i. The situation
The practice offered specialized advanced wound care. A lot of the clinicians, facilities and care teams nearby didn’t know that, or didn’t know how to refer a patient. Outreach had happened now and then, informally, with no shared message and no schedule.
It wasn’t about more contact. It was the right contact, made clearly, and repeated.
ii. What we did
- 1.Researched and ranked nearby offices, facilities and care teams likely to see patients with complex wound care needs.
- 2.Wrote one clear, practice-approved message: what the practice treats, who to contact, how to refer.
- 3.Coordinated professional touchpoints on a steady schedule: in-person introductions, then permission-based follow-up.
- 4.Found the right point of contact at each location and logged their questions and feedback.
iii. What we learned
Referring teams want to know three things: what you treat, who to call, and how to send a patient. They also want to hear it from the same professional contact, regularly. Those two lessons became the four-step program we use now.