Referrals are the lifeblood of insurance agencies, so securing them is always a top priority. Agents establish a premium referral pipeline with doctors, dentists, and other medical professionals.
These professionals see people at key moments in life. They’re around telling patients they’re having a child or informing another patient they’re diagnosed with a severe medical condition. Life moments trigger insurance needs, so agents should always be on the lookout for ways to get medical professionals to refer patients your way.
Here’s the game plan.
Tap into Local Medical Networks & Associations
Networking is critical for referrals, so start by finding network groups specific to the medical professionals you want to meet. Many cities have medical networking groups. Find opportunities to support American Medical Association (AMA) and Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) events to gain members’ attention and, eventually, access.
These networking opportunities will be where the medical pros are, and the referrals will follow.
Build Trust First—No Hard Sells
Doctors and medical professionals are hit with sales pitches every day. If you walk in with a business card and a referral request, you’ll stop at the receptionist’s window and never leave the waiting room.
Instead, start by building genuine relationships.
- Research the practice before you go to learn what they focus on, their interests, and their events, so you can offer to help them in an area of concern.
- Ask to meet with the Practice or Business Manager and state that you want to refer patients to them. Let the manager know you want to learn from them and identify which patients fit the practice’s care profile, so you can send them new patients the practice wants.
You can also offer to sponsor a health event that the practice supports. Be a giver, not a taker, to establish a partnership.
Find the Right Fit
Not all medical professionals are ideal referral sources due to their client or patient profiles, so prioritize practices with the most insurance needs. For example:
- Family doctors and pediatricians (health, life, disability insurance)
- Orthopedic surgeons (workers’ comp, disability)
- Dentists (dental and health plans)
- Ophthalmologists and Optometrists (vision and health plans)
- Therapists (mental health coverage, disability)
- Geriatrician (Medicare health plans, life, dental, vision)
Make It Easy for Them
Our previous article discussed the shortage of care providers in these professions, which is why they’re busy. Busy people don’t want extra work, so simplify the referral process:
- Make it digital. Use QR codes or other easy-to-access methods on mobile phones, so you’re easy to contact.
- Provide a simple one-pager they can hand to patients with your contact information.
Become Their Go-To Insurance Resource
Do “Lunch and Learns” for staff to inform them about insurance options patients often ask about, so they can flag their interests and concerns. Many medical professional staff teams don’t fully understand coverage details, so if you can clarify things, they’ll start seeing you as the expert.
This also presents you to staff as an insurance option for their personal needs, depending on their situation, and aligns with your products.
Stay in Their Orbit
Referrals don’t happen overnight, so be persistently helpful. Send more referrals to the office, conduct more “Lunch and Learns” with staff on various insurance topics, and offer more sponsorships for health events or other initiatives the practice supports.
Check in periodically, bring free snacks for staff, and send helpful articles, quick insurance tips, or a thoughtful thank-you gift when they send you their first referral.
Leverage Regulatory Compliance as a Positive
Many doctors are compliance-focused, like insurance agents, especially when they see patients covered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Agents who account for CMS marketing rules in their approach to medical professionals will likely see a more favorable response, as it signals you want to protect their interests in the partnership.
An offer of a co-branded educational piece you pay to produce, like a brochure titled “Understanding Your Insurance Options After a Diagnosis,” with your contact info and theirs, is a good idea.
Getting medical professionals to send you insurance referrals takes patience, a genuine desire to help, and persistence to develop mutually beneficial relationships. Be present, add value to medical professionals’ practices, and make it ridiculously easy for them to connect patients with you.
Agility market managers have done this outreach for years and are happy to share their expertise with you.
Agility ACA, Medicare, Life, and Supplemental product specialists are also available to answer any questions about working with physicians in your product of choice. You can also contact Agility at (866) 590-9771 or email support@enrollinsurance.com to reach the agent support team about maximizing your medical professional referral pipeline and building your agency’s book of business. Agility can also add you to our free weekly email list for tips and vital information!
Do this, and over time, your referral pipeline will grow.
