located in a market with several other large radiology practices that are aggressively marketing their practices. They had a reasonably good general referral volume but were seeking to increase their Workers Comp and MVA cases from chiropractors, attorneys and orthopedists in order to leverage this payor market.
Challenge: How to generate further penetration into the Workers Comp and MVA/No-Fault network community.
Strategy: We developed an extensive database of chiropractors, PI attorneys and orthopedists (both out-of-network and in-network) from a wide geographic catchment area. We analyzed past referral patterns and implemented our proprietary market research survey program to generate market intelligence about the radiology referral landscape for these referrers in this region (garnering an 18% response). Using the survey data results, we developed a comprehensive custom referral package of materials and created a dynamic direct mail program targeting all prospects overlaid on top of our consultative telesales program (including fulfillment distribution of referral packages). An important part of the campaign was to introduce the musculoskeletal radiology team to the new Comp/MVA provider community to establish communications and build relationships.
Results: With strategic focus and pinpoint execution we were able to build relationships for our radiology client with chiropractors and attorneys, as well as with orthopedists who see a large number of Comp and MVA cases. By leveraging these relationships we were able to generate a significant number of MRI’s followed by CT, XR, US and bone scans.
Radiology Practice Looks to Maximize Benefits of Opening New Location
Background: A relatively small yet profitable radiology practice in a suburban market was considering expanding to one or two additional locations but wasn’t sure where the greatest need for their services would be met. They had several ideas for possible locations but felt they would be best served by having some type of professional assessment done for them.
Challenge: How to determine which geographic market held the greatest opportunity for additional radiology services… and how to best launch the new location(s).
Strategy: We developed a database of potentially referring physicians and other providers in both desired locations. We implemented our proprietary market research survey program in order to determine what opportunities existed in those markets in terms of physician attitudes, opinions and most importantly referral patterns for medical imaging… as well as competition in the form of outpatient hospital/network facilities and independent non-hospital facilities. Once we received, compiled and tabulated the results (garnering a 20% response, with 33% of respondents requesting they wanted to refer to our client once the new facility was opened), we saw tremendous potential in both markets based on excellent feedback from the responders including hospital leakage opportunities.
Results: Both of the potential market locations had a need for additional radiology services. Referring physicians across the board in these two area requested longer hours, weekend imaging and Open MRI which were very important considerations for our client who completed construction of the facility in one of the markets. The survey also generated more than 60 direct referral leads which provided the first opportunities for us to contact for referrals. Our pre-launch marketing blitz generated demand prior to opening and we then executed a highly successful ongoing marketing campaign to continue consistent referrals and build scan volume.