AAAOM on Networking with Medical Providers to Grow a Practice

The American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine's (AAAOM) Joshua Saul, LAc. and Andy Rosenfarb, LAc. put together a helpful video for acupuncturists looking to grow their practice.

Joshua Saul is an acupuncturist in Atlanta, Georgia. Josh received his MAcOM from AOMA: Graduate School of Integrative Medicine. He's also the Student Organization President for AAAOM.

Andy Rosenfarb practices acupuncture in Westfield, New Jersey. He earned his MAOM from Pacific College of Oriental Medicine. Andy is on the board of directors of AAAOM and on their practice management committee.

As part of the AAAOM practice management committee, they are putting together a series of videos to give the acupuncture community actionable advice on growing their practice. Today's we're featuring a talk about how to approach and network with other medical providers. We’ve highlighted some of the main points from the video in the blog post.

How do I reach medical doctors for referrals?

Start by targeting specific healthcare professionals in your community. The "target" physicians are the one who are open to acupuncture and alternative medicine.
A few suggestions on how to reach medical doctors are:

1. Help get your patients to talk to their doctors about you
2. Identify & target the doctors in your area
   
   Steps to targeting doctors:
1. Google "general medicine physicians" for your specific town to create a master list
2. Call each of these providers on your master list
3. Speak to the doctor directly, or their assistant
4. Tell them: "I am looking for physicians in this area interested in crating referral relationships"

Tip: Be prepared for a lot of no's. That's ok! It only takes one yes to impact your practice!

How do I show up to the meeting in a way where they will want to refer to me? Also, as an acupuncturist, how do I help them?

Approach with the mentality that you are there to build a long term relationship and start with giving before receiving.
"It's not what can they do for us, but what can WE do for THEM. First thing we want to do is GIVE."
Tip: Do NOT ask for referrals. Initial meeting should be about GATHERING information, not providing it.

What materials should I bring to the meeting?

The first meeting is for building a relationship, so you will not bring any materials. 
Tip: This meeting is not about GETTING referrals, it is about BUILDING a relationship.
If you enjoyed this video, you can email comments and questions to the AAAOM Practice Management Committee at pmc@aaaomonline.org.

As always, I love to hear from you. Feel free to drop me a line. You can reach me at mintotsai@jasminepm.com.

Minto Tsai
Founder