SironaHealth's Medical Call Center Blog

A strong website presence is essential to the success of any hospital physician referral strategy. Still, while many hospitals have launched on-line physician referral programs, some continue to have lackluster results due to poor website design, an unclear process for finding the right physician, and little-to-no integration with their call center. To help ensure your hospital is making the most of your on-line programs, we've outlined five website "best practices" which, if integrated into your website, will be sure to increase your on-line referrals.

Clear Navigation - The "Find a Doctor" section of your website needs to be easily accessible, no matter where a visitor is on your site. Place a link on your website's main navigation menu (which is displayed on each page of your website) so that visitors can navigate to your physician referral section at any time.

Easy to Use Search Forms - Successful web-based physician referral programs utilize simple search forms. By making the physician search function easy to use, you greatly increase the likelihood your visitors will convert. We recommend using drop down menus and free text fields.

Example of search form format:

*Tip: Offer a shorter version of this form right on your homepage, allowing visitors to begin their physician search as soon as they hit your website. 

Driving Directions - Use Google Maps or Yahoo!'s Map Quest to provide visitors with turn-by-turn driving directions to each of your locations. Location is an important factor for many patients when selecting a doctor -- the goal is to make it as easy as possible for patients to find your facilities. 

Speak with a Referral Coordinator - The most important element to any successful physician referral strategy is the seamless integration between the hospital's website and call center. Not every healthcare consumer will want to find a doctor via your website, nor will you be able to cross-sell relevant health classes and events on-line as effectively as you can through your contact center. Providing a clear message on how to speak with a referral coordinator is essential:

1. Display the toll-free number to your physician referral service as often as possible.
2. Provide a clear call-to-action to contact your hospital at the end of each physician profile.
3. Offer a "call-back" option that allows visitors to schedule a call from a referral specialist.

As a professional health contact center, we help hospitals and health systems develop profitable physician referral programs that utilize both the call center and the web. By incorporating the website elements listed above, you significantly increase the likelihood your web visitors will turn into new patients and return to your hospital's website in the future.