How do PMR physicians advertise themselves?

[bronx43]

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I've read numerous times that one of the biggest challenges in this field is the need to continuous advertise the specialty and what you can do for patients. In essence, you have to create your own demand due to the relatively small size of the field.
So, how exactly do you guys advertise yourselves? Do you just network with referring physicians in your area? Are there other ways?

Thanks.

 

[MSKmonky]

A lot of it is by word of mouth. Difficult when other fields don't know what you contribute but I expect that all to change somewhat with the ICD-10 coding. I say this mainly because it then will force everyone to think about functional status. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong here because I'm not entirely sure, but I think with ICD-10 we can be alittle more descriptive about our patients including their current functional status. Once medicine as a whole starts thinking about Function more (and not just the acute disease/condition) then I think (or hope) Rehab gets more of a spotlight.

For now, learn some marketing.. hah.

 

[PMR 4 MSK]

Advertising is spending money for someone else to broadcast yuor product - in this case yourself. Common advertising medium are newspapers, TV, internet and billboards.

All are absolutely worthless for medicine, unless you practice fringe medicine.

What you need to concentrate on is marketing. There are subtle and huge differences between advertising and marketing. With marketing, you have a plan of attack on how to spread the word that you are here and what you do.

The things that work the best are face-to-face meetings with referral sources and word of mouth. Do a good job on a patient and they will tell their PCP or surgeon, and their family and friends. Do a bad job and they'll tell more people, louder.

 

[Llenroc]

Advertising oneself, IMO, is pretty lowbrow. It's usually the domain of cosmetic dermatologists, plastic surgeons, and perhaps sports medicine doctors.

For you as a PM&R doctor to advertise to the public would be essentially worthless. If you live in a metro, a lot of the society pages or glossy urban magazines now seem to feature "Top Docs" sections in practically every issue. You could pay to get a feature in there, but I doubt it would generate many actual referrals.

Truth is, establishing a new practice is hard. You need to get the PCP's to refer to you, which is what you should focus on. Once you have a practice, there is then no need to advertise.

 

[Ludicolo]

Agree that the best way to drum up business is to network, educate, and simply be good at what you do. Word gets around. Even once your practice is established, it is still worthwhile to cultivate new referral sources.

As a side note: I've always found it fascinating, as I'm driving down the highway, seeing billboard after billboard advertising physicians, clinics, and hospitals; followed by other billboards advertising malpractice and personal injury lawyers.

 

[PMR 4 MSK]

As a side note: I've always found it fascinating, as I'm driving down the highway, seeing billboard after billboard advertising physicians, clinics, and hospitals; followed by other billboards advertising malpractice and personal injury lawyers.

Lol.

I also like hearing hospitals advertise on radio. Like anyone is sitting there thinking to themselves, "Wow! When I have my heart attack, I'm going to Memorial Hospital instead of County!"

 

[bronx43]

Advertising is spending money for someone else to broadcast yuor product - in this case yourself. Common advertising medium are newspapers, TV, internet and billboards.

All are absolutely worthless for medicine, unless you practice fringe medicine.

What you need to concentrate on is marketing. There are subtle and huge differences between advertising and marketing. With marketing, you have a plan of attack on how to spread the word that you are here and what you do.

The things that work the best are face-to-face meetings with referral sources and word of mouth. Do a good job on a patient and they will tell their PCP or surgeon, and their family and friends. Do a bad job and they'll tell more people, louder.

Sorry, it was poor choice of words by me. I meant to say market.
So, when you first join a practice, how are you supposed to get the ball rolling at all? Are you given some of the new patients that the practice gets, and you have to go out and supplement that by networking? Thanks.

 

[PMR 4 MSK]

Highly variable by practice. Most expect you to go out and meet docs, market yourself, give some talks. Some will divide new pts up, others wont.

 

[surftheiop]

As nothing more than a consumer of medical care, I think a PM&R practice could really increase patient volume by local advertising about treating back/neck pain. I know for sure there were times in my life where if I had seen a PM&R billboard about back pain, I would have called them on the spot. Advertising seems to work for the Chiro's/Sports Ortho/etc., why would PM&R be different?

 

[bronx43]

I totally agree. If you can market to your target population, it would definitely work. If you know how do it right, you can even advertise for free and get a whole bunch of clients. I don't advise billboards or newspapers though, Google is where most people go these days.

Do you mean like Google reviews? I have seen some reviews for physicians, but usually there are only a few, and I don't usually pay too much attention to those.

 

[PMR 4 MSK]

As nothing more than a consumer of medical care, I think a PM&R practice could really increase patient volume by local advertising about treating back/neck pain. I know for sure there were times in my life where if I had seen a PM&R billboard about back pain, I would have called them on the spot. Advertising seems to work for the Chiro's/Sports Ortho/etc., why would PM&R be different?

Part of the problem of that is it may degrade your reputation with other doctors - especially referral sources. Billboards are considered especially tacky in medicine, mainly seen advertising chiros, dentists and similar.

Also, it may not attract the population you want. You put a billboard advertising pain services and I guarantee every pillhead for 20 miles is going to be making an appt.

 

[PMR 4 MSK]

Billboards being "tacky" in medicine? Have any evidence of that or just one person's opinion? I don't see anything wrong with a billboard especially if you are new to the area (good for branding). I just don't think they are as cost effective as other means of advertising (not everyone in pain is driving around) such as the internet. Most people I know with pain stay at home (where their laptops are). I can get pretty much any local business on page 1 of Google in a matter of hours or days. Most doctors just have no clue how and where to advertise.

Attracting "pillheads" as you call them is a requirement when becoming a pain doctor. Sorry, that's part of the job. So what if they come to you? Help them find another way to treat their pain or just don't see them if they are drug seeking. They are still "leads". One thing I learned in life you never know who you will meet or who they may know.

I'm sorry, you are correct. We need a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the impact of a physician's billboard advertising on the perceptions of other physicians, preferably a multi-center study. I'll get the ball rolling on that right away.

I don't attract pillheads. It's not part of my job. I learned long ago plenty of ways to avoid them. I don't treat them - they are too dangerous in many ways.

You may have all of them that you want.

 

[RUOkie]

Billboards being "tacky" in medicine? Have any evidence of that or just one person's opinion? I don't see anything wrong with a billboard especially if you are new to the area (good for branding). I just don't think they are as cost effective as other means of advertising (not everyone in pain is driving around) such as the internet. Most people I know with pain stay at home (where their laptops are). I can get pretty much any local business on page 1 of Google in a matter of hours or days. Most doctors just have no clue how and where to advertise.

Attracting "pillheads" as you call them is a requirement when becoming a pain doctor. Sorry, that's part of the job. So what if they come to you? Help them find another way to treat their pain or just don't see them if they are drug seeking. They are still "leads". One thing I learned in life you never know who you will meet or who they may know.

Pain management does not equal being a drug mill. I do not know where you practice, but if someone in this neck of the woods advertises for "Pain management" 2 things happen:
1) Every junkie (yes I called them junkies) will show up at your door with no medical records asking for Rxs for Oxy/xanax/lortab (usually all 3). You had better have your office staff with 911 on speed dial, cause you will be calling the police regularly when you don't provide a prescription
2) The DEA and state drug cops, as well as the state licensing agency will start an investigation on overprescribing. Whether valid or not, it will happen.

 

[lobelsteve]

Pain management does not equal being a drug mill. I do not know where you practice, but if someone in this neck of the woods advertises for "Pain management" 2 things happen:
1) Every junkie (yes I called them junkies) will show up at your door with no medical records asking for Rxs for Oxy/xanax/lortab (usually all 3). You had better have your office staff with 911 on speed dial, cause you will be calling the police regularly when you don't provide a prescription
2) The DEA and state drug cops, as well as the state licensing agency will start an investigation on overprescribing. Whether valid or not, it will happen.

This is 99% accurate, as they will also request Soma. The medical board will know you within 90 days.

 

[RUOkie]

This is 99% accurate, as they will also request Soma. The medical board will know you within 90 days.

I knew I forgot something.

 

[deleted185747]

Paint your building yellow with red trim. Make a giant yellow "R" and lay it on its side. Put in a drive thru. People will come. They will want whatever you have, even if they don't know what it is yet