SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., March 28, 2017 -- Today Doximity, the leading social network for physicians and advanced practice clinicians, announced that Ochsner Health System has leveraged Doximity’s hospital marketing platform to reach and build connections with new referring clinicians. In its first year with Doximity, the Louisiana-based system saw referrals from more than 50 new physicians, and among the referrals were a liver transplant and a complex heart valve procedure. In addition, most of these referrals came from regions with historically low referral rates to Ochsner.
“Our goal is to help clinicians find the right sub-specialist for the right case, and to do so, they need to be aware of the physicians and institutions performing certain procedures,” said Dr. Peter Alperin, vice president of Hospital Solutions at Doximity. “By giving hospitals a way to help their physicians market themselves, they can build their networks and subsequently their referral base — a win for all involved.”
Doximity’s Colleague Connect helps hospitals dramatically expand and strengthen referral networks. Too often, primary care physicians looking for specialty care for their patients may not realize what services are available in their own backyard. Doximity helps hospital partners provide better insight into high-quality, convenient care options, resulting in a win for both patients and providers alike. Hospitals can also place sponsored content highlighting their strengths into the DocNews newsfeed, enabling them to reach local physicians quickly and strategically.
“Our partnership with Doximity enables us to engage in an ongoing conversation with referring physicians in a way we haven't been able to before,” said Dr. Richard Milani, Chief Clinical Transformation Officer at Ochsner Health System. “Doctors receiving the right message at the right time means more patients getting the appropriate care from the best experts, when they need it the most.”
In April 2015, Ochsner launched the Colleague Connect platform, selecting top physicians from a broad range of specialties to serve as brand ambassadors for the system. Ochsner develops personalized, quarterly messages with each physician in the program, highlighting clinical expertise, new procedures, recent publications, upcoming presentations and other items of interest to potential referring physicians. Using Doximity’s unique platform, Ochsner can match its messages to the most appropriate local physicians, based on clinical background, social connections, geography, board certification and hospital affiliation.
“Ochsner is one of the largest independent health systems in the U.S., and we’re deeply honored to be working with them,” said Jeff Tangney, CEO of Doximity. “With over 600,000 physicians on our network, it’s a transformational vehicle for promoting Ochsner’s world-class specialists and the results of their work. Knowing that ultimately, we’re helping patients connect to some of the best treatment centers available to them is a big part of what gets us up in the morning.”
Within the first few months of the program, Dr. Nigel Girgrah, Chairman of Gastroenterology and Hepatology and Medical Director of the Multi-Organ Transplant Institute at Ochsner, shared a response he received from a Doximity member. This physician appreciated the background she had received on his program, and let him know that she had a tough transplant evaluation she wanted to send to him immediately.
“It is important to share our capabilities, such as highly specialized care with some of the best outcomes in the nation, with referring physicians, so we can work together to develop an appropriate care plan for each patient ,” said Donny Lawrence, Assistant Vice President of Regional Growth and Development at Ochsner. “We are always seeking solutions to more efficiently communicate the incredible care options our patients have close to home.”
Over 30 hospitals, including Ochsner, are currently working with Doximity to improve knowledge and awareness of their advanced clinical services and expand their referral networks.
For a white paper detailing Ochsner's referral results, visit http://hospitals.doximity.com. Or, feel free to email hospitals@doximity.comto learn more about Doximity’s Hospital Solutions.
About Ochsner Health System
Ochsner Health System is Louisiana’s largest non-profit, academic, healthcare system. Driven by a mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate, coordinated clinical and hospital patient care is provided across the region by Ochsner's 30 owned, managed and affiliated hospitals and 75 health centers. Ochsner is the only Louisiana hospital recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a “Best Hospital” across three specialty categories caring for patients from all 50 states and more than 80 countries worldwide each year. Ochsner employs more than 17,000 employees and over 1,100 physicians in over 90 medical specialties and subspecialties, and conducts more than 600 clinical research studies. Ochsner Health System is proud to be a tobacco-free environment. For more information, please visit ochsner.org and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.