Hi Ron My first response to your request for feedback is that perhaps you are asking the wrong people. Do you know any doctors? residents? medical students? This is not a problem confined to the US system. What are the patient complaints doctors find it hardest to respond to? What complaints do they not even hear? Do they ever ask questions about how everyday life is going? what is different? Would that patient like some help with that? Do they even understand what your brochure offerings mean? Chances are even if a doc gave you a specific referral for one of them you'd find the underlying problem is something else. I've been following a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation series called White Coat, Black Art for the past several weeks. There are podcasts available if you are enough of a computer geek to access them http://www.cbc.ca/checkup/WhiteCoatCheckup.html. One of them, I think it's the one on errors has interesting research on the way doctors think and questions patients can ask to derail the errors that may result. Doctors generally don't think outside their own box. Dr. Brian Goldman is breath of fresh air although he doesn't answer your immediate problem. The best way to educate them is to have an informed patient ask for an OT referral (don't we wish). I guess the next best way is an approach that puts us inside their box. I'm presently working on a plan to get OT students into a setting where residents are working in the community. Another long range, foundation resource might be Enabling Occupation II just published by CAOT. www.caot.ca . It's expensive and has a very tight copyright statement or I would be tempted to send you some excerpts, especially the section on our participation in the medical model as a translational profession. Our core domain of concern is occupation; our core competency is enabling occupation. Huh? How do we translate that into marketing? You are a pioneer Ron. We love you. Here's hoping you find a doc or docs who are willing to talk about promoting health through occupation. Joan
-----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Ron Carson Sent: Friday, August 03, 2007 11:49 AM To: Ron Carson Subject: Re: [OTlist] Marketing OT Rehab to MD's???? I guess the OTlist really is DEAD or dying. To bad! In years past, this type of message would elicit tons of dialogue. Why even bother, right! ----- Original Message ----- From: Ron Carson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, August 01, 2007 To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Subj: [OTlist] Marketing OT Rehab to MD's???? RC> Hello EVERYONE!! RC> The list has been D E A D!!!!, so let's see if we can't stir up some RC> conversation. Unfortunately for our international members, much of this RC> discussion involves the US health care system. <sorry> RC> For the past three years, I've been in private practice providing ADULT RC> in-home rehab services. I accept Medicare. I have always had a difficult RC> time marketing adult OT services to physicians. In fact, in three years RC> the only direct MD referrals that I've received have been for lymphedema RC> treatment, which is NOT related to being an OT. I have not done a lot of RC> marketing because (1) I can't figure out how to best market my services RC> and (2) the marketing I've done has not been successful (other than for RC> lymphedema treatment). Here's the first question: RC> 1. How is it possible to successfully market ADULT OT services to RC> primary care physicians? ((Please bear in mind that I do NOT specialize RC> in hand/UE treatment. I certainly can treat an UE injury/illness, but RC> that is not how I want to market myself.)) RC> I believe that the profession of PT and outpatient facilities. I am RC> confident that in-home services are a "one up" over traditional RC> outpatient but I can not find a way to market either against or RC> complimentary to the PT profession. FYI, the reason I feel that PT is my RC> competitor is because of nature of providing general rehab. Here's the RC> second question: RC> 2. How can I market OT services as "better" or complimentary to PT RC> services? RC> Now, the caveat to all of this is that when doctor's do not speak the RC> same "language" as OT. So, if I go to a doctor's office and talk with RC> them about occupational deficits, they generally won't understand what RC> I'm saying or if they do, they won't see "functional" deficits as the RC> the problem. Instead, MD's work with medical diagnoses and these are RC> what they see as the problem the needs fixing. Now, the one "functional" RC> area that a doctor may recognize is difficulty walking or falling. RC> Functional mobility is within OT's scope of practice but I am again back RC> to the PT thing. So, here's the third question: RC> 3. How do I build a bridge between a medical doctor and a general rehab RC> occupational therapist? RC> Thanks for reading this long message. And, I REALLY appreciate YOUR help RC> and input!!!! RC> Thanks, RC> Ron RC> -- RC> Ron Carson MHS, OTR/L RC> Hope Therapy Services, LLC RC> www.HopeTherapyServices.com RC> <disclaimer> I hurriedly typed this message [but with a lot of thought] RC> so please forgive typos, grammo's, etc.... -- Options? www.otnow.com/mailman/options/otlist_otnow.com Archive? www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] **************************************************************************** ********** Enroll in Boston University's post-professional Master of Science for OTs Online. Gain the skills and credentials to propel your career. www.otdegree.com/otn **************************************************************************** ********** No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.476 / Virus Database: 269.11.2/933 - Release Date: 8/2/2007 2:22 PM No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.476 / Virus Database: 269.11.2/933 - Release Date: 8/2/2007 2:22 PM -- Options? www.otnow.com/mailman/options/otlist_otnow.com Archive? www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] ************************************************************************************** Enroll in Boston University's post-professional Master of Science for OTs Online. Gain the skills and credentials to propel your career. www.otdegree.com/otn **************************************************************************************
