While there is no “secret sauce” to recruiting new surgeons, the following are a few tips that have proven to be successful and effective. The best advice I could give anyone trying to bring new physicians to their center is to infuse integrity and diligent follow through with all efforts. Gaining and retaining new business relationships is all about building rapport and trust.

1. Ask for leads from physician partners. This may be obvious, but it still bears repeating. Peer-to-peer relationships are the best. Ask physicians at your ASC for names of surgeons who might be interested in new opportunities or the names of new physicians just coming out of residency programs. When you call the prospective physician, be sure to use your physician as a reference.

2. Talk with the device company reps. Device company representatives spend a great deal of time with their surgeon clients. Ask them if they are aware of physicians who are looking for a different option for their cases.

3. Pound the pavement. Even though online resources can be used for a great deal of market research, it is still important and effective to walk into buildings in the medical community to see if there are new doctors in the market. Many practices still do not have websites, so this is a great way to make sure the market has been covered thoroughly. Also, personal visits can often times give you additional intelligence that can’t be found online.

4. Continue to pursue physicians at other centers. Even when physicians are investors in another facility, the non-compete clause usually only bars them from investing in another ASC, not from performing cases there. Frequently, surgeons need another ASC due to insurance or other reasons If you have something new to offer that your competition doesn’t have, this is a perfect time to open the door again for potential business.

5. Prepare for the visit. Before visiting prospective surgeons, conduct research on them in order to ask pertinent questions. Conduct online searches, visit physician websites, and, when possible consult other sources. Try to prepare an agenda to keep the visit focused and productive.

6. Be pleasant not pushy. When visiting a surgeon, it is always good to begin with pleasantries and small talk to break the ice. However, once the conversation has started, it is better to get down to business and respect their time.

7. Listen to the surgeon's needs. A common mistake is not listening to what the surgeon is saying at that initial meeting. Allowing the surgeon to talk first will help keep the agenda focused. From there, it will be more obvious what your ASC has to offer the surgeon. After all, you know your ASC better than anyone!

8. Get email addresses. This is a good practice since many physicians prefer communicating this way. Physicians who use email tend to communicate late in the evening and even on weekends. However, it’s always best to ensure that physicians do plan to check their email periodically. If they do not email regularly, find their preferred method of communication for best results.

9. Follow-up on the visit. Send a hand-written thank you note. These cards are noticed because, in today’s world, taking the time to thank someone in a card is a rarity. There is a fine line between persistence and being a bother. Once they have a credentialing package, allow a week before following up. Offering them a tour of the ASC is the next step. It helps to ensure that their first case goes smoothly if they know first-hand what the center has to offer them, especially in terms of work flow.

10. Throw out the welcome mat. When physicians decide to try out the center and arrive for their first case, make sure everything runs smoothly. It is particularly impressive to hand the new surgeon a greeting card signed by the entire staff. It is even more appreciated when it includes a Starbucks gift card. It’s important to set yourselves apart from your competitors and the little things do make a difference.