I am writing to you on behalf of my employer. He has asked me to inquire about whether you have any statistics on marketing budget expenditures. For example, what is the success rate for patient re-activation with re-call letters, birthday cards etc. My doctor wants to be very clear about what works and where he should be investing money and time. I look forward to your reply.

My Response:

There are no clear patterns that have emerged over the years. Reactivations are a function of so many details irrespective of the method used. For example. How was the patient treated when they tried to extricate themselves from care? Has the office been in contact with the inactive patient via newsletters and other low-pressure overtures to maintain a relationship--or will the reactivation attempts come from out of the blue? What is the underlying motive or intention of conducting the reactivation or recall? I could go on. The point is, different things work differently for different offices. The key is to do some tests. Record the results. And turn what works best into a consistent protocol.

Bill