How to Create a Physical Therapy Referral Pad

Creating a physical therapy referral pad to market your physical therapy business is easy. Thankfully, physical therapy is not a controlled substance so there are no real hard and fast rules around creating these referral pads.

In this article, I will share my best formula for creating a referral pad that generates more new patients. I will also share my secret recipe for mobile therapists who don’t have a brick-and-mortar location to shine a spotlight on your services and step out of obscurity.

* FREE Downloadable Templates at the bottom of this page.

Comparison of a single provider referral pad vs a community referral pad.

* The advantage of a community referral pad is it gives the patient a chance to see your business alongside other local providers. 

Physical Therapy Prescription Pads vs Referral Pads

Both names may mean the same, but collectively the profession is trying to move away from using terminology like “prescribe physical therapy” and towards terms like “refer to physical therapy.”

A physical therapy referral pad or physiotherapy referral pad is the preferred nomenclature for what you are creating.

Do physicians still use referral pads in 2021

Yes! As a physical therapist myself with two clinics in a geographic area where every physician is using an electronic medical record I can tell you that more than 72% of my new patient referrals still present to their physical therapy initial evaluation with a paper referral for PT.

The referral pad functions as more than just a referral. It is a way for physicians to quickly recommend a specific provider. It is a way for physicians to easily hand something tangible to the patient without having to find a printer and worry about networking problems or ink running out.

What are the required elements of a physical therapy referral pad?

There are no required elements, but without the following items, the referral would be useless.

• Patient name
• Patient date of birth
• Reason for the referral
• Recommended frequency and duration
• Referring provider’s name
• Date of the referral

Recommended Ordering Specifications:

• 8.5 x 11 Standard Letter Size Sheets of paper
• 20-lbs or 24-lbs Weight paper
• Black ink
• Pastel or another color
• 30 pages per pad (Some printers have a 50-page minimum)
• Top adhesive location
• Cardboard backing
• Single-sided (Optional double-sided for maps or multiple listings)

Physical Therapy Referral Pad Templates

Physical Therapy Referral Template 1 –

This is a downloadable PDF on which page 1 is the actual referral template and page 2 is a recommended distribution schedule.

Physical Therapy Referral Template 2 –

This is a downloadable PDF on which page 1 is the actual referral template and page 2 is a recommended distribution schedule.

Conclusion:

Marketing is all about getting your name and service in front of the people who need it most. As wonderful as direct-to-consumer marketing is, it will never replace the word of mouth marketing. 

And the most powerful kind of word-of-mouth marketing is the kind that comes from an authority or expert.

When word of mouth marketing comes from a patient’s physician that patient will practically pay any price and overcome any obstacle to do what the doctor recommends.

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