“NEW YORK, Dec. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Phreesia, the patient check-in company, has found that 50 percent of new patients in physicians’ office are referred by family and friends. Phreesia, which checks in millions of patients each year, surveyed a random sampling of 50,000 new patients from 500 practices across the United States in order to provide medical practices with critical data about their referral patterns and patient engagement. The results will help doctors make more informed decisions about how to increase patient satisfaction and, in turn, attract new patients.

“Phreesia’s study was conducted from September 2009 through November 2011. Major findings include:

• Fifty percent of new patients were referred by friends and family of established patients. Physician referrals drove 24 percent of all new-patient referrals. However, significant differences emerged between primary care and specialist practices; only 14 percent of referrals to PCP offices were from other physicians, compared to 40 percent of referrals to specialists’ practices.
• Internet searches, including Google and other search sites, drove 10 percent of referrals.
• Referrals from insurance providers fueled 10 percent of patient referrals.
• The remaining 6 percent of referrals were attributed to the practice’s location, as well as listings in phonebooks and newspapers.”