Suggestions on referral sources for new private practice

[budda10000]

I am curious what all of you have found to be successful for patient recruitment. I am paneled on several insurance companies but not the biggest in my state. What I have done thus far:

-Zocdoc- complete trash for out of network referrals, perhaps 1/5 actually turned into a patient, I restricted it to only in network referrals.
-psychology today- steady but slow, getting only 3-4 new patients a month
-networking with local PCP- so far nothing, they have been very receptive, but I just started

Any suggestions on how to expand?

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[lol.psych]

If you’re into psychoanalytic/psychodynamic stuff, getting involved with your local psychoanalytic institute/org (if there is one) can be super helpful. Or if there are local therapist communities, psychotherapy consult groups, or other communities that do therapeutic stuff that you’re aligned with/interested in, it’s a great way to get psychopharm consults (for pts who see someone else for therapy), or referrals from folks who aren’t taking new therapy pts but want to give motivated prospective patients some other leads.

There might be local directories similar to psychology today (depending on your area).

Also, if you take the insurance that local universities offer, and want to work with college/grad/etc students, I recommend thriving campus (another directory).

 

[calvnandhobbs68]

How long have you been open? You don’t become instantly full no matter what people say but you’ll get patients.

If you’re paneled with any insurance companies, just give some PCP offices some papers with your name, specialty, office location/contact info and what insurances youre in network with so they can keep it by their desks or at the front desk. You’re gonna get referrals people just need to know you exist and how to get in contact with you.

Along the lines of the college thing above, do the same thing with any local college counseling centers. They’re always looking for people to refer out to for meds unless they have it in house. Same thing with any local therapist groups although that will get you a lot less patients than PCPs unless it’s a big group.

If you’re up for it, give your info to any local IOP/PHPs, they’re always looking for people to step down to.

Also make sure you’re in the insurance company directory so when patients search for you with their insurance they can find you. This can sometimes lag initially.

 

[When is graduation again?]

I started my practice in October and was very anxious initially, but over time things have picked up. Most of mine are coming from PsychologyToday. I get a lot from them now, but it started slow.

Others: Alma provides a bunch of referrals, but most are ppl wanting therapy. Headway is less useful. I hated Zocdoc because they charge per referral, but set it up so that a lot of referral are garbage. They opt you into child referrals, out of network patients, and random types of therapy that aren't applicable to most practices, so you end up overpaying til you search enough to turn that stuff off. I stopped Zocdoc. I stopped using them. WebMd has advertising, but its been subpar in my 1st month, so not recommending yet. Therapist referrals are meh so far. Local facebook mental health practicioner/therapist groups have been decent, but I hate having to use facebook.

The one nice thing about all of these services is that they boost my SEO for my main site. I've started getting referrals from substance rehabs and urgent cares, but these are also trash. My neediest, boundary pushing, drug seeking patient came from residential substance. I took him thinking I was being nice, but it's been nothing but regrets ever since.

 

[budda10000]

I started my practice in October and was very anxious initially, but over time things have picked up. Most of mine are coming from PsychologyToday. I get a lot from them now, but it started slow.

Others: Alma provides a bunch of referrals, but most are ppl wanting therapy. Headway is less useful. I hated Zocdoc because they charge per referral, but set it up so that a lot of referral are garbage. They opt you into child referrals, out of network patients, and random types of therapy that aren't applicable to most practices, so you end up overpaying til you search enough to turn that stuff off. I stopped Zocdoc. I stopped using them. WebMd has advertising, but its been subpar in my 1st month, so not recommending yet. Therapist referrals are meh so far. Local facebook mental health practicioner/therapist groups have been decent, but I hate having to use facebook.

The one nice thing about all of these services is that they boost my SEO for my main site. I've started getting referrals from substance rehabs and urgent cares, but these are also trash. My neediest, boundary pushing, drug seeking patient came from residential substance. I took him thinking I was being nice, but it's been nothing but regrets ever since.

Zocdoc is specifically designed to generate clicks and revenues, it plays on the ignorance of the general populace about insurance, how FFS practices work or what even an appopriate referral is. I turned off their services for anything but in-network booking and that seems to have dramatically improved their service. Outside of that I wouldn't use them.


Ill definitely do some of the other things mentioned here. I don't have a website yet but was thinking that might be a good thing to have because I could run Google adds and generate social media content funneling people to the site to book. Has anyone else done this?

 

[Merovinge]

Local PHP/IOPs without their own OP services (which is most) is definitely a worthwhile stop. We definitely appreciate people with close availability and if you also spend patients back to us, that makes the relationship a lot stronger (as we get to know you better, I am sure the business people would also want to strengthen it for their reasons).

 

[When is graduation again?]

Zocdoc is specifically designed to generate clicks and revenues, it plays on the ignorance of the general populace about insurance, how FFS practices work or what even an appopriate referral is. I turned off their services for anything but in-network booking and that seems to have dramatically improved their service. Outside of that I wouldn't use them.


Ill definitely do some of the other things mentioned here. I don't have a website yet but was thinking that might be a good thing to have because I could run Google adds and generate social media content funneling people to the site to book. Has anyone else done this?

You can't do Google Ads, it's against their policy. I tried. You'll get about a week before they shut it down. Facebook could work, but I haven't tried it.

For websites I'd suggest someone who can modify a simple WordPress theme and show you how to update it. Web developers overcharge and upsell with monthly maintenance, so be careful. I made my own site with wordpress, but my wife helped with any complicated code elements.

 

[reca]

You can't do Google Ads, it's against their policy. I tried. You'll get about a week before they shut it down. Facebook could work, but I haven't tried it.

? You definitely can. I've done it and I know many clinics around me that do.

 

[When is graduation again?]

? You definitely can. I've done it and I know many clinics around me that do.

Really? They took mine down due to violation of policy a few months ago.

 

[Merovinge]

Really? They took mine down due to violation of policy a few months ago.

I know for certain our PHP/IOP uses google ads. Not sure how that compares to individual OP practices.

 

[djo208]

Certainly give your information out to fellow psychiatrists; especially more senior psychiatrists who have full practices. I know I often redirect patient inquiries to junior colleagues who just opened practices. Another place that I get a certain amount of business is local non-physician therapists. They often look to refer patients for medication management. It's not great for the more recurrent psychotherapy cases, but it's a good source of patients. Some end up leaving their therapists for a one stop shop, but others keep up with me and their therapist. After you've seen and helped a few patients, they will often spread your name around, too, which isn't instant, but it can become a slow source of referrals.

Good luck!

 

[AcronymAllergy]

From a non-psychiatrist: I'd second the rec to consider networking with psychologists, social workers, and other therapists in the area. I'm always looking for good psychiatrists (with availability) to whom I can refer patients. Caveat being I'd of course suggest against actively trying to poach their patients (if the patients decide on their own to only see you, that's not your problem).

My area may be different than yours, but I also know that numerous PCP practice groups (you've already hit this one it seems) and neurology practices are frequently in need of good psychiatry referral options.

Maybe consider reaching out to local college/university mental health clinics as well, if there are any? College psych services clinics are, from my understanding, seeing increasing numbers of students for increasingly severe MH issues (i.e., not "just" Adderall or adjustment disorder, although plenty of that as well, I'm sure).

And if there's a VA hospital/clinic nearby, you could see about getting in with them as a community provider. I know from my time at VA that they used to be slow in paying community providers, but that supposedly got a bit better over the years.

 

[djo208]

Yes, I would concur with AcronymAllergy: don't actively TRY to steal patients from therapists. It's a common phenomenon, though, that patients make this decision on their own to move care to you if you are a therapist/prescriber. Patients like one stop shops when they are available, but many patients like to keep up with their therapists, too, if they have a good working relationship with them. You may have some skills that SOME non-psychiatrist therapists may not have in terms of therapy, though, depending on your training and who the therapist is, so if they need CBT or some other specialized therapy that falls within your skillset, that may be another factor that might draw them to you over someone with less training. The opposite can be true, too, and they might need someone else with a different skillset than you. But no, don't TRY to steal patients. If they do have an outside therapist, make sure to make contact around clinical matters as related to the patient. It is both good for patient care to coordinate with the therapist, but also helps you get to know them so they think of you when they are ready to refer patients. It's a common complaint from therapists that the psychiatrist is hard to reach.