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Expanding Your Market Reach

Marketing

Issue: September 2009

By: Samantha James

You don’t have to spend a lot of money to expand your market reach and gain more clientele for your practice. One of the benefits of hospital affiliation is access to a large, ready-made system for promotion and public relations. Tap into this system and watch your practice — and your reputation — grow.

According to reports by O’Connor Hospital in San Jose, California, a member of the Daughters of Charity Health System, effective marketing of physicians does indeed produce bottom line results. O’Connor does this by providing multiple avenues of exposure for new and experienced physicians alike. These avenues include:

Physician Referral Line. “By exposing our physicians to the community through our physician referral line, we not only build partnerships with community members, but also with our physicians,” says Elizabeth Nikels, Vice President of Communications for the Daughters of Charity Health System. “We find that our new physicians value this service, which ultimately leads to higher physician satisfaction.”

Community Classes. O’Connor Hospital aggressively promotes community classes which feature physicians as speakers in their chosen field. Open to all members of the community and hospital staff, the monthly classes include talks on joint replacement, stroke care, orthopedics and family medicine.

“These classes not only put us in touch with those we serve, but also allow us to present cutting-edge information in our specialties,” says Dr. Jeff Anderson, former president of the medical staff and frequent speaker on joint replacement.

CME Networking Opportunities. Kiet Ha, director of Physician Services and Business Development, believes that O’Connor’s Continuing Medical Education (CME) lectures present unique opportunities for physicians. “These lectures allow physicians a chance to build their practice by engaging other physicians, and also share research topics that are of interest to their colleagues.”

Ha also offers advice and recommendations to physicians such as joining IPAs - Independent Physician Associations. “My job is to make their job easier and networking can produce results,” he says.

Public Relations Department. O’Connor Hospital’s PR department markets its affiliated physicians via diverse media outlets. “We use photos of our physicians in our advertising campaigns in local newspapers and publications,” says Nikels. “We also publicize our physician referral line in print and via our website, which aids potential patients in locating just the right physician for their medical needs.”

O’Connor highlights its physicians in publications like community newsletters, mailers and magazines. The department produces a quarterly physician newsletter called “Scope,” which is distributed to all doctors with privileges at O’Connor. The PR department also involves physicians in media opportunities, inviting them to serve as spokespersons when the press comes calling.

Face Time. Dr. George Block, Chief Medical Officer at O’Connor, takes a leading role in marketing physicians. For new physicians, he suggests taking coverage in the ER, which leads to building a clientele. He also recommends that doctors become acquainted with other doctors. “Visit the physicians lounge and get to know your colleagues,” he offers.

Establish Your Reputation. Ultimately, Dr. Block suggests, the foundation for building a healthy clientele is practicing the art of medicine, including the fine art of communication. “There is no replacement for just doing the right thing,” he says. “Word of mouth goes a long way, too.”

Samantha James works in the Marketing & Communications department at O’Connor Hospital in San Jose, a member of the Daughters of Charity Health System.

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