Step #10 Toward Being Trusted Facilities Where Physicians Refer Their Patients [Connecting Health Clubs to Healthcare Series]

Research conducted at the Harvard School of Public Health between May 2019 and February 2020 compiled data from physicians about characteristics of health & fitness centers/exercise professionals that they trust to refer their patients. Step #10 of a 10-step roadmap for health & fitness centers toward being trusted facilities where physicians refer their patients is:

Facilitate peer-to-peer physician trainings with repeat referrers

Physicians who have personal familiarity with a facility have the potential to become champions for the facility. They are also more likely to become repeat referrers. Create opportunities where physicians can share their experiences referring patients to your facility with other physicians.

They started getting a couple physician champions on board that they noticed would come to the facility, and then those physicians would trust in us and get the word out to other physicians. Exercise Professional

Bantham, A. (2020). Perspectives on Exercise Prescriptions/Referrals and Patient Exercise Behavior Change: A Mixed Methods Study of Physicians and Exercise Professionals (Doctoral dissertation).