Networking in Healthcare: How to Create a Collaborative Network
Networking in healthcare is a vital part of growing your practice. When you expand your professional connections, you expand your opportunities, education, and opportunity for practice success.
Benefits of networking in healthcare
As a healthcare practitioner, you may spend your day in and out of offices with patients, stuck at a desk filling out paperwork, making phone calls, or working with your team. But have you ever considered what networking outside of your office could do for you? By networking with outside practitioners, you have the opportunity to create a stronger practice for your patients and to educate your team with resources from trusted practitioners.
1. Improve Your Career
Networking in your healthcare community can open up opportunities through patient and physician referrals. Increase referrals, increase your practice profitability and success!
Networking can also help you with team referrals. Keep your practice running smoothly with a knowledgeable team that you trust.
2. Stay Up-To-Date with new research
With more collaborative practitioners on your side, you have the ability to work with more brands, technology, and patients and SHARE that work with your network. Together, find what works and what doesn't while saving time and money.
How to begin networking in healthcare
1. Join Professional Organizations!
Maintaining professional relationships has always been important. However, you now have the ability to join niche organizations that introduce you to like-minded practitioners. These liked-minded practitioners paired with the opportunities and education they'll provide can change the trajectory of your career!
The American Academy for Oral and Systemic Health is an organization of dentists, medical doctors, hygeinisits, physical therapists, myofunctional therapists, airway doctors, and more. The practitioners AAOSH brings together focus heavily on collaborating together for the benefit of their patients; without a team of educated practitioners, your patients are not getting the very best healthcare they can. AAPMD, BaleDoneen, and LearnSkin are all similar niche organizations you'll find huge value in. Learn more about AAOSH here.
2. Attend Networking Events
Education, Research, and networking come together when you attend the many events available in the healthcare industry dedicated to bringing practitioners together to expand awareness and outreach. Learn more about the largest networking event of dental and medical practitioners here.
We're lucky enough now to be able to attend life-changing events from the comfort of our homes! Take advantage of organizations that provide you with quality, virtual education.
3. Connect with Your Patients Healthcare Provides
Referrals! Educate other physicians in your community about your patient's health conditions and how they can collaborate with you to bring that patient to whole-body health.
Not sure how to get started? AAOSH can help! Learn more about membership to gain access to our resource library.
Writing letters of advocacy for physician collaboration:
Writing letters to your patient's doctors is a GREAT way to begin your collaborative efforts to network in healthcare. These letters can be written for ALL conditions, including but not limited to:
- Periodontal Disease
- Perio Treatment Protocols
- Caries
- Dry Mouth
- Prediabetes and Diabetes
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea
- PolyPharmacology (Drug Effects and Interactions)
- Potential Pregnancy Complications
- Chronic Systemic Inflammation
- Food Sensitivities
- Chronic Systemic Inflammation
- HPV Infections
- Oral Cancer Risk Factors
Introduce yourself as your patient's doctor or dentist, explain the patient's condition, and how (and why) you think collaborating is the best way to achieve whole-body health for your patient. When you show your professional knowledge, chances are, the receiving doctor will be excited to work with you!
4. Network with Healthcare Providers Online
Between social media and the internet, connecting with professionals in your area and in your field of practice has never been easier!
- Make sure your practice has a clear, user-friendly website for easy searchability
- Include your name and information on your website or in organization directories.
- Keep your social media profiles up-to-date
- Take advantage of LinkedIn Connections! LinkedIn is a great place for professional networking.
Why should you start networking in healthcare?
Not only can networking expand your education, but it can also help grow your team, educate your team, and provide a higher quality of care for your patients. The body and its systemic connections are clear. As a healthcare practitioner, you can't do it alone! Collaborating with healthcare practitioners in different fields is critical if you want to level up your practice and truly bring your patients to whole-body health.
Download Your Free Referral Letter Example here ∇
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