This is where you come in with your search engine optimized website. After a search for great doctors in their local area, your website pops up in the first through third position and you now have a new patent to care for.
That is the ideal situation, but it doesn’t happen often. This is because great doctors have not so great websites. These websites are difficult for search engines to rank, or even discover. They have little to no metadata, and no social media presence or blog to connect them with potential patients. So these potential patients continue to wander around online until they just pick someone and make an appointment whether or not that was the best choice for them.
I know that is a discouraging scenario but not to worry, those problems can be solved and then you will be well on your way to allowing potential patients to see you in your best light.