When starting your direct care practice, the work starts far before you open your clinic doors. In this space, your reputation is everything. The great news is that you have been building that every minute until now.
When planning for your direct care practice, it is time to become intentional about this. You need to leave patients feeling like they will never find a doctor as great as you anywhere else. You need to leave your consultants feeling like you delivered superior care to their patients and that there is nobody they would trust more to care for their endocrinology patients.
A cash model is not for everyone and conversion will be low. It is important to manage expectations. You do not need all of your existing patients to convert. That is not the point of reputation building. Of course, you would love some of them to come with you (and they will!), but leaving that lasting memory stays with people forever.
I have patients who I saw in 2017 and 2018 who now 4-5 years later come find me in my clinic. People remember how you make them feel. Making others feel great makes you feel great. Is this self-serving? Sure. It is also the right thing to do to take excellent care of patients.
One specific thing that helped me build a referral base was calling providers who referred their patients to me. I did not know this at this time – remember I was green as can be – but NOBODY picks up the phone and calls anymore. This will set you apart and also make you feel more connected to your patient and their other providers. It also gives you an opportunity to educate.
Yes, it takes time. Yes, it is worth it.