Based on 30 years of experience, working in major markets as well as smaller secondary markets, at maturity about 40% of new patients to a regional spine center will come through physician referral.

Prizm stimulates new referrals with a variety of proprietary referral development systems that represent part of its intellectual property.

This includes mail systems, email systems, and other methods of communication, including face-to-face contact. The referral development system documents when contact is made and what communication materials have been distributed to a specific referral source. The system uses a variety of communication materials including but not limited to:

• Multiple copies of the spine center’s Home Remedy Book that are in turn handed out the to physician’s patient base. This connects back pain sufferers directly to the spine center.
• Capabilities brochures that explain how the spine center is different and better than alternatives, and how it emphasizes a non-surgical approach in advance of spine surgery.
• Back to Life Journal the provides an overview of advances in spine treatment, spine surgery, new technologies like artificial disc and how they apply, or not apply, to back and neck pain patients.
• Patient Success Stories that illustrate the many different types of back and neck problems that are resolved non-surgically and surgically through the spine program.
• Clinical Outcome Report Cards document improvement in functional status, high patient satisfaction and return to work. These data-driven tools reposition other competing spine programs that do not report data as merely chest-thumping entities.
  The overall intent of the Prizm referral development system is to position the spine program as the EXPERT SOURCE OF INFORMATION ON BACK AND NECK PAIN in a region.

The system’s effectiveness is based on consistency of communication. Each year, Prizm handles mailings to more than 500,000 referral sources to stimulate patient referrals to its spine centers.

The referral development system involves a referral source database that provide personalized letters to target referral sources, including primary care physicians, chiropractors and various specialties that see back and neck pain patients.

For each spine center Prizm develops a database of more than 5,000 prospective referral sources in a 200 mile radius that are potential targets for communication. This includes physicians organized and sorted by specialty, what materials we’ve sent them historically, if they currently refer, and how much.

The systems are proven to work at creating a regional draw. In some cases, Prizm has doubled the flow of patients into a spine center in only one year. Other start up ventures were able to max out existing spine center staff in only one year.

At maturity, Prizm installs all these systems within the spine program so it can become self sufficient long term.