Mastering the Professional Referral - Part 1 - The Psychology of Endorsement

With the emerging science that ties our respective professions together, medicine and dentistry are discovering that there are many reasons why we could and should be working together for the benefit of our patients. This new level of oneness and collegiality brings with it the need for health professionals to work closely together. Professional referrals add a direct source of new patients and new revenue streams to a practice.

In this first installment of this article I will explore the strategic underpinnings of effective referral relationships. Often these are more about psychology and relationship building than they are about the substance of professional qualifications. Subsequent installments will look at other related issues such as mechanics, logistics, tools, and strategies that help build professional referral relationships.Regardless of the environment or circumstances, it is always difficult to develop a comfortable long-lasting referral relationship with another health professional. Inherently there are several reasons for this, some of which are: new or underdeveloped levels of trust, impatience with the time commitments necessary, overcoming distance or accessibility problems, and the lack of understanding the ‘need for referral’ on the part of the referring doctor, to name a few. However, whatever the degree of difficulty involved, the fruits are always worth it.

Our purposes in exploring these issues are to develop methods and strategies and tools which increases the ease with which these relationships can be achieved. The initial premise and the strength of any professional referral is that there is already an established relationship between a patient and their existing doctor. Regardless of the depth or nature of that doctor/patient relationship, when we accept a referral from that doctor we are by extension benefiting from its strength and the respect the patient has for their primary doctor. This is what makes professional referrals such a powerful practice building strategy. The simple act of making a referral transfers trust both implicitly and explicitly from one party to another. Because they trust their primary doctor, the referred patient seeks out the new professional under "doctor’s orders" to accomplish specific objectives that have already been defined.

It is critical to not underestimate the power of this endorsement! There is an immense measure of validation wrapped up with professional referrals. This is because a professional referral is a direct endorsement from a fellow health professional with whom the patient already has a trusting relationship. There isn’t an easier way to win validation in the eyes of the patient than to have another health professional "brag" about you in your absence. That is what in effect happens when a referral recommendation occurs. By extension it is also important to "edify" the referral source when the patient arrives at the office.

This means to make the referral source "look good" and to compliment them in their absence in front of the patient about how insightful they were as to the reasons for the referral. When this edification occurs it cements in the mind of the patient the validity of the primary doctor’s concerns, endears the patient to them, and paves the way toward successful acceptance of treatment recommendations. It thereby strengthens the transference of validation and endorsement implicit in the referral process. This power of transference is not lost on astute health professionals who work hard to educate potential referral sources on their qualities and in how to make referrals to them. Building this trust and capturing the transference of validation involves more than just dropping by business cards or a stack of padded referral forms.

Next issue: Professional Referral Networks and The Law of Reciprocity