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Orthopedic surgeons may write a lot of meds for patients who may not be candidates for our medicine. Remember that one definition of chronic pain is pain that’s outlived its usefulness.
If the injury hurts during the expected recovery process, even if that process takes months, it’s not chronic pain.
If the injury has healed, and physical therapy and occupational therapy are over, and it still hurts all day every day and affects function, it could be chronic pain.
Here are some probes to help ensure you invest your time with the right customers with the right patients.
Whether it’s your first or twenty-first call, try something like
“Tell me about your use of this class. How long do you usually treat a patient’s pain after you perform surgery?”
If the answer is something like “As long as it takes,” then find out what that means. These could be your patients. They could be on the short-acting meds they got post-op, and they want to go back to work. If it’s time for a change, probe to help the doc make it.
If the answer is something like “Only as long as the expected recovery period” ask
“What happens next?”
If the answer is something like “I refer them out,” find out to whom they refer. Then ask
“Can you think of any patients still in your practice who are past that expected recovery period and are still taking short-acting meds for what’s now a long-term problem?”
Wait for the response, then continue
“The reason I ask is I have something that improves physical, social, emotional function, improves sleep [show the charts on the visual aid] and reduces pain scores, but I want to be sure you have patients who need it."
Proceed according to need.
“It sounds like you do. You’ll be glad to see____.”
“Let me know who you refer them to, and they’ll be taken care of.”
Rationale for this approach
You prevent spinning your wheels.
You respect their time.
You establish yourself as interested in them.
They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care is a cliche for a reason. Probing gets the customer engaged, positions you as more than just another rep, and gets you the information you need to make a difference.
Copyright Sherilyn George