Influencing decision-making of referring physicians.

As marketing budgets for physician liaison departments increase, health care marketers are being held more accountable for their efforts by managers. Market researchers at The Cleveland Clinic Foundation (CCF) have developed a health care organizational information dissemination model that provides an understanding of how referring physicians choose a referral center for their patients. Interviews with 89 new referring physicians show patient influence and interpersonal media to be the two most influential channels of information. Financial analysis of referrals shows that a true physician referral generates significantly more revenue than a patient-influenced referral. CCF managers and marketers have used the data to understand better the effectiveness of their current programs targeted at physicians.