A four-clinic physical therapy group added a direct-access booking channel that no longer depends entirely on physician referrals.
Meridian's four clinics relied almost entirely on physician referrals for new patients. When referral volume dipped, so did the schedule, and there was no owned channel to fill the gap. Patients who did find them online usually called during business hours, played phone tag, and a share never rebooked after missing the callback.
Leadership wanted a direct-access channel that didn't compete with referral relationships, but gave the clinics a second, more predictable source of new patients.
The friction wasn't demand. It was everything between clicking an ad and getting on the calendar.
Campaigns were built per clinic location, targeting the surrounding neighborhoods rather than one broad regional radius.
Ads pointed straight to a self-scheduling booking calendar for each clinic, removing the call-and-wait step entirely.
An automated reminder and rebooking sequence brought back a meaningful share of patients who missed their first slot.
Referrals are still the largest source of patients, but direct-access bookings now smooth out the slow months.
"We were nervous a paid channel would feel out of place next to our referral relationships. It didn't. It just gave us a second, more predictable way to fill the schedule, and patients like being able to book a slot themselves at 9pm instead of waiting for a callback."
A 30-minute audit, no pitch attached.