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How to get more Dupuytren contracture patients: a plan for hand surgery and orthopedic practices

A hand on a ringing desk phone at an orthopedic and sports medicine practice front desk

Adults call about a lump or a cord-like band in the palm, or fingers that have become hard to straighten. This guide covers new consult requests, second opinions and follow-up visits for Dupuytren contracture in hand surgery, orthopedic and plastic surgery hand practices; hand surgery, hand pain, trigger finger, carpal tunnel surgery and arthritis have their own guides. The hand surgeon, orthopedic or plastic surgeon or treating clinician (the clinician below) evaluates the patient and decides the plan, including whether and which tests or treatment are needed.

In short

  • Speak to adults with a palm lump or bent fingers in their own words, without fear.
  • Keep landing pages simple: what people notice, the consult, the clinician, the price, one way to book.
  • Book the consult with a short script that never names a condition, a cause or a treatment.
  • Relay the two MedlinePlus 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 18 or over, of any sex, who notice a lump in the palm, a cord-like band under the skin, or fingers they cannot fully straighten. Some already have a diagnosis from another doctor and want a second opinion. They search for Dupuytren contracture, a lump in the palm, bent fingers, or a hand doctor near them. Use the same words on your pages.

The MedlinePlus Dupuytren contracture page says “One or both hands may be affected.” and “Your health care provider will examine your hands.” Only the clinician can say what a lump or a bent finger is. Staff never say a caller has Dupuytren contracture and never guess a cause.

Aim ads at adults only, never target by sex, age band, habits or any health condition, and never build audiences from health information.

2. Landing page basics

Care starts with a consult. The page sells the visit, not a result, and never hints at what a lump might be.

  • Name what people notice: a lump or cord in the palm, or fingers that are hard to straighten.
  • 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 use fear, never list risk factors or causes, never blame a patient’s habits, job or age, never name a treatment, and never promise any outcome. Avoid “fix your bent fingers”, “a flat hand again”, “gone for good”, “risk-free” and “insurance will cover it”. Better: “the clinician will examine you, ask about your symptoms and talk through the options with you”.

3. The phone script

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

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

Book adults only. Pass any caller under 18, and any question on medicines, home steps or using the hand, to the clinical team. Second opinion callers bring their notes from earlier care; staff never comment on another doctor’s advice. See the new patient phone script.

4. Routing and safety lines

Under When to Contact a Medical Professional, MedlinePlus gives two lines that fit these calls, quoted whole and exactly as written. They are the source’s words, not front desk advice, and do not say what a caller has.

It says: “Contact your provider if you have symptoms of this disorder.”

It then says: “Also contact your provider if you lose feeling in your finger or if your fingertips feel cold or turn blue.”

For a caller who describes a lump or bent fingers, booking the consult is that contact; staff never say the caller has the disorder. If a caller reports a sign named in the second line, read that line word for word, then tell the clinical team at once.

Staff add no words of their own about urgency or causes, never suggest a step to try at home and never tell a caller to stop, keep or change a medicine. Any other report that worries a caller 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 consult.

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 Dupuytren contracture patients?

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

Can we tell callers whether they have Dupuytren contracture or which treatment they need?

No. The hand surgeon, orthopedic or plastic surgeon or treating clinician examines the patient and decides the plan after the consult, including whether and which tests or treatment are needed.

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

Relay the matching MedlinePlus line from section 4, word for word, then tell the clinical team right away. Staff never judge urgency and never say what condition a caller has.

Does insurance cover care for Dupuytren contracture?

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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