Problem:
Outpatient nutrition counseling is offered by registered, licensed dietitians for individuals wanting to improve their health through better nutrition. Registered dietitians are experts in nutrition counseling. They provide accurate and current nutrition information and teach patients how to apply it in their lives, and they also work closely with physicians by providing patient reports. Dietary programs can be designed on an individual basis to meet each patient's personal needs. Some common reasons patients may visit a registered dietitian are nutrition for pregnancy, gestational diabetes, pediatric nutrition, weight loss or gain, diabetes, hypoglycemia, hypertension, heart disease, and kidney failure. While it is possible for patients to refer themselves to a dietitian, outpatient nutrition clinics depend on physician referrals for the majority of their appointments. At Fairhaven Medical Center, the dietitian staff noticed a declining number of referrals for outpatient nutrition counseling in 1999. They did a complete evaluation of the outpatient program, surveyed patients receiving the service, and determined the need to adjust the way nutrition information was presented to the patients. A new dietitian with an extensive background in nutrition counseling was hired, and all of the Center physicians were made aware of the change via the monthly physician newsletter. The next strategy was to increase physician awareness of the programs offered by our outpatient dietitian.
With the help of a marketing representative from the Center and a good brainstorming session, several good ideas were produced regarding ways to reach the physicians. After reviewing the Center's physician directory, the dietitians produced a list of doctors most likely to refer patients based on the nature of their medical specialty. Marketing efforts were targeted toward these physicians. The marketing representative contacted each of the specified physician offices and requested five-minute appointments with the physician, outpatient dietitian, and marketing representative. Some physicians agreed to the appointments, while others did not. A meeting was convened between the dietitian staff and the marketing representative. The team wanted to come up with a creative way to educate physicians who were new to the outpatient dietitian services while thanking physicians who were currently referring patients to our outpatient dietitian. After brainstorming for some time, we put a formal plan into place.
Questions:
Q1. What types of services does an outpatient dietitian provide?
Q2. What are some ways to increase physician awareness of the services provided by a registered dietitian? List two creative ways that outpatient nutrition counseling can be marketed to physicians.
Q3. How might you thank those physicians who do use the service?