Infographic: A Snapshot of the Radiology Industry

Consultative Health Care Sales and Marketing

Every sales pro has their own unique take on the sales process and has their own way of attracting new business.  Working in health care, the sales process is a uniquely laser-focused experience, which means developing new leads requires more care.  The difference between selling a product and patient experience is that it is a continued process and not a one time sales relationship, making the consultative process exponentially more important and valuable. 

It is imperative to consider that the focus should always be on your potential lead’s needs, rather than your own. In most cases of health care marketing, your lead is a staff member at a referring office. By conducting a needs-analysis and sorting out those individuals’ “haves” “wants” and “needs” you will be in a better place to provide guidance and earn their trust as a leader in the market. Your goal must always be to get your lead to explain their needs because if they are talking about their goals and what they need to accomplish them, you’re not wasting their time, rather you are being of value to them.

Your consultative process does not have to be an exact science, as each of your referring physician offices will have different needs, but it is important to consider the following steps:

• research
• asking
• listening
• teaching
• closing/continuing

Research:

This stage of your sales process is one of the most important, as it is vital that you do the appropriate research to gain lead intelligence on their situation. Once you’ve gathered data on your potential client or in our world, referral source, you’ll be in a better place to help them in the future.

Asking:

It’s important to conduct a needs-analysis, asking questions that require open-ended answers.  This gets them talking about their goals, plans and challenges. When you understand the issues they face, you can propose solutions to mend their problems and you won’t be selling them on services that they do not need.

Listening:

Do not just ask your referring offices consultative questions and not take into account what their responses were. It is important to be an active listener and use a CRM program, like Salesforce to keep track of your conversations and their needs.

Teaching

Your goal should be to help your referring offices no matter what.  You want to prove to them that you will do everything you can to help them find success, which begins before they even send one patient to you.

Closing/Continuing

In a regular sales process, the close is the last step, however when what you are selling is personalized patient care and the opportunity to serve as an extension of a referring physician’s practice, the sales path is more of a cycle in that it does not end.  This process becomes a relationship, which should feel natural and mutually beneficial.

 

Transparency's Effect On Doctors Ordering Imaging Procedures

Recent articles point to physicians saying that they’ve been ordering imaging procedures at an increasingly alarming rate. These doctors, according to reports, are ordering expensive scans without taking into consideration the financial burden that is then placed on their patients.  It is for this reason that patients must be able to access better information about their care and information about the price of those necessary procedures.

            The Journal of the American College of Radiology recently decided to research this trend because patients need to be able to know going into an imaging procedure what it is going to cost them, whether they’re insured or not. Daniel J. Brotman, M.D. researched this occurrence at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Brotman studied a group of doctors for six months, during which time the doctors were not given the price of each imaging procedure they ordered. Then for six more months they got access to the pricing of ordered procedures before they prescribed them to their patients. It appeared that the number of procedures ordered did not differentiate a substantial amount from one test period to the next.

            These results do not lean in favor of the patient. For a long time doctors have been ordering procedures and not taking into consideration the financial burden on the patient. However, many would argue that it is not the doctor’s responsibility to be concerned over price, but rather to be focused on the wellness of their patient. Brotman says; “Cost transparency must be part of the solution to solving fiscal challenges in medicine,” this starts with our doctors. Price transparency is something that people can rely on in order to alleviate some of the stress of an imaging procedure, so that they do not need to go without necessary services.

            Independent radiology centers have an advantage over hospitals because of the relationships that can be formed between doctor and patient. Doctors and hospitals are dealing with a large amount of patients everyday which hinders their ability to form a greater relationship with patients. Since there is a minimal relationship doctors are not in a position to be concerned with a patient’s financial background. With this they simply look at what the patient needs to have done in order to get well regardless of the price. Doctors at independent centers have the ability to form a more in depth relationship because they do not have to handle near the amount of patients. With this comes better care, which is a key element in the process of having a procedure done. There are many advantages when seeing an independent radiology center, care and price are just a couple.

            Save On Medical is a website that can help provide the patient with price transparency, providing them with centers where they can go to find affordable care. Patients are able to compare facility costs between different independent centers in their area. Patients can also see the quality of the doctor at each location on Save On Medical. Save On Medical gives patients in need of imaging procedures the ability to compare prices well as compare quality of doctors. This information helps ease the hassle of finding health care, while also, taking some of the pressure off of the shoulders of physicians who are being scolded for over-prescribing scans. 

Why Doctors Should Stop Battling Transparency

Demands for quality and price transparency in all sectors of healthcare have journalists, patients and healthcare companies alike, believing that it could be the cure-all for our broken system.  Billions of dollars have been reported over-spent in the industry and it is clear that we need a solution, so why is it so hard for doctors to accept that transparency could be the first step?

As care providers, there are a number of issues that we could have with the full transparency model. The most apparent is a doctor’s concern with being commoditized, especially if their procedures are considered high-ticket price services. If a patient has to come out-of-pocket to pay for a procedure, the likelihood that the procedure will be put off is high.  This is a common concern for radiologists especially, who have uninsured patients or patients in need of studies for elective procedures. 

What most physicians concerned about commoditization don’t realize, is that by “succumbing” to transparency, they can become more competitive with their pricing strategies. For example, if a patient is able to compare your quality in comparison with your less appealing competition and your pricing is the same, your patient can make their own educated decision and a wiser choice. You can bet 10-to-1 that when pricing is the same, higher quality will win out, even in healthcare where high price does not necessarily point to high quality.

Traditionally, patients have made their care decisions based off of word of mouth. Whether a family member, friend or their physician advises them; other people’s opinions of your practice matter to your potential patients. So, most commonly if a doctor tells a patient they need further care, the patient will go wherever they tell them to go. Times, they are a’changing though. Patients are becoming more consumer-driven which means that having your pricing and quality available makes you more accessible to a growing patient population.

For particularly price-sensitive patients, listing yourself on transparency websites could make all the difference, especially if other similar or competing practices are still batting the need for transparency.  It is equally as helpful to referring offices with patients in need of affordable options, because they won’t have to waste time calling around to various practices for pricing. 

Physicians do not like to change their ways. It is as simple as that. Transparency however, is an aspect of change that is on the horizon for all of us, just as much as EMRs and social media, so the sooner you jump on board, the better. 

Atlantic Health Solutions and Metropolitan Ministries Raise Money for Tampa Community

This year, Metropolitan Ministries will be joining the campaign of community outreach by asking for your help. By joining Team MetroMin you can help “Race 4 Hope” provide 50,000 meals to people in need in our community.

            It is very simple to be a part of Metropolitan Ministries’ Team MetroMin “Race 4 Hope.” All that is required is a minimum $30 donation after registering for any Gasparilla Distance Race. This $30 donation will create 17 meals for people in need in and around our community. In order to register for the Gasparilla Distance Classic visit www.tampabayrun.com. By visiting the Strategies Page of the Metropolitan Ministries website you can give your donation and set up a page to receive more donations from friends and family.  Sharing your donation page is easy and can make a huge difference for so many deserving families in our community.

             Thirteen churches in Tampa make up Metropolitan Ministries, all with the same goal of helping those in the community that have hit a rough patch, to get back on their feet with dignity and become self-sufficient again. Since joining forces in 1972, these churches have helped serve over 520,000 families, given over 350,000 shelter nights for the homeless and created 23 million hot meals for those in need.

            Atlantic Health Solutions is no stranger to Metropolitan Ministries. All of the employees at Atlantic Health Solutions have volunteered at Metropolitan Ministries and believe in serving for the betterment of the community. Those who will be participating in the Gaparilla Distance Classic will be running for MetroMin and “Race 4 Hope.” 50,000 meals is a large feat, but we at Atlantic Health Solutions believe it is a goal that can be reached with your help.  So join us today and help the most influential outreach organization in our community by being a part of one of Tampa’s favorite traditions, The Gasparilla Distance Classic.