Reimagining Physician Engagement

Insights from the Marketing to Physicians Summit

This month’s Physician Relations Summit brought together healthcare professionals from across the country to discuss one of the most persistent and evolving challenges in the field: how to effectively market to physicians and demonstrate the strategic value of physician relations programs.

Rather than a traditional lecture, the session embraced a collaborative format, fostering an open dialogue among attendees. What emerged was a candid and insightful exploration of data utilization, relationship-building, and the growing impact of technology on physician outreach.

Framing the Strategic Value of Physician Relations

The summit opened with a discussion on justifying the role of physician relations within larger healthcare organizations—especially when it comes to securing budget allocation. A consistent theme was the importance of linking relationship-building efforts to measurable outcomes. Participants shared successful approaches such as tracking referral volumes, analyzing revenue growth in targeted zip codes, and presenting case mix index improvements as evidence of return on investment.

Yet, many also acknowledged ongoing struggles with data integrity and infrastructure. Some organizations are still fighting to embed mandatory referral fields in electronic health records, while others face the challenge of standardizing referral tracking across systems like Epic and Athena. Attendees highlighted the importance of engaging schedulers and frontline staff in these efforts to ensure data quality and usability.

Segmenting and Targeting: Marketing with Precision

The discussion turned toward segmentation strategies used to personalize outreach. One notable example involved categorizing referring physicians into tiers based on engagement and volume—ranging from inactive to highly loyal referrers. Tailoring marketing intensity accordingly, particularly in the “middle” categories where opportunity for growth is highest, was seen as a critical strategy.

Participants agreed that while personalization is important, it must be balanced with maintaining brand consistency and avoiding overcomplication. Several teams reported success using platforms like Salesforce and Marketware to align marketing efforts with referral data and targeting insights.

Technology’s Role in Modern Physician Outreach

While faxes still dominate in some areas, many organizations are slowly transitioning to more efficient, trackable channels like online referral forms and AI-supported email campaigns. These tools offer cleaner data collection, reduced errors, and quicker turnaround times for referrals—benefits that are hard to ignore in a competitive healthcare landscape.

However, attendees also recognized that technology must enhance, not replace, the personal relationships that remain central to physician engagement. Some regions, particularly in the Midwest, emphasized the continued importance of face-to-face interactions and the credibility that comes from being a known, trusted liaison.

Referral Retention and Reengagement Tactics

Another major discussion thread focused on maintaining and reviving referral relationships. When referrals wane, understanding the “why” is the first step—whether it’s due to internal operational issues, shifts in payer networks, or competitor partnerships. Attendees shared success stories of using direct communication, performance data, and outreach from physician peers to regain trust and engagement.

Many emphasized the foundational importance of access and communication: making referrals seamless, appointments prompt, and keeping referrers informed throughout the patient’s journey.

Effective Channels and Survey Strategies

To conclude, the group explored which channels and tactics have the most impact. While digital tools like email and surveys are commonly used, their effectiveness varies. Some attendees reported greater success with text-based outreach and QR codes, especially for survey participation. Incentives and endorsements from internal physician leaders also helped boost response rates.

Organizations conducting physician satisfaction surveys were advised to focus on brevity, timing, and clarity in messaging. Multiple reminders and rotating senders (e.g., different department heads) were cited as effective techniques to increase engagement.

How Endeavor Can Help

Strategic Marketing Frameworks for Physician Engagement
Endeavor provides customized strategic marketing plans specifically focused on physician audiences. Drawing on decades of healthcare expertise, Endeavor helps organizations:

• Segment and tier referring physicians based on engagement, opportunity, and loyalty.
• Develop audience-specific messaging and campaign strategies aligned with organizational goals.
• Implement scalable outreach programs that balance personalization with efficiency.

This includes crafting tailored content and digital campaigns for physician tiers—from high-value referrers to at-risk or disengaged providers—using both 1:1 and 1:many communication models.

Referral Analytics & Measurement Tools
Endeavor helps health systems establish and refine referral tracking processes by:

• Advising on Epic and Athena configurations to improve data capture
  (e.g., mandatory referring provider fields).
• Integrating referral and claims data with CRM and marketing automation systems (e.g., Salesforce, Marketware).
• Creating dashboards and KPIs that demonstrate ROI and justify investment in physician relations programs.

Whether organizations are starting from scratch or seeking to upgrade reporting sophistication, Endeavor can design sustainable, insights-driven frameworks.

Operational Enablement and Liaison Team Support
Endeavor works directly with liaison teams to:

• Train field reps on data interpretation, outreach strategies, and cross-functional coordination.
• Optimize workflows between marketing, access, and scheduling departments to reduce friction and strengthen the referral experience.
• Provide best practice templates for account plans, conversation guides, and referral reactivation strategies.

This hands-on support ensures liaisons are equipped not just with data—but with a tactical roadmap for influencing physician behavior.

Digital and Experience-Led Transformation
Endeavor supports organizations looking to modernize the physician experience through:

• Designing and deploying digital referral hubs and branded online intake forms.
• Recommending and integrating AI-driven tools for content generation and marketing automation.
• Conducting audits of referral processes and technology touchpoints to reduce bottlenecks and improve access.

Endeavor’s focus is on making physician engagement as easy, intuitive, and trackable as possible—especially as expectations shift with newer generations of providers.

Voice of the Referrer Programs
Endeavor assists in designing and executing physician surveys and feedback loops that:

• Surface barriers to referral and opportunities for improvement.
• Benchmark satisfaction and loyalty over time.
• Link survey insights to strategic action plans and engagement strategies.

From survey design to post-campaign interpretation, Endeavor ensures the voice of the physician informs system-wide decisions.

Why It Matters

In a landscape of increasing consolidation, physician loyalty and ease of referral are differentiators. Endeavor helps healthcare organizations turn physician relations into a measurable strategic advantage—grounded in data, enabled by technology, and delivered with empathy.

Whether building a program from the ground up or optimizing an established one, Endeavor provides the structure, insights, and tools needed to move physician engagement from transactional to transformational.

Make sure to attend next month’s summit.