Hello Joan. Thanks for your reply.
I have asked similiar question on several different forums. Normally, I get no response. I do not personally know any doctors. I've written many times that I don't think occupation is a good fit with medicine. Looks like I finding out first hand just how true this is. Thanks for the heads up about Enabling Occupation II. According to CAOT's site, the book is almost $100.00 (Canadian). I feel really stuck because I want to market occupation but I don't think I can successfully do it. Instead, I market my services (which of course relate to occupation) but it's not quite the same. You know, it seems so ironic that OT is approaching 100 years in this country and we still can NOT easily and successfully market our primary domain of concern. But I guess that a topic for another thread. Ron -- "In the United States, occupational therapy is ideally suited to meet the health needs of people of all ages." [Fred Somers, AJOT, April, 2005] "The part of convalescence that I found most profoundly humiliating and depressing was [OT]... I was reduced to playing with brightly colored plastic letters ... like a three-year-old..." [AJOT, April, 2005, p. 231] ----- Original Message ----- From: Joan Riches <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, August 03, 2007 To: OTlist@OTnow.com <OTlist@OTnow.com> Subj: [OTlist] Marketing OT Rehab to MD's???? JR> Hi Ron JR> My first response to your request for feedback is that perhaps you are JR> asking the wrong people. Do you know any doctors? residents? medical JR> students? This is not a problem confined to the US system. What are the JR> patient complaints doctors find it hardest to respond to? What complaints do JR> they not even hear? Do they ever ask questions about how everyday life is JR> going? what is different? Would that patient like some help with that? Do JR> they even understand what your brochure offerings mean? Chances are even if JR> a doc gave you a specific referral for one of them you'd find the underlying JR> problem is something else. JR> I've been following a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation series called White JR> Coat, Black Art for the past several weeks. There are podcasts available if JR> you are enough of a computer geek to access them JR> http://www.cbc.ca/checkup/WhiteCoatCheckup.html. One of them, I think it's JR> the one on errors has interesting research on the way doctors think and JR> questions patients can ask to derail the errors that may result. Doctors JR> generally don't think outside their own box. Dr. Brian Goldman is breath of JR> fresh air although he doesn't answer your immediate problem. JR> The best way to educate them is to have an informed patient ask for an OT JR> referral (don't we wish). I guess the next best way is an approach that puts JR> us inside their box. JR> I'm presently working on a plan to get OT students into a setting where JR> residents are working in the community. JR> Another long range, foundation resource might be Enabling Occupation II just JR> published by CAOT. www.caot.ca . It's expensive and has a very tight JR> copyright statement or I would be tempted to send you some excerpts, JR> especially the section on our participation in the medical model as a JR> translational profession. JR> Our core domain of concern is occupation; our core competency is enabling JR> occupation. Huh? How do we translate that into marketing? You are a pioneer JR> Ron. JR> We love you. Here's hoping you find a doc or docs who are willing to talk JR> about promoting health through occupation. JR> Joan JR> -----Original Message----- JR> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf JR> Of Ron Carson JR> Sent: Friday, August 03, 2007 11:49 AM JR> To: Ron Carson JR> Subject: Re: [OTlist] Marketing OT Rehab to MD's???? JR> I guess the OTlist really is DEAD or dying. To bad! JR> In years past, this type of message would elicit tons of dialogue. JR> Why even bother, right! JR> ----- Original Message ----- JR> From: Ron Carson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> JR> Sent: Wednesday, August 01, 2007 JR> To: OTlist@OTnow.com <OTlist@OTnow.com> JR> Subj: [OTlist] Marketing OT Rehab to MD's???? RC>> Hello EVERYONE!! RC>> The list has been D E A D!!!!, so let's see if we can't stir up some RC>> conversation. Unfortunately for our international members, much of this RC>> discussion involves the US health care system. <sorry> RC>> For the past three years, I've been in private practice providing ADULT RC>> in-home rehab services. I accept Medicare. I have always had a difficult RC>> time marketing adult OT services to physicians. In fact, in three years RC>> the only direct MD referrals that I've received have been for lymphedema RC>> treatment, which is NOT related to being an OT. I have not done a lot of RC>> marketing because (1) I can't figure out how to best market my services RC>> and (2) the marketing I've done has not been successful (other than for RC>> lymphedema treatment). Here's the first question: RC>> 1. How is it possible to successfully market ADULT OT services to RC>> primary care physicians? ((Please bear in mind that I do NOT specialize RC>> in hand/UE treatment. I certainly can treat an UE injury/illness, but RC>> that is not how I want to market myself.)) RC>> I believe that the profession of PT and outpatient facilities. I am RC>> confident that in-home services are a "one up" over traditional RC>> outpatient but I can not find a way to market either against or RC>> complimentary to the PT profession. FYI, the reason I feel that PT is my RC>> competitor is because of nature of providing general rehab. Here's the RC>> second question: RC>> 2. How can I market OT services as "better" or complimentary to PT RC>> services? RC>> Now, the caveat to all of this is that when doctor's do not speak the RC>> same "language" as OT. So, if I go to a doctor's office and talk with RC>> them about occupational deficits, they generally won't understand what RC>> I'm saying or if they do, they won't see "functional" deficits as the RC>> the problem. Instead, MD's work with medical diagnoses and these are RC>> what they see as the problem the needs fixing. Now, the one "functional" RC>> area that a doctor may recognize is difficulty walking or falling. RC>> Functional mobility is within OT's scope of practice but I am again back RC>> to the PT thing. So, here's the third question: RC>> 3. How do I build a bridge between a medical doctor and a general rehab RC>> occupational therapist? RC>> Thanks for reading this long message. And, I REALLY appreciate YOUR help RC>> and input!!!! RC>> Thanks, RC>> Ron RC>> -- RC>> Ron Carson MHS, OTR/L RC>> Hope Therapy Services, LLC RC>> www.HopeTherapyServices.com RC>> <disclaimer> I hurriedly typed this message [but with a lot of thought] RC>> so please forgive typos, grammo's, etc.... JR> -- JR> Options? JR> www.otnow.com/mailman/options/otlist_otnow.com JR> Archive? JR> www.mail-archive.com/otlist@otnow.com JR> **************************************************************************** JR> ********** JR> Enroll in Boston University's post-professional Master of Science for OTs JR> Online. Gain the skills and credentials to propel your career. JR> www.otdegree.com/otn JR> **************************************************************************** JR> ********** JR> No virus found in this incoming message. JR> Checked by AVG Free Edition. JR> Version: 7.5.476 / Virus Database: 269.11.2/933 - Release Date: 8/2/2007 JR> 2:22 PM JR> JR> No virus found in this outgoing message. JR> Checked by AVG Free Edition. JR> Version: 7.5.476 / Virus Database: 269.11.2/933 - Release Date: 8/2/2007 JR> 2:22 PM JR> -- Options? www.otnow.com/mailman/options/otlist_otnow.com Archive? www.mail-archive.com/otlist@otnow.com ************************************************************************************** Enroll in Boston University's post-professional Master of Science for OTs Online. Gain the skills and credentials to propel your career. www.otdegree.com/otn **************************************************************************************
