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How to get more ACL injury patients: a plan for orthopedic and sports medicine practices

An empty, bright consultation room at an orthopedic and sports medicine practice

Adults call about a new knee injury, a knee that pops, swells or gives way, a consult request or a follow-up visit. This guide covers ACL injury in orthopedic and sports medicine practices; knee arthroscopy, meniscus tear and sports injury have their own guides. The orthopedic or sports medicine clinician or the treating clinician (the clinician below) evaluates the patient and decides the plan, including whether and which procedure is needed.

In short

  • Speak to active adults with a hurt knee in plain words, without blame.
  • Keep landing pages simple: symptoms, evaluation, clinician, price, one way to book.
  • Book the visit with a short script that never names a treatment.
  • Relay the MedlinePlus contact lines whole, then tell the clinical team.
  • Follow up with consent, without pressure, and track each request.
  1. SearchAn adult looks for care near them.
  2. Your pageWhat you treat, who sees them, one way to book.
  3. Call or formThey call or send a request.
  4. Front deskBooks the visit and never guesses a cause.
  5. Clinical teamThe clinician decides the plan.
How a new patient request reaches your practice.

1. Who the patients are and what they search for

Callers are adults of any sex who hurt a knee, often playing a sport. Some heard a pop; others just say the knee feels loose. They search for ACL tear, torn ACL, knee popped and swollen, knee gives out, knee injury doctor, or a sports medicine doctor near them. Use the same words on your pages.

The MedlinePlus ACL injury page says “An anterior cruciate ligament injury is the over-stretching or tearing of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the knee.” and “Basketball, football, soccer, and skiing are common sports linked to ACL tears.” Its early symptoms include “Difficulty in continuing with your sport” and “Feeling of instability”. It also says “See your health care provider if you think you have an ACL injury.” Staff never guess the cause. Aim ads at adults only, and never build audiences from health information.

2. Landing page basics

  • Name the symptoms people notice, in their words. Say that care starts with an evaluation by the clinician.
  • Give the clinician’s name and real credentials.
  • Give a starting price and what it includes. Self-pay patients may be entitled to a good faith estimate.
  • Show one way to book.

Never blame a patient’s sport, gear, age or fitness, never say who needs a procedure, never name a treatment, and never promise any outcome or a return to play. Avoid “fix your torn ACL”, “back in the game”, “a stable knee again”, “risk-free” and “insurance will cover it”. Better: “the clinician will examine your knee, ask about your injury and talk through the options with you”.

3. The phone script

Staff collect answers and book. They never judge urgency, never say what condition a caller has and never name a treatment.

  1. “Thanks for calling. May I take your name, your age and the reason for your visit?”
  2. “Which knee is it, how did it happen, and did a doctor refer you? Please bring a list of your medicines and any notes from earlier care.”
  3. “The evaluation starts at [price]. Further care may be extra. We will check your plan, but cannot promise coverage.”
  4. Which treatment, and will it work? “We cannot tell that on the phone. The clinician will examine your knee, ask about your injury and decide with you what the options are.”
  5. “I can book your evaluation now. May we text or email you about it?”

Book adults only; pass any caller under 18 to the clinical team. Staff never advise on medicines, activity, sport, return to play or what to do at home; they pass those questions on. A caller with a question after earlier care is booked or passed to the clinical team, never advised. See the new patient phone script.

4. Routing and safety lines

Relay only what the source says, then tell the clinical team right away. The MedlinePlus ACL injury page says “Contact your provider right away if you have a serious knee injury.” It then says “Get immediate medical attention if the foot is cool and blue after a knee injury. This means that the knee joint may be dislocated, and blood vessels to the foot may be injured. This is a medical emergency.”

The MedlinePlus ACL injury aftercare page gives two lists. The first starts “Contact your provider if you have any of the following:” and lists:

  • “Increase in swelling or pain”
  • “Self-care does not seem to help”
  • “You lose feeling in your foot”
  • “Your foot or leg feels cold or changes color”
  • “Your knee suddenly locks and you can’t straighten it”

The second starts “If you have surgery, contact your surgeon if you have:” and lists:

  • “A fever of 100°F (38°C) or higher”
  • “Drainage from the incisions”
  • “Bleeding that won’t stop”

If a caller reports one of these, tell them what MedlinePlus says for it, then tell the clinical team right away. Staff read these lines as the source writes them and add no words of their own about how urgent a call is. The saved sources give no other urgent line, so staff add none. Any other report that worries a caller, such as a new injury or a problem after earlier care, goes to the clinical team right away.

Make follow-up visits easy to book; the clinician decides what each visit covers and how often to see the patient.

Text or email only with the patient’s own contact details and consent; see texting patients and the TCPA. Follow up without pressure (see consultation to treatment), never pay or take payment for referrals (see patient referrals for medical practices), and track each request from first contact to evaluation.

Where MediLeadGen fits

MediLeadGen sends practices requests from people interested in cash-pay elective treatments. Each request goes to one practice only, with the person’s consent naming that practice, at a fixed price per delivered request.

See how it works for practices

Questions practices ask

How do we get more ACL injury patients?

Answer quickly, give clear prices and real credentials, keep claims inside the sources, and book an evaluation where the clinician decides the plan.

Can we tell callers which treatment they need or that it will work?

No. The orthopedic or sports medicine clinician or the treating clinician examines the patient and decides the plan after the evaluation, including whether and which procedure is needed.

What should the front desk do when a call sounds urgent?

Relay the MedlinePlus lines from section 4 if they match, then tell the clinical team right away. Staff never judge urgency and never say what condition a caller has.

Does insurance cover ACL injury care?

Coverage varies by plan. Check each patient’s plan, and do not promise coverage in ads or on the phone.

General information for practice teams, not legal or clinical advice. Check device labeling, FDA requirements, state rules and your advertising with counsel and your clinicians. Last reviewed October 2026.

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