Referral Health Snapshot
Referral Trend — Previous 90 Days
199 referrals
▼ Down from 271 (-72, -26.57%)
Referral Trend — YTD YoY
700 referrals
▼ Down from 729 (-29, -3.98%)
Active Referring Providers — Previous 90 Days
89 providers
▼ Down from 113
Key Discussion Topics
- Late-August Storm Disrupted Front Office Operations: A severe weekend storm knocked out the office's internet and server for several days, which forced the team to cancel a number of patients because staff couldn't safely confirm appointment reasons without access to the schedule.
- Production Slowdown Tied To Patient Finances: Both providers are seeing more consults, but production is lagging because many patients can't afford treatment or don't qualify for financing — Austin noted an uptick in patients citing bankruptcy filings as a reason they can't move forward.
- Uneven Provider Engagement On Outreach: Dr. Kreitzer and Dr. Farriol are each averaging only about five referral-source visits recently, well below the ~45 referrals/month benchmark for their in-office days, and Austin described their marketing follow-through as inconsistent despite repeated conversations with leadership.
- Need For Dedicated Treatment-Plan Support: Austin flagged that squeezing in marketing/outreach work around a growing consult load is unsustainable, especially with GG (the cross-trained front-desk support) going on maternity leave soon.
Marketing Initiatives Discussed
- September 24 Referral Open House At Eastside Brewing: An open-house style event from 4:30–6:30 PM with two drink tickets per guest, food truck appetizers, and a raffle (prize tiers to be finalized, replacing last year's $100/$250/$500 gift card structure). No venue minimum or rental cost applies — only food and beverage will be billed to a tab. Of 46 offices emailed on September 1, no RSVPs have been confirmed yet.
- Shift To Physical Event Invitations: Given the weak response to the email invite (roughly 30% open rates industry-wide) and the size of the investment (~$3,500), the recommendation is to move future event invitations to hand-delivered drop-offs, with mail as a backup for larger events.
- Referral Dashboard Review For Targeted Outreach: Walked through the marketing dashboard together, identifying "green" and "yellow" providers who haven't referred in 90+ days (including a notable case, Dr. Quellhorst, at 146 days) so Dr. Kreitzer and Dr. Farriol can prioritize re-engagement visits and lunch and learns.
Wins & Opportunities
Dr. Quellhorst's practice converted all four referred patients at an average case value of $7,000, and Austin's handwritten thank-you notes to indirect referral sources (patients who landed at the practice through insurance rather than a direct referral) are a low-cost way to keep those relationships warm. The September 24 open house also carries no venue rental cost or spending minimum, giving the practice room to right-size the event based on actual RSVPs rather than a fixed budget commitment.
Action Items
| Action | Owner | Due |
|---|
| Call all 46 invited offices to confirm RSVP headcount for the September 24 open house | Austin Pace | This week |
| Decide go/no-go on the open house based on confirmed headcount; if canceling, notify email invitees via email and phone-confirmed offices by phone | Austin Pace & Jayme Monroe | TBD |
| Finalize raffle prize tiers for the open house (replacing last year's gift card structure) | Austin Pace | TBD |
| Share dormant/declining referring-provider list (green & yellow flags) with Dr. Kreitzer and Dr. Farriol to focus outreach efforts | Austin Pace | TBD |
| Look into recent website changes that may be affecting online referral tracking | Jayme Monroe | TBD |
| Raise the practice's need for dedicated PRD support with the VP of Specialty | Jayme Monroe | TBD |
