{"id":7148,"date":"2016-06-13T09:00:15","date_gmt":"2016-06-13T15:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.miridiatech.com\/news\/?p=7148"},"modified":"2018-05-28T04:31:40","modified_gmt":"2018-05-28T10:31:40","slug":"building-referral-bridges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.miridiatech.com\/news\/2016\/06\/building-referral-bridges\/","title":{"rendered":"Why you need to build professional referral bridges"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Wanted: Successful Acupuncturist<\/span><\/h2>\n

Seeking well-educated, charming, and nicely groomed acupuncturist who gets good results. Must have good communication skills and polite bedside manners. Practical<\/strong> experience in the field of bridge building is a MUST<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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If this ad were for a real position, would it apply to you?<\/em><\/p>\n

Why does an acupuncturist NEED experience building bridges?\"\" <\/strong><\/h3>\n

The bridge I am referring to does not involve an engineer or require a hammer and nails. A bridge connects two environments or reduces the distance between them. I am talking about bridging the gap between Eastern and Western medical practitioners.<\/p>\n

In 2002, the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) produced a research article entitled:<\/p>\n

“Physicians Want Education About\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>Complementary\u00a0<\/strong>and Alternative Medicine\u00a0to Enhance Communication\u00a0With Their Patients.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some interesting statistics came from this study:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

76% of patients are using complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)
\n59% of patients ask their physicians about specific CAM treatments
\n48% of physicians have recommended CAM treatment
\n84% of physicians thought they needed to learn more about CAM to adequately address patients’ concerns<\/p>\n

A few things really caught my attention:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> <\/span>Patients ARE ASKING<\/strong><\/span> their doctors for alternative forms of treatment.<\/p>\n

B:<\/strong><\/span> Doctors want to LEARN MORE<\/strong><\/span> so that they can comfortably refer patients.<\/p>\n

C:<\/strong><\/span> Acupuncturists who are good at building bridges, WILL RECEIVE REFERRALS<\/strong><\/span> from medical doctors.<\/p>\n

The question is:<\/strong><\/p>\n

How do you build a bridge between your office and the doctor’s office down the street?<\/em><\/p>\n

It won’t be easy…or will it? Let’s explore the possibilities.<\/p>\n

I’ve found that teaching patients and members of the community is a whole lot easier than teaching doctors!<\/p>\n

The reason for this is simple. Doctors are busy doing what they have been trained to do. Patients, on the other hand, are busy looking for alternative solutions for what the doctors CAN’T do\u2014and they have more time to sit and listen to what you have to say.<\/p>\n

It’s easy:<\/strong> If p<\/span><\/span>atients have more time to learn about our medicine than most medical doctors, why don’t we use them to help us build the bridge?!?!<\/span><\/p>\n

There is one thing that doctors and other healthcare professionals struggle with. If you can focus on this one little niche, you WILL get referrals. Once the patient winds up in your office from the referral, the real bridge building begins. Let me explain…<\/p>\n

Chronic Pain: A key to getting referrals<\/h3>\n

Most doctors don’t know what to do with patients who have chronic pain<\/span>.<\/strong> Once the patient has tried typical diagnostic testing and pain relievers such as anti-inflammatories and muscle relaxants\u2014doctors are often stumped. Chronic pain patients eventually become dissatisfied because their problems are not resolved. Doctors do not want to continue treating patients that they can’t help and they are happy to refer them out. As acupuncturists, we are happy to take on chronic-pain conditions.<\/p>\n

Getting your foot in the door at the doctor’s office is the hardest part. The good news is that YOU, as an AcuGraph owner, have the advantage!<\/span> You have scientific data to affirm how acupuncture works\u2014and you can show the Western doctors that you are getting good results.<\/p>\n

AcuGraph<\/a> <\/span>is a diagnostic testing device used to determine which bioenergetic imbalances are causing symptomatology for the patient.<\/p>\n

Here’s how it works…<\/strong><\/p>\n

Step\u00a01: Find out who your<\/span> chronic pain patients have been seeing for Western medical care.<\/strong><\/p>\n