NEWARK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Word-of-mouth referrals are the most powerful source of new patients for healthcare providers. Yet 75% of patients who receive a physician referral will search online first rather than making an appointment.

To help bridge this gap, a new startup company, SRL Group, is developing software and professional services to help medical practices increase and measure new-patient acquisition from word-of-mouth referrals.

Increasing New Patient Referrals

“Physicians today are facing online reputation and web technology issues that aren’t taught in medical school,” said Jose Espinoza, CEO. “SRL Group is the quarterback for medical practices to achieve measurable business outcomes and accelerate practice growth.”

One example, according to Espinoza, is word-of-mouth referrals. Referrals have little incremental cost versus online advertising, and often result in higher case acceptance rates. Medical practices with robust referral programs often spend less on marketing.

In addition, a poor online reputation (from missing information or bad reviews) can deter a patient from seeking care, even when the caregiver is recommended by a friend or family member.

To solve these issues, SRL Group offers both professional consulting services and proprietary software:

• A platform to generate more online reviews from existing patients.
• Premium listings on top healthcare websites.
• Concierge service to publish a single digital CV on top healthcare and local business websites.
• Fast, mobile-friendly websites with authoritative patient information on 8,000 medical conditions.
• Software to track phone calls from marketing channels and match them to new patients.

In the first quarter of 2019, the company will introduce proprietary software to encourage patients to make referrals to friends and family members.

Accepted to New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) Enterprise Development Center

SRL Group recently joined NJIT’s Enterprise Development Center incubator in its 2018 cohort.

“The NJIT EDC provides health tech-focused startups like SRL Group with a strong launch pad for maximum success,” said Simon Nynens, EDC’s Executive Director.

“EDC is the best place to launch our new company,” added Espinoza. “We’re excited to access all that NJIT has to offer: convenient facilities, skilled student interns and deep mentoring opportunities from other EDC companies and NJIT alumni.”