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Hello all, my name is Clare Cropp,

I have been surreptitiously logging on and finding answers to my questions over the last few years at uni. This is an absolutely brilliant site, which I suspect I will spend a lot of time on for the next year. I am now fully qualified and in the first few months of running my own clinic in Hamilton, Scotland.

I have found the society website a great resource, that's where I found the link to DXS Refferral. I have promptly registered at a cost of £30 per year, I thought very cheap for what I believed to be an easy way for all GP's to see my profile.

BUT, now that I am filling out my information I have come across the section 'PRIVATE HEALTH INSURERS ACCREDITED'. It lists 32 different health insurance providers.

Basically, I am trying to find out which providers will accept HCPC registration as adequate criteria for me being a provider, as opposed to having five years experience post uni.

I know BUPA need 5 years experience, whereas Patient Choice is OK with HCPC registration. I am hoping to benefit from some one elses leg work I know.

any advice is very much appreciated : )

 

Hi Claire,

Most of the bigger insurance companies will want the 5-year qualification period I'm afraid.

You might consider registering with linkedin for your GP contacts.
It's free and you can build up a pretty comprehensive CV for others to see.

The problem with a professional body database is that it depends on the GPs visiting the site.
With linkedin you can create your own database and contacts, and if you can find members who are also GP's in your locality you should be able to build up a referral source.

I found it useful in 2012.

 

Thanks very much for the words of wisdom. Linkdin is something I am vaguely familiar with. I'll take the time to get to grips with it.

I may have just learned a £30 lesson. lol

 

Hi Claire,

Just a Monday morning thought........
If you do go the linkedin route could you post your experiences here?
It may be useful for others to see and use.

ATB,

Davidh

 

As you have said Bupa require 5 years experience and then an application process to join their network. Contrary to David's comment, it has not been my experience that any other insurance provider requires or requests this. The only provider which does not cover Podiatry (conservative) to my knowledge is AXA PPP.

In my experience LinkedIn brings very little to the party (other than a further cog in the wheel that is SEO/driving traffic to your main site).

 

There are a couple of other large insurance companies which don't recognise podiatry for conservative treatment. Norwich Union is one (depending on the cover). Strangely PPP can have their arm twisted, again depending on the cover and policy. I have a PPP paed patient at the moment.

Things may have changed recently, and the likes of Cigna may well now cover new grads. Obtain a list from any nearby private hospital and ring each one to find out their eligibility criteria. I have a feeling my previous post is correct, but more info would be useful on this thread.

Linkedin has to be used properly to be effective - no good just sticking your details up in hope.

 

Hi Claire

I am the Communications Officer for the Society of Chiropodists & Podiatrists and mentioned you thread to our Professional and Private Practice Officer Sharon Gray, she advises that you contact each insurance company to obtain their acceptance criteria so that you will then obtain the most up to date and accurate information if you send her an email sg@scpod.org she will be happy to expand further on this subject.

Best regards

Adam

 

Good advice - what I advised in post 6 on this thread. If the SCP don't have a full list you should be able to obtain one from any private hospital.

 

David,

I have a rather firm grasp on social media and online marketing. Perhaps you could enlighten me as to how LinkedIn is "used properly" and how you are managing to make it so useful with just 40 connections?

Admin - perhaps worthy of splitting off for its own thread?

 

I don't mind sharing what I do with Linkedin with other members of this forum Ian.

What I have found successful, and I believe this is key to making linkedin work properly, is to identify those members of linkedin who I can market my services to, rather than trying for hundreds of links who are never going to send me business. Professional and academic links are important, as are business links, but you must link with people who will or can send you business if you want to use linkedin as a marketing tool.

In general PP I would advise that Pods do their homework and find GP's and other referral sources near to them who are linkedin members, and link up wherever possible.
If nothing else linkedin will ensure that their CV is looked at. This is even more important for those Pods in the UK who have jumped through the AQP hoops.
Obviously a good CV is important. Links with Twitter and FB can't hurt either. Linkedin is linked to both, so you only need to post stuff once.
A webpage is important. A blogg is useful. Both can be set up for free.

Online marketing is a huge subject, and I don't claim to know very much about it, much less "have a rather firm grasp on it", but there is some good info available on the web and of course you can try or use it for free.

In my own case I joined linkedin to help me promote my medicolegal work.
Ian has already checked me out on linkedin (it's very easy for anyone to do), and although I don't expect him to send me any work he will have seen my CV, and that a proportion of my links are lawyers and law journalists.

Links lead to webpage and/or blogg visits, (and in my case visits to my Law professional body website profile), enquiries, and work. They could just as easily lead prospective work sources back to a personal profile/entry on, say, the SCP website.

 

So you are using it like the rest of us then ...

In all seriousness, I do agree with you about the quality of connections/links made rather than quantity alone, but as far as building a 'network' goes (and therefore statistically increasing ones chances of generating work) then it does come down to a numbers game for most.

It may of course be slightly different for you (given your own niche/specialism) but I maintain that the average private practitioner will find that LinkedIn generates them very little in the way of direct business. I again agree with you that it may drum up business for you indirectly - it is an effective tool in driving traffic to your main site but that, in my experience, is where it ends (as I said in my first post). I prefer doing my networking on the golf course - and I suspect the GPs/Consultants prefer it too...

Maybe we'll have to agree to disagree on this one, but I just wanted to give an alternative opinion to ensure any private practitioners or new grads reading this thread (who aren't signed up to LinkedIn yet) don't set their expectations too high.

Would be interested to hear from others on here who use LinkedIn (I can think of 5 or 6 I know straight away) and their experiences also. Big revenue generator? Good networking tool? Just good for SEO/weblinks? Or unsure if it brings anything to the party whatsoever?

IG

 

Hi Ian,

Fair enough. If I was a new grad though, I'd be looking at every marketing opportunity out there, and this one has the advantage that it's free.

I'm a recent convert, and it has worked for me so far, but I have been specific in who I have and haven't linked up with, and I've been careful to balance the ratio of possible business referrers with pod and academic colleagues.

Actually, I can't see how playing the numbers game with general Podiatry and linkedin can work.
Most practices are limited by their location. For someone to refer on they or the patient must be local. Therefore to be a successful marketing tool the linkedin contacts must be local.

So today, with 4 inches of snow here and no sign of it stopping I'm in for the day. If I was in general practice I'd probably be waiting for patients or taking cancellations. Good time to look at linkedin and some free advertising I would have thought..........

Be interesting to see any other comments on this topic.

 

hi guys i am aqp qualified i do not have a web site and will definateley not be using linkedin do you honestly think gps have the time to use this rubbish its all word of mouth and relationships i have 18 gps who send me all their referals private and nhs no social media needed just good relationships not virtual relationships . one practice alone has 20/000 pts they generate 2 nail ops per week and 6 referals per week. having an nhs net account is helpfull as you can email each gp in a secure manner also it cuts out the need for alot of paperwork

 

Once again I disagree.

How often do you have patients who are relocating and may require continuation of services/care elsewhere in the country (or world)? I often even see requests here on the arena for recommendations of names/practices in different locations. I'll bet we have all seen people who have travelled from a distance to see us because they were recommended by someone they trusted. In my opinion limiting your marketing to just the local area is selling yourself short.

 

Probably not, but I bet the Practice Manager does. Linkedin oils the wheels and lets people know you're there. At some stage to enter into a successful business relationship there has to be some personal communication - of course.

Not knocking face-to-face and word-of mouth at all. If that is all you do, and it works for you and Ian that's good.

 

no probs got 6 domis to do immediatlly and its snowing here in north wales the gp surgery has shut cos the weather is bad grrrrrrrrrrr brrrrrrrrrrrr.had a load of cancellation this am but hey i get paid for the dnas there is a god.hope you all get home safe. just walked into the practice managers office and asked her if she uses linkedin. guess what she has never even heard of it. i know its only a sample of 1 so not conclusive proof

 

Wait - I didn't know you were in North Wales - do they have the internet up there?

Here in Powys we have five inches of snow and the wind is freshening. If it snows much now there will be some deep drifts for sure.
I had to abandon one vehicle this morning at 7.30am. The other will be staying where it is. Hopefully the snowplough will have been out and I can get the stuck one shifted.

 

David,

Just a few more thoughts on this now I have a bit of time.

With respect to the number of connections on LinkedIn (or any form of social media for that matter), the higher the number you have then (rightly or wrongly) it suggests longevity and being well established. It also increases your chances of sharing connections with others. Networking, by its very nature, is about "Oh, you know Jonesy - I went to school with him!" etc etc

The very point of social media is to BREAK location. That is its beauty/power. A mass audience for a relatively minimal effort. So across any location you can be brought together with others by a common task or interest.

I think it has never been more important to have an online presence. It is also important to have face to face contact with possible sources of referral. Google 'marketing mix'.

Let us also not forget that prospective patients are intelligent and will research where they may want to go (or where they have been referred). In this day and age (depending on the patient demographic you are targeting of course) if you have a nice website, which links to your blog/twitter/facebook/LinkedIn it will build trust and I suspect increase the chances of them booking a consultation. Additionally if they see you have a large network with other professionals it may imply that you are good at what you do (not always true...but thats marketing...)

So in summary:
1. I still don't believe LinkedIn will bring most people significant revenue/patients.
2. I would still encourage people to join it, but as part of a more global 'online presence'
3. If you are in marketing, kill yourself...

 

I think that's the full quote.

I can't see how a high number of linkedin connections can help a private practice.
I know that's what you're meant to do, but I can't see how it can work with a general pod practice. I can see how targetting local individuals will though - GPs, physio's, osteopaths, Age Concern, FHPs etc.

My practice is different, since I see clients from all over England and Wales, and sometimes I don't see them, but report from a box of medical records. I want to reach as many lawyers as possible. I'll be growing my 40 connections this year, but carefully.
I agree that an online presence is important, and I have several points of call which interested parties can visit, one of which is lawyer-specific.

I like linkedin because it gives the individual the opportunity to lay out their CV in a fairly detailed way. And it's free. What they do with it afterwards, and how they use it, is crucial to how successful they will be with it.