Orthotown March 2015 - (Page 28)

practice management // feature by Donna Galante, DMD As a fellow orthodontist in a private practice, I know that consistently attracting new patients is one of the most important aspects for stability and continued growth in our practices. Many of us who have been in practice for more than 10 years have experienced a decrease in new patients, a decline or change in general-dentist referral patterns and the overall frustration of not knowing what to do to keep new patients coming into our practices year after year. In this article, I'll review some current statistics regarding new-patient trends as well my secret to sustained-and even growing-numbers of general-dentist referrals. I'll also cover professional partner referrals (hygienists, dental assistants, administrative staff and other dental specialists). First, the truth about new patients and orthodontic practices. The American Association of Orthodontists and Zimmerman Marketing Research found that in 2006, the average orthodontic ofﬁce in North America saw 547 new patients a year. By 2008, that number dropped to 503. The same study found that on average, an orthodontist sees 48 patients a day. More than 75 percent of the survey respondents stated that they could easily see an additional 16 patients a day without an increase in stafﬁng. Without a consistent ﬂow of new patients in an orthodontic practice, we are out of business each time we remove the braces or attachments from aligners. 28 MARCH 2015 // orthotown.com To cope with this instability, many practice owners have implemented an array of marketing initiatives, including hosting community events, being active on social media, updating their websites, sending direct mail and asking for referrals from friends and family. While these strategies are essential to a comprehensive marketing plan, the reality is that GP referrals are still very important for a consistent ﬂow of new patient exams in our ofﬁces. The AAO reports that 72 percent of new patient referrals are from general dentists alone. By not paying attention to this huge source of new patients, many orthodontic practices may fail to thrive and there will be further erosion of their new patient referrals. Just how do we garner those valuable referrals? Let's step back and look at what is important to our general-dental colleagues regarding the referral of their patients to your practice. What you will learn may surprise you! A 2009 study found that 74.5 percent of all orthodontists send gifts to referral partners. However, the gifts were rated low in importance and effectiveness in regard to referrals. So should we stop the bagel runs? Not necessarily. But maybe we need to look at spending our resources on the things that are signiﬁcant and effective. In another 2009 study, Drs. Hall, Sohn and McNamara surveyed 1,000 dentists in the Midwest to discover why http://www.orthotown.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Orthotown March 2015

Orthotown.com Highlights
Embrace Progress: From the Phone Book to the Internet Age: How Marketing Has Changed Over the Years
Industry News
HSD—A New Twist to CL2 Correction
Managing Expectations
Patient Engagement by the Numbers
What’s on Your Tray? Bonding and Retie Setup
Corporate Profile: Locking in Success with Unmatched Customer Service
Poll
Building Partnerships: How to Earn GP Referrals
New Products
Custom Mouthguards for Ortho Patients
The Strategic Value of Staff Training and Development
Lateral Open Bite
Ad Index

Orthotown March 2015