Patient Origin Survey Results
Results of CICN's patient origin/patient choice survey have been published. Below is a photo summary of results. Attached is a PDF that you can download to view.
There are some noteworthy observations seen in this data;
The vast majority of patients seeking care in the Colorado Front Range for MSK complaints are self-directed;
CICN providers would be well-served to engage in outreach to primary care physicians. 91% of the survey respondents that had first seen a PCP for their MSK complaint did not receive a direct referral to their CICN provider. Rather, they found the provider via online search, friends and family, or their insurance website;
In building your patient origin "portfolio" it appears that emphasis on what works best is likely to yield the quickest returns. This includes friends and family referral campaigns and online search engine campaigns. However, as a long term strategy growing your referral base of medical physicians offers great potential. Why are PCP's NOT directly referring? In our follow up conversations a big contributor is a lack of knowledge of outcomes and expectations from different conservative care providers. Thus, the standard is often to "wait and see" or pull business cards from "the black box" and hand them to the patient. An opportunity for CICN clinics to earn more direct referrals lies in adequately educating PCP's on patient selection, and being very open with your clinic's outcomes (CICN has these if you don't). PCP's feel a responsibility for the decision to directly refer a patient to you. If they know your outcomes are exceptional, your costs are reasonable, and patients love you, they are much more likely to steer to you versus pulling from the "black box".
