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I took a 5-year leave from podiatry to work from home and raise our two daughters. My youngest has a serious medical condition and greatly benefited from my being home. She is now in school and I am able to spend more time away from home (although I still feel compelled to be somewhat close and available to her even while she is in school). My original practice of nearly 20 years was a high-volume, multi-office, general/surgical podiatry partnership. My new practice will be very different: a cash-only, mobile podiatric practice providing mainly (but, not exclusively) routine, palliative foot care. I will have no office or staff. I’ve opted-out of Medicare and plan not to accept any 3rd party insurance payments. I’ve purchased only minor malpractice insurance coverage. Although I miss surgery and other aspects of my former practice, I feel that a flexible, bare-bones practice is in my family’s best interest at this point.

I have no grand illusions; I hope to generate a quite modest income from this practice, at best. Since my overhead expenses are very low, I should be able to charge reasonable, affordable fees and spend quality time with my patients. I would greatly appreciate any good marketing ideas for this type of unorthodox practice. My patient demographic is middle class to moderately affluent. While my area is not super-saturated with podiatrists, there certainly is no shortage. I am amenable to providing my services in homes, retirement communities, nursing facilities, or any other non-office based location. The only advertising that I’ve done so far is a 6 x once/week run in our community newspaper—this resulted in an anemic 2 patients. I need better bang-for-the-buck in my marketing.

I plan to introduce my practice to the local visiting nurses and nursing home/retirement village administrators. Should I consider other contact sources? I want to exchange business cards (to be displayed, distributed) with other health care professionals. What type of specialists or businesses would be most productive and amenable to displaying my cards and how should I contact them (in person, by mail)? Would it be at all beneficial to contact or associate with another local podiatrist (i.e. is there any potential symbiotic relationship)? For advertising purposes, I’m having difficulty constructing the best “spin” to put on the fact that my practice is cash-only/no insurance, but affordably priced. Any suggestions? Do you recommend that I advertise my fees? I’ll appreciate any and all suggestions. Thanks.

Hi.
Whilst I spend much time advising Podiatrists and Foot Health Professionals here in the UK to become clinic-based, and get out of the home treatment market, I'm happy to give advice on how to increase your home treatment client base without spending a fortune on advertsing.

Two points to be aware of.
1) Your treatments can only ever be palliative, and therefore repetitive.
2) I know of no better way to give yourself repetitive strain injury.

Having said that, you've made your mind up to go this route, so here's how to build that Practice.

Network. Each Pod in your area must have patients who would be better seen at home. Similarly, you will see pts who may be better seen in a clinic. Make yourself, your services, and your willingness to trade pts known.


Do Talks, Lots of them. Identify and talk to each of your perceived client groups. hand out cards, make yourself and your services known.

Thats about it. Shotgun marketing, which is to say, pay your money, don't bother identifying your markets, and hope for the best rarely works, and can be very expensive. Networking is by far the best way to go.

Regards,
david

As David says networking is ideal. Also, don't just limit yourself to fellow Pods. Think of your client base and any other servies that they may look for and network with those service providers. Family doctors, shoe shops, pharmacists etc

Building relationships is one of the best ways to increase a business.

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David,

Does 'shotgun marketing' include the ads that you ran in the London Evening Standard some years ago? Did you recoup the cost of this advertising?

Barney,

Shotgun marketing is buying advertising space without looking at who the advertising is going to hit, or how it will affect them (will it draw public in, or put them off).

The ads run in the Evening Standard were expensive, but paid off. Here's how:
We are all aware that a high % of public suffer with their feet.
So the ads certainly hit at least some of those sufferers.

The ads by themselves were designed, not to draw people into the Practice, but to write or freephone to request more information. That was sent out as a marketing pack which brought, if memory serves rightly, about a 70% return.

Not by any means a unique idea - help yourself. I suppose if I'd been a little less concientious I could have made some real money, but I like to follow each case through at a fixed (and not £1900 either!) cost. As a matter of fact I still have orders placed by my London patients for more orthoses.


Regards,
david