Ask Lisa: What the Heck is HETS? And Other Helpful Resources

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SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT RELATING TO THIS MONTH’S ARTICLE

KMC University is hosting a live “Answer Call” to help you take action now on the CMS HETS update.

Keep More Cash: Don’t Let the CMS HETS Update Disrupt Your Revenue
Presented by: Rebecca Scott, CPC, CPCO, CPB, CPPM
Date: TODAY! May 7, 2026
Time: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM (MT)
For more information read their newsletter

Download the Free Template NOW
Insurance Benefits Verification Form(docx)

If you have received communications from Medicare regarding HIPAA Eligibility Transaction System (HETS) requirements, keep reading for information that will be helpful as you navigate if this applies to you.

First don’t panic if you received communication instructing you to register … HETS is only a beneficiary eligibility tool that will sync within your Clearinghouse or EHR Program, and may apply to you only if both of these scenarios exist in your office:

  1. Insurance Verifications are part of your practice operations. (Verifying is a key component to your revenue cycle and keeping you in the know for your patient financial consultations.)
  2. You normally use your clearinghouse or EHR Program as your insurance and Medicare benefits verification tool.

If you do not pay extra for and do not have the benefits eligibility verification service with your clearinghouse or EHR Program, HETS is not applicable to your office.

You may be now asking… What are the best third-party payer verification tools? Here’s a current breakdown for you:

Medicare Verification: Connex is CMS Medicare’s Portal to use to verify eligibility and benefits, and claims. If you do not have a Connex account you have two options:

  1. Apply for an account Here
  2. Add this service to your Clearinghouse contract for an extra fee. If you go this route, you will need to follow the HETS policy and procedure. Learn more here: HETS

Medicaid Verifications: Each state has its own Medicaid Portal/website for checking eligibility in advance of treating your patient. Use your favorite search engine to search for your state’s Medicaid online Portal website. Keep in mind each website may have a different default browser that works better; for example, Google Chrome may sync better with the site vs. MS Edge.

Major Commercial Payers:

  • UHC/Optum/AARP: Verify here UHC Optum or call the Provider Line on the patient insurance card. Make sure to get the representative’s name and a call reference number if you need to follow up on a claim once the remittance comes back.
  • UMR: Verify here UMR or call Provider Line on the patient insurance card. Make sure to get the representative’s name and a call reference number if you need to follow up on a claim.

Use Availity Portal for patient benefits and eligibility: Availity

Currently for these payers:

  • Aetna
  • BCBS Plans, most states
  • Humana
  • CIGNA
  • Well Care for Medicare/Medicaid

Implementing and maintaining patient benefits verification will help you plan ahead for your financial consultations which is an important part of managing your revenue cycle and generating income.

Follow-Up Questions? Just Ask…

Lisa
920-334-4561

Please share this newsletter with your colleagues so they may
benefit from this information too!

Playing to Win in Chiropractic and Healthcare

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Bill Walsh, Head Coach of the 49ers, conferring with Joe Montana

Bill Walsh, Head Coach of the 49ers, conferring with Joe Montana.

Practice Management as a Sport in Your Chiropractic and Healthcare Business

I enjoy sports.

Well, enjoy isn’t quite right… Enjoy is too passive. I don’t think you can just “enjoy” sports.

It is an activity you play to win.

That summarizes it. You embark on a pursuit where you want to achieve something — but you may not. You may lose! So, you have a goal – to win. And not to lose.

But I think the keyword is…”PLAY.”

I will come back to this.

All Kinds of Sports

Many of you have kids or grandkids involved in some kind of sport — baseball, track, chess, even online games. Maybe you play yourself.

I recently bought a book for my grandson who pitches. It’s called Ninety Percent Mental by Bob Tewksbury, a former Major League pitcher. Reading it, I realized his tips apply just as well to running a practice — because where you work has all the elements of a sport:

  • A scoreboard
  • Plays and routines
  • Teammates and coaches
  • A playbook
  • A time limit
  • Goals and obstacles to overcome

Tips on Winning in Your Chiropractic Healthcare Practice

Tewksbury talks about two things that stuck with me:

The “Little Man” — the inner voice that tries to derail your performance with negative thoughts. Learn to recognize it and silence it.

Pre-game Routines — controlled breathing, visualizing success, positive affirmations. These help players stay calm and focused when it counts.

Here are two of my own:

1. Stay focused on your Goals. This means both the big ones — your purpose, your why — and the practical ones, like what you want to achieve by the end of the week. Visualize them. Commit to them.

But then…play!

2. The importance of Play.

A sport is an activity you play to win. The keyword is PLAY. Not fight, not stress —but play.

When work becomes too serious, mistakes multiply and stress fills the room. In a chiropractic practice, patients feel that. Trust me — I’ve seen it work both ways. A too-serious office, and numbers go down. A focused but playful office, and numbers go up.

Bill Walsh

When I lived in San Francisco, I was a huge 49ers fan. Before Super Bowl XVI in 1982, coach Bill Walsh arrived at the team hotel in Detroit a day early — and paid a bellhop $20 to borrow his uniform.

When the team bus arrived, Walsh — in full bellhop attire — tried to grab Joe Montana’s luggage (Montana was the starting quarterback). Montana, not recognizing him, brushed off the “silver-haired bellhop” and told him to get lost. When the team finally recognized their coach, the place erupted in laughter.

The relaxed 49ers went on to win their first Super Bowl, beating the Bengals 26-21.

Regardless of your role — doctor, owner, front desk, or bellhop — be goal driven.

But playfully.

Ed

This weeks cool tune is from the Playing for Change series: The Weight, with Ringo Starr and Robbie Robertson.

By the way, Joe Montana said this about chiropractic: “Chiropractic care works for me. I’ve been seeing a chiropractor and he’s really been helping me out a lot. Chiropractic’s been a big part of my game.”

Is the Sun the New COVID?

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Dr. Peter McCullough, MD and Ed Petty at CSW VaxCON convention

A look at who’s behind the curtain

Friday morning, I had my annual skin cancer check-up with a dermatologist.

She entered the room hastily and, with forced friendliness, asked me how I was doing while she looked at some papers. Then, she abruptly looked at me, face-to-face, and asked me if I had been using “protection.”

I was so shocked, taken off guard, trying to process what she was talking about. I might even have been a little frightened… as if I were a teenage boy on the prowl, and the school counselor were admonishing me to use “protection.”

She looked me over. Aside from my “mature spots,” my skin was fine. As she was doing so, she cautioned me about the sun and “sun damage” — and talked about little else for the nine minutes she was in the room.

She handed me a prescription for a chemotherapy lotion – but didn’t really explain, and was out the door.

I wear a hat and shirt when I am on the water, and it is early in the summer. I understand her point generally, but she was so adamant and abrupt that it was very odd, if not alarming.

I left the clinic and headed to a seminar to hear several prominent M.D.s, including an attorney, discuss their experiences with big Pharma and COVID.

As I drove to the seminar, I wondered… was the SUN going to be the new COVID?

A Look at the Stats in Dermatology

After the seminar, I did some digging. Take a look at these stats:

  • Dermatology — Dermatology is growing at nearly twice the rate of other medical specialties. The reason is simple: private equity has taken over. Outside investors see this as a money-making opportunity. (Source: JAMA Dermatology, Health Affairs)
  • Big Pharma – Merck. Merck’s skin cancer drug Keytruda is prescribed by dermatologists. This is from their own financial filings:

Yearly Keytruda Sales

2015 $566 million
2018 $7.2 billion
2021 $17.0 billion
2023 $25.0 billion
2024 $29.5 billion

A 52-fold increase in nine years.

  • Overdiagnosis — Melanoma diagnoses have risen sixfold over 40 years. Death rates over that same period? Essentially unchanged. What does this mean?

It could be argued that treatments have kept death rates down despite an aging population. OK. But independent researchers make a stronger case: they are overwhelmingly finding and treating tumors that would never have harmed anyone.*

A 2024 study in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine estimated that 49.7% of melanomas in white men and 64.6% in white women were overdiagnosed in 2018 alone.

  • And a special note about …. Merck. I can’t leave this out, just to show you who is behind the curtain: Merck made Vioxx — the arthritis drug pulled from the market in 2004 after it emerged they had known for years it increased heart attack risk by 400%. An FDA official testified that the delayed recall caused up to 55,000 premature deaths. Merck settled for $4.85 billion.

This is the same company now generating $29.5 billion a year from a skin cancer drug.

The Opportunity in Front of You

Trust in medical doctors has collapsed — from 71.5% in 2020 to just 40.1% in 2024. (See my earlier newsletter.) Patients are not just dissatisfied. They are actively looking for something different.

That would be YOU!

Even the medical doctors are jumping ship.

The M.D.’s whom I listened to and briefly talked with this last weekend described how practical remedies to COVID were suppressed, and how they saw patients unnecessarily suffer and die. They touched upon how, as highly regarded long-term proven doctors, they were vilified, fired, and slandered for their work using safe but “unapproved” procedures. (I have links to their books below. Read them! Fascinating.)

So they started or joined their own new associations.

And I had to chuckle… Here were these exceptional M.D.’s, talking to chiropractors about being marginalized for helping patients outside of institutionally approved protocols. You guys know about that more than anyone!

Also had to smile at the fact that they were all referencing various supplements of one kind or another! (Royal Lee of Standard Process, 1895-1967, may have predicted this!)

So, let me end on this:

The door is wide open for you to grow your practice and business.

You are the good guys!

The patients are already looking for you. Make sure they can find you.

And as a plug, after 40 years in the biz, from Dr. Jim Sigafoose to Dr. Peter McCullough, I know the TOP 3 or 4 key factors that will help you take advantage of this situation. I will be writing about them in the future.

You can contact me for advance notice at any time.

Stay Goal Driven,

Ed

P.S. Kudos and thank you to the Chiropractic Society of Wisconsin for hosting these inspirational doctors.

Dr. Peter McCullough, MD and Ed Petty at CSW VaxCON convention

Dr. Peter A. McCullough and I

Links to their books on Amazon

* BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine (2024) — Adamson AS, Naik G, Jones MA, Bell KJ. “Ecological study estimating melanoma overdiagnosis in the USA using the lifetime risk method.” BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine. Published January 19, 2024. doi:10.1136/bmjebm-2023-112460

• JAMA Dermatology (2022) — Kerr KF, et al. “Dermatopathologists’ perceptions of melanoma overdiagnosis and their own diagnostic behavior.” JAMA Dermatology. Published April 20, 2022

2 Powerful Drivers of Your Chiropractic and Healthcare Practice

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looking to the futureLooking to the Future

In 10 years, where will your chiropractic and healthcare practice be? And why?

Two vital elements that drive your practice may seem so obvious that they are overlooked—or taken for granted.

There is ample evidence in management studies that attests to better business performance if you and your team fully engage these two factors. I discuss both in my book The Goal Driven Business.

They may seem theoretical, but they are, in fact, hardcore leadership and management tools that can improve the quantity and quality of your services — now!

PRACTICE DRIVER #1: YOUR PURPOSE

This is the overriding reason you are in practice.

In his book, It is Not What You Sell, It’s What You Stand For, Roy Spence, Jr says

“Purpose is a reason for being that goes beyond making money — and it almost always results in making more money than you ever thought possible.” — Roy Spence.

Christine Arena, in her book, The High Purpose Company, which I also refer to in my book, found a similar result. She studied 75 major companies with strong social and environmental responsibility and concluded that “purpose” is not a feel-good add-on — it is a core driver of profitability and performance.

PRACTICE DRIVER #2: YOUR LONG-TERM BUSINESS GOAL

This is where you want to take the practice and where you and your team want to be in 10 years.

Jim Collins calls this a BHAG, a Big Hairy Audacious Goal. For example, in 10 years, your practice will be so popular that it will require 3 (or more) doctors, and most patients will be returning for wellness. Or, in 10 years, 50% of all mothers in the area will be bringing their kids in for a checkup by at least their first year. Or all the local sports teams will request your services.

There are plenty of examples of these two success drivers in business and in sports teams.

But these elements also find their parallel in physics. When everyone (or everything) is moving in the same direction for the same reason — a “flow” state is achieved.

You may have felt it before.

But it doesn’t usually last. Staff change, you change, computer software needs to be updated, backlog found in insurance, and so on. Issues crop up.

By providing consistent leadership every month, you can find new ways to personally stay engaged with the purpose of the chiropractic or healthcare practice — and help your team do the same.

So:

  1. What is the greater purpose of your practice? What is its why?
  2. What will your practice look like in 10 years, and what will it have achieved?

Keep working on these, and you and your team will forever be—

— Goal Driven.

Ed Petty

P.S. This Friday and Saturday, at a resort here in Wisconsin, the Chiropractic Society of Wisconsin, in conjunction with the Illinois Prairie State Chiropractic Association, is sponsoring 2 days of the most amazing line-up of speakers I have seen in recent times. The event is called VAXCON!

Make it if you can. (I will see you there!) Here is a link to the CSW page for more info and registration: VAXCON LINK

And here is a line-up of the speakers (more info can be found linked to their names).

Each one of these individuals has had an extraordinary journey. Listen to their stories, and you will be amazed at what they have gone through and accomplished.

 

Be Dangerous – In Chiropractic and Healthcare, Standup for Your Patients

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standing with integrity and purpose

Integrity and Purpose are the Keys to Your Growth in
Your Chiropractic and Healthcare Practice

We live in a world where what we perceive can be manipulated.

Advertising, public relations, and sophisticated behavior modification strategies are powerful tools. They can generate consensus, approval, and demand for a product, service, or idea.

A status quo is generated and supported this way.

For example, when I was a kid, everyone smoked cigarettes. Everywhere. It was heavily pushed and advertised — with M.D.’s no less. And by the Federal Government! (I still remember some of the slogans…! “Winston tastes good like a cigarette should.”)

For years, research continued to show that cigarettes were very unhealthy, but this threatened those who profited from their sales.

If you challenged the manufactured consensus and the messaging, you were attacked, like this man was…

Dr. Jeffrey Wigand was a Vice President of Research and Development at Brown & Williamson – tobacco company. In the mid-1990s, he exposed that industry giants were intentionally engineering cigarettes to be more addictive. They responded with a powerful negative P.R. campaign, compiling a 500-page dossier of smears to brand him a liar and using anonymous death threats to silence his testimony.

Cigarettes finally moved to the sidelines, but those same companies (Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds) moved into the cheap (addictive and harmful) food business—buying up corporations such as Kraft and Nabisco.

There is a money-making complex of industries in which one hand greases the other, a matrix that includes captured lawmakers and professional organizations. Their interests are money and control to keep the money coming. And they have powerful tools to keep this game going.

Many of us are not always familiar with the details, and your patients may be naïve about the attacks launched and sustained through direct and indirect campaigns by these industries.

But to whatever degree you are aware of it, you are on the battlefield – as a player or a piece.

And if you speak up and speak out, if you stand up for your purpose — you can be attacked.

That’s what happened to these doctors:

Peter McCullough, M.D., a renowned cardiologist and professor, was an academic pillar until he advocated early, repurposed treatments for COVID-19. His protocols threatened the pharma-only mandate, so the establishment unleashed a negative P.R. campaign, branding him a “misinformation spreader.” They stripped his journal editor roles, forced him out of his university health system, and revoked his board certifications.

Pierre Kory, M.D., a leading critical care specialist, promoted protocols similar to McCullough’s early protocols. He was attacked for disseminating “dangerous misinformation,” and faced platform censorship, suppressed Senate testimony, and lost hospital affiliations. The American Board of Internal Medicine later revoked his certifications.

Simone Gold, M.D., J.D., an emergency physician and founder of America’s Frontline Doctors, spoke against mandated protocols. The establishment painted her as “unhinged,” deplatformed her group, fired her, and she was arrested and sentenced to prison after January 6.

Eric Nepute, D.C., a vocal chiropractor, got the full-on attack. He dared to suggest that patients focus on immune-supporting nutrients like Vitamin D, Zinc, and Quercetin. The federal government responded by suing him for a theoretical penalty of half a trillion dollars—an absurd effort to bankrupt him and terrify any other practitioner from prioritizing natural health over the pharmaceutical mandate. (I’d say he has bragging rights!)

== == ==

For decades, the chiropractic profession has been the target of this exact same machinery.

When you have a product, service, or clinical truth that threatens a vested interest, you will be fought. So, you are encouraged to hide out. Stay safe. Be agreeable and… tame.

But when you hide, compromise, or try to be “accepted” by a corrupt medical establishment, you are indistinguishable from the thousands of other providers they already control.

They win.

But when you are “dangerous” — when you stand firmly for the truth that the body is designed to heal, not to be a lifetime customer of the pharmaceutical treadmill, you become a beacon.

You are then no longer just a piece on their game board.

Patients today are not looking for more of the same. They are looking for a doctor who stands for real health.

Being dangerous is your greatest marketing asset. It builds a level of trust that no institution can break.

The patients who are waking up to this reality will seek you out because you are a target. They will trust you because you refused to compromise.

Oh, Dr. Nepute — he is even more dangerous now. He operates 30 clinics!

Stand for the truth and help more people be healthy. That is how you build a business.

Don’t be a piece… be a player.

Be Dangerous…

…and Goal Driven,

Ed

P.S. Doctors McCullough, Kory, and Simone – and others – will be speaking at the Wisconsin Society of Chiropractic Society of Wisconsin’s VAXCON, April 24-25 at the Dells, WI. See you there! Link.

*References

On Dr. Jeffrey Wigand & The Tobacco Industry: 

·  On the “Tobacco-to-Food” Strategy: 

·  On the Doctors (McCullough, Kory, Gold): 

·  On Dr. Eric Nepute:

Maybe You Are Focusing On the Wrong Thing in Your Chiropractic Healthcare Practice

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chiropractors looking at chiropractic x-rays

Your best marketing tool may surprise you

I was asked to help an office a few years back with their marketing. It was a three-doctor office.

Did we work on discount ads, promotions, talks, and social media? No! I am all for these approaches, but I wanted to look at something else first.

== == ==

Marketing begins with what you are putting into the market — your product or your service outcome.

In this practice’s case, it was a “person who was healthier, relieved of pain, and had a great experience.” A person who had a “Wow!” experience.

THAT is what we worked on. We role-played, reviewed Days 1 and 2, and discussed different cases with the senior doctor. We trained on techniques and reviewed clinical procedures.

The focus was on the doctor’s services.

There was nothing really wrong with the quality of their service — they had been in business for many years. But after a while, I figured it would help to “sharpen the saw.”

Yes, we also worked with the staff and ran some promotions, but the primary effort was to refocus the doctors’ attention on their skills, training, and patient care.

And their numbers went up!

== == ==

I have seen this go both ways more than once.

Another example is a long-time client who has been using a new chiropractic technique for the last couple of years. He has told me how he finds this technique very effective and that he is getting the best results ever. His office has grown and stayed steady.

On the other hand, I see doctors too often become focused on scripts, office policies, or promotions. While these need to be addressed, they are not the purpose of the practice.

That is why I always stress the importance of getting one of your team members trained as a manager — even part-time. This allows you to delegate much of your management and marketing work so you can focus on providing superior service and generating extraordinary results.

If you focus on the quality of your care and get great results — if you get “Wow!”s from patients who exclaim about not only their outcome but the care they receive from you and your team — your numbers WILL go up.

== == ==

Take a few minutes to think about this. It is easy to get caught up in statistics and the latest management “operating system.” Fine — that is part of running a business.

But first and foremost, review the quality of your completed cases — not just “visits.” Then improve them.

== == ==
The Goal Driven System for Your Chiropractic, Healthcare, and Service Business

Our Goal Driven System includes a manager who supports the team, the doctors, and the patients — and the marketing! We cover this in our book, The Goal Driven Business, which you can grab on Amazon.

You don’t need a manager if you are at 50% capacity or less. But once you start hitting 60% or more, or have multiple doctors and providers, you should have someone to help with marketing and team support. It is not a bossy type of role, but someone who can pick up the odds and ends so you to keep your attention on patient results.

In the meantime, your best marketing is constantly improving the delivery of service to your patients.

That is your #1 goal.

Keep the “End in Mind,” as Dr. Stephen Covey said!

Ed

P.S. We are rolling out our new and updated Practice MBA program for practice managers and clinic directors this fall — stay tuned!

Ask Lisa: The Hybrid Bus is Here! Are you Ready to Board?

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ask lisa sitting on a physio ball reading chiro economics magazine billing and collectionsWhile at my desk on my physio ball, I was reading Chiropractic Economics annual Salary and Expense Surveys and took a deep dive into the Billing & Collections (B&C) category. I was jarred by a pattern over the past five years which makes me continue to fear that we are falling behind. The surveys in B&C category are a wake-up call that proves we can no longer ignore the impact of decreasing third-party reimbursements.

Below are the survey results countrywide in the chiropractic office B&C category and Average Reimbursement Percentages over five years. It is noteworthy that billings/charges increased each year with the exception of one year’s slight decrease. Here’s what the survey reveals from billed charges/reimbursement ratios:

2021 – 65% Reimbursement
2022 – 69% Reimbursement
2023 – 74% Reimbursement
2024 – 71% Reimbursement
2025 – 62% Reimbursement

So, what can you do to increase/improve income in your practice? Here are some tips:

  • Improve your practice’s patient care plans to ensure patients stick with their plan. Have you offered a visual picture of the patient’s report of findings, for example, and is your confidence in your adjustment where you want it to be when discussing your clinical findings? Are you making the best use of your therapies in your care plans?
  • Offer care plan packages to create a hybrid reimbursement practice or close the gap between your insurance model and patient self-pay model. It’s okay that you want to continue billing patient’s insurance as a courtesy to your customer base. Know your obligations when doing so regarding treatment plan standards, documentation/medical records standards, billing standards, obligations to respond to payer requests, and credentialing & compliance standards.
  • Offer valued products for retail such as ergonomic/rehab equipment like foam rollers, cervical rollers/pumps, resistance bands, and pillows. Other items include massagers, nutritional supplements, fitness trackers, orthotics, and your own branded merchandise such as water bottles or ice packs. Keep in mind the anti kickback laws. You’ll want to ensure these products are for sale and not giveaways to induce referrals. Please consult a healthcare attorney if in doubt.
  • And finally, you’ll obviously want to keep your collections by having a solid compliance program in place to avoid potential payback penalties for not having a solid program in place.

Need guidance on developing your hybrid practice and navigating the reimbursement landscape? We can help! Just ask…Lisa

Source: Chiropractic Economics Online Magazine, www.chiroeco.com

Lisa
lisa@pmaworks.com

Trust in Physicians and Hospitals Crashing – An Opportunity for Chiropractic and Independent Doctors

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chiropractic assistant welcoming a family of patients. Your Opportunity is Now

A landmark JAMA Network Open 50 state study (2024) found trust in physicians and hospitals plummeted from 71.5% in 2020 to 40.1% in 2024—a 31 point drop across every age and income group.*

Gallup confirms the free fall: confidence in the CDC and FDA is at record lows, and only 18% of Americans now view the pharmaceutical industry positively.*

I am sure this doesn’t surprise you – or anyone in chiropractic or natural health—and even many in mainstream medicine. Despite marketing, lobbying, and billions in PR, Big Pharma isn’t fooling everyone anymore.

I just read an article by researcher James Lyons Weiler, PhD who cites the same data and adds:

“A 2023/2024 global analysis of 2,500+ patient organizations showed pharma’s reputation falling from COVID era highs, with U.S. patient groups rating the industry ‘Excellent/Good’ dropping from 65% to 57%.”

He also mentions Dr. Eric Berg, who has 14.5 million YouTube subscribers. An AI driven review of 102,000 comments across 152 videos on his channel revealed something bigger than diet tips. Viewers share personal stories of reversing illness through nutrition while expressing fury toward mainstream medicine, pharma influence, and decades of failed dietary dogma.

Oh…did I mention that Dr. Berg is a D.C.! (How many subscribers do you have? Lol)

Weiler cautions that YouTube comments aren’t a representative sample—but the passion matches national surveys: not mild skepticism, but documented anger. (“A society of healthy people is a big threat to the pharmaceutical industry.” — 4,229 likes.)*

You’ve heard the same from your patients—and from MDs, nurses, and whistleblowers who’ve paid the price for honesty. The industry is captured. Even AI built on “medical consensus” logic tends to reinforce circular reasoning, never asking who funds the evidence base sustaining the trillion dollar medical machine.*

HOW TO LEVERAGE THE GREAT MEDICAL DISTRUST

This presents a heightened opportunity for you to step out and be the provider your community can trust.

As chiropractic and natural healthcare professionals, you’ve always stood outside the medical matrix and big pharma oligarchy. In marketing terms, that’s positioning: you are positioned in the marketplace as providing natural, honest wellness for the whole family.

We applied these principles when we built our 25 office Wisconsin network—and it worked. Our constant theme:

“Pain Relief and Better Health, Naturally.”

(Contact me if you want details on how we positioned ourselves as trusted neighbors in our communities.)

And the fact is, natural health providers are growing in popularity.

Data from 2024-2025 state boards and public review platforms show chiropractic care continuing to rise — patient satisfaction averaging 4.8 out of 5 stars (roughly 98 % positive feedback). Google search interest for “chiropractor near me” still 30 percent above pre pandemic levels.*

And a Gallup–Palmer survey trends confirm that more than six in ten Americans now view chiropractors favorably—the opposite trajectory of hospitals and drug companies. In short, while institutional medicine loses trust, chiropractic earns it.*

There are similar uptrends with naturopaths and independent MD’s.

And by the way, you won’t find this in most AI ‘fact checks.’ Their results will sound neutral because they’re trained to protect the same institutions that lost our trust.

Today, with physician trust down 31 points, millions are actively searching for professionals who will simply tell the truth.

And when hospitals, drug ads, and agencies lose credibility, the public doesn’t abandon health—they go looking for it elsewhere.

Let them find you!

ACTION STEPS

  1. Educate openly.
  2. Highlight independence.
  3. Emphasize natural health.
  4. Increase face to face contact.
  5. Use social proof — testimonials, not slick ads.
  6. Collaborate with fellow independents.
  7. Train empathy, not scripts.

In this climate, trust is your strongest marketing asset.

Ed Petty
Petty, Michel & Associates
Your trusted partner in practice development since 1988.

*JAMA Network Open (2024); Gallup Poll (2023); U.S. Senate HSGAC Hearing (2020); AAPS Archive; Virginia Pilot; Maine Board Order 2022 25; Gallup–Palmer College of Chiropractic (2022); CDC NHIS 2017 2022; Iowa & Florida Board Reports (2023–24); Google Trends 2019 2025; Healthgrades/Zocdoc Review Data (2024); James Lyons Weiler PhD, Popular Rationalism (Substack).

For a less biased AI experience, try Alter.systems.

Do You Need an Attitude Adjustment? Does Your Chiropractic and Healthcare Practice Need an Adjustment?

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Marketing always begins with the right attitude

Your chiropractic practice starts with marketing. But marketing starts with attitude.

# # # # # #

A FEW YEARS BACK, a long-time client called and asked if I’d visit his office to help two new associates grow their caseloads.

I took the two young chiropractors out to lunch. Both were eager and not shy about their goals — large practices, and confident they’d match their boss’s caseload within a year. When I asked why their numbers were still low, they blamed the owner’s lack of advertising and suggested the office needed a better brochure.

I told them marketing comes down to a caring attitude about people and having an interested attitude in how they were doing. They nodded enthusiastically. “Absolutely!”

Then I said, “Look around this restaurant and pick out someone. Imagine a possible issue they may have that you could help with.” Both associates avoided looking at anyone and changed the subject back to themselves.

I asked each for a business card. Neither had one.

Having predicted this in advance, I’d taken several cards from the office before lunch and placed two in front of each of them. Then I said, “I’d like you to get up, find someone at the bar, introduce yourself, and hand them your card. If possible, make an appointment.”

They looked at me as if they’d seen a ghost. They slumped in their chairs. Neither would do it. I suggested they try the cashier, the waitress, or the manager. Their fear turned to dismissiveness, as if the exercise were beneath them.

We went back to the office, discussed the situation with the owner, and over the following weeks, the two associates decided to leave and start their own practice.

Was I being too demanding? No. They could have introduced themselves to the manager, mentioned they were new in town, and made a natural connection. Instead, they were hiding out, unproductive, and mildly complaining.

It was a matter of attitude—and they failed the drill.

IN ANOTHER INSTANCE, I visited a new doctor whose office was in an upscale strip mall. He told me that he felt stuck. He was confident in his skills but couldn’t figure out how to generate clients. He wore cowboy boots and looked a little rough around the edges, but he was friendly and seemed to have a great service attitude.

I went over some basics of handing out cards and suggested he meet five new people in the strip mall over lunch. I offered to come along.

He gazed at me for a moment — processing, I suppose — then popped up and said he didn’t need my help and would be back soon. No more than fifteen minutes passed before he walked back in with a man and woman, deep in conversation. He led them to his office. When I returned from lunch, they were just leaving.

Beaming, he said he’d only spoken to three people, but the last two were so interested that he brought them in—and they’d signed on as new patients. He said the whole thing was fun and planned to do more of it.

# # # # # #

There are many approaches to effective marketing. But all of them start with the right attitudes.

How’s yours? How about your team’s?

I think we all need an attitude nudge or adjustment now and then. (Coaches can help!)

The good news is that your attitude is something you can control. It is all yours. When needed, check and adjust those attitudes, and help more people.

Cowboy boots are optional.

—Ed
PS. Contact me anytime if you want or need an attitude adjustment. 😊

I have observed 8 key attitudes for effective marketing. Download NOW: Successful Marketing Attitudes- 2026

(This story is a condensed version from my book, The Goal Driven Business. You can find many more stories from in the field consulting for over 30 years.)

Practice Fundamentals: Communication and Control in Your Chiropractic and Healthcare Practice

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Team meeting about controlling the game and communicating with each other.Team meeting about controlling the game and communicating with each other.

“Get the fundamentals down
and the level of everything you do will rise” Michael Jordan

It’s always the basics. The fundamentals. It sports or in your chiropractic or healthcare practice.

This is what all efforts to improve performance – and health — go back to.

All of your efforts in practice management boil down to communication and control.

All the books on procedures, patient management, and practice management can be distilled down to communication and control. Those are the basics you need to get to your goals and those of your patients.

  • Doctors, and staff, that have excellent communication with their patients have many referrals and a busy practice.
  • Doctors who communicate well with their staff have a happy and full practice.
  • Doctors that have positive control with their patients see their patients succeed.
  • And business owners that have proactive control over the office – are prosperous.

Of course, the inverse of these facts is also true. Whether out of fear, confusion, or fatigue, when these fundamentals are not administered, things don’t go well.

COMMUNICATION

“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand;
they listen with the intent to reply.” — Stephen Covey

I was recently helping a doctor and the practice manager improve their patient financial consultations. The manager and doctor had worked out what to say that they liked. They called it a “script.”

A few months passed, and I noticed their patient retention had not improved. Neither had collections or other metrics. When we did some training on how the patient consultations were performed, we found that the staff focused on the memorized script, not the patient. Their communication was robotic, and they never got to know the patient. We replaced the script with a simple outline and let the staff get to know the patients. Visit average and collections improved.

Good communication is alive, interested, and empathetic. It results in understanding.

CONTROL

“It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives.
It’s what we do consistently.” — Tony Robbins

Another office we worked with complained about low collections. They had plenty of new patients — the veteran doctor got great results. After investigating, we found that the report of findings and treatment plans were rarely completed, and scheduling was hit-and-miss at best.

And that’s not all. The doctor and staff often came to work just a few minutes before patients came in. Sometimes they came in late.

This office was out of control — and so were the patients.

Positive control is moving a project, patient, or condition from one status to a predetermined goal. This is what a procedure does. A well-run business has procedures, protocols, and systems that it adheres to achieve its daily and weekly goals.

MANAGEMENT

Management is implementing effective procedures, with excellent communication, to achieve goals.

In all your practice improvement efforts, check first if the procedures are being done, and then if they need to be improved or removed. Then, look at the quality and quantity of communication used to implement the procedures.

Improve the fundamentals — your patient and team communication and control — and you will have a prosperous and happy spring.

Seize your future – with a smile!

Ed

(reissued and updated.)

Old-School Chiropractic Healthcare Marketing with a Great ROI

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a room of patients at a chiropractic lecture

Keeping it Real

I JUST SAW A VIDEO OF ROBOTS operating on a chicken egg — without cracking it. The article predicted that it won’t be long before robots will be performing live surgery on humans.

Possibly.

But given how AI has been developing exponentially, it’s “probably” a lot more than “possibly.”

AI is also showing up more in marketing. You can create avatars that look like you, talk like you, and ask for your email to make an appointment. Kinda cool, right? Sure, and I don’t doubt that it works — at least for a while.

But as the world becomes more robotized (or, robot-omized), what you have becomes even more valuable.

  • You have LIFE.
  • You are real and can feel.
  • You are like your patients and potential patients.

This is, and always has been, the Unique Selling Proposition of chiropractic – the human touch, person to person. Grass roots and local.

With this in mind, I want to remind you of an old-school, very inexpensive marketing procedure to review and try.

The Chiropractic Care Class 2.0
(Patient Ed. in the Age of Robots)

Decades ago, the classic Spinal Care Class (also known by many other names) was an “onboarding workshop” for all new and reactivated patients.

Back in the day, some offices required attendance before accepting a patient. Of course, each patient was advised to bring a guest, as “there will be cooperative exercises” that will require a partner.

The content was simple yet effective:

  • Introduction to chiropractic principles
  • The three phases of care
  • Everyday tips for reclaiming and maintaining health

Time to Bring It Back — With a Twist

If you’re not doing this now, consider it.

If you’ve done it before and have stopped, take it out of the garage, clean it up, update it, and take it for another spin.

You could freshen up the title. For example:

“From Pain to Power: Your Nervous System Reboot”

There are many different actions we have seen over the years that make these classes successful, and I’m not going to include them now. (If you have a tip or two, please post in the comment section below. Share a few!)

But for sure, give some thought to these:

  • Explain in the Report of Findings that you have a health workshop for all new patients.

“We’ve found that patients who attend recover faster and stay healthier longer.”

  • You can have a local organic food store supply some treats. They get free promotion!
  • Keep the workshop active and physical. 60% talk, 50% demo. For example:
    • Range of motion check
    • Trigger point location. (Partner up!)
    • “String of Life” alignment demo
    • Example of a leg length test by a doctor
    • Simple breathing drills
  • Bring in organic pizzas for after-class mingling — guests stay for a no-charge eval invitation, then join the pizza party.

Once the class ends, the magic happens: patients, guests, staff, and doctors all talking, laughing, and sharing. It feels less like an event and more like a community gathering.

Implementation Made Easy

I’d recommend:

  • Delegate one person in the office – “Workshop Coordinator.”
  • Hold the event 2x’s a month.
  • All staff and doctors attend at least 1x per month.

Yea, it takes work. But it’s an old-school marketing program that works and has a great ROI.

You reinforce what makes chiropractic extraordinary: a LIVE, human, heart-centered connection that no algorithm can imitate.

You’re building not just a patient base — you’re creating Health Driven Chiropractic Community Members.

“The more your patients know,

the further they’ll go!”

–Ed

Ask Lisa: Insurance Network Participation: Knowing When to Opt In or Out?

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Have you every wished there was an easy way to make sense of the labyrinth of insurance networks out there?

Should you be in? Should you opt out?

Below is a guide for you and your staff to follow to help you decide whether pursuing a specific insurance contract, and staying in, is worth your time and investment.

First, determine which companies you are in network with. Do you have a contract? What are your obligations as a provider? Are you getting reimbursed what the contracted fee schedule says it will reimburse? Do you have a profile set up with the National Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare (CAQH) universal provider database and is the information current, and reviewed and attested quarterly? There is no charge to create and maintain your profile in this credentialing database.

Second, make sure you know if you are currently enrolled in Medicare and if you are a participating or non-participating provider. Are you also currently enrolled as a provider in your state’s Medicaid program? Is your organization/group also enrolled?

Third, audit your patient demographic. Run a report in your practice management software.

  • What percentage of your reimbursement is coming from insurance?
  • What percentage is coming directly from patients?
  • Which payers are you mainly seeing patients from?
  • Are you finding that patients are requesting you be in network with a certain company?
  • Who are the main employers in your area insured with?
  •  Are you enrolled as a provider with the Veteran’s Administration in your area?

Fourth, make a list of Insurance Networks you are with to clarify if questions arise later regarding participation. Review if you have fee schedules and contracts on file.

Once you have a grasp on the above, you’re ready to determine if you need to pursue network participation with additional companies. Treating this like a sales or business venture, you’ll want to have insurance companies coming to you and requesting you to be in their network. Remember, it is to their benefit and their obligation to keep their paying policyholders happy. Patients should feel free to call their insurer requesting you be on their plan. Patients have done this, and outcomes have been successful. Why?

Because the worst phone call that an insurance company can receive is from an upset policyholder who can’t afford to see their favorite doctor who is helping them because the doctor is not on the plan.

Things to consider prior to enrolling in a plan include:

  • What is the reimbursement rate?
  • What percentage of the approved charges are taken out for contract discounts?
  • Is there a fee to join?
  • What are your obligations as a provider?
  • Do they want you to participate in their workers compensation, PI programs? (In our experience, opting in to the WC and PI products means no steerage to you, and cut reimbursements).
  • Are there pre-authorizations required prior to care?
  • Is there a visit limit?
  • What is the initial credentialing and re-credentialing process?

Now, you are on all the plans that are making your pocketbook and your patient happy. What do you need to do to maintain your in-network status? You will need to notify a payer with updated clinic information anytime there is a change in information you submitted at enrollment. This includes address change or adding a new provider to the office.

Many of the larger commercial payers such as Blue Cross, Humana, United Healthcare/Optum Physical Health, use CAQH to approve your re-credentialing. Those who do not will send a written communication via mail or email letting you know your recredentialing is coming due and will include the applications and instructions. Make sure to track these dates in your insurance spreadsheet.

You will also need to make sure you are tracking re-credentialing timeframes for each insurance company. Typically, the recredentialing process for commercial payers is every three years but since your enrollments with each payer fall on different dates, your re-credentialing due dates will vary. Your Medicare re-credentialing is every five years for both individual and group enrollments. Re-validation with Medicaid programs is typically every three to five years, depending on your state’s standards. For example, it is every three years in WI and every five years in MI.

We’ve just touched the surface of network plans and credentialing. Email me for assistance with how these processes work for your practice.

You may reach me at lisa@pmaworks.com

Lisa

Ask Lisa
Increasing your collections through better billing and documentation

The Need for Marketing Never Goes Away

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Spring Marketing Calendar

goal driven spring marketing planner for the chiropractic office

(The need for marketing NEVER goes away,no matter how busy you are. So reminders are useful! Updated and reissued newsletter from 2023!)

Daylight Savings Time starts in a week here in the U.S (March 8, 2026). And across the northern part of our Planet, Spring begins in 4 weeks (March 20th). And not to be too pedantic, Meteorological Spring has already started (March 1.) (Guess that would be autumn for you all in the southern hemisphere.)

In any event, now is a great time to plan and “giddyup” (slang – American, move faster, get going) your marketing for these upcoming active months!

The Need for Marketing Never Goes Away

No matter how full your practice is, the need for marketing never goes away.

Marketing is business and business is marketing.

Putting something valuable in the marketplace that other people want and will pay for – that is marketing. And that is your business.

The type of marketing you do varies depending on the condition and circumstances of your business. If you are just beginning a practice, you must spend a large percentage of your time and budget on marketing, especially direct response marketing. If you have built up your business, the focus of your marketing can be more on retaining your patients, creating alliances, and world-class customer service and outcomes.

Marketing covers a broad spectrum of activities, but all are, or should be, designed to generate new patients and keep the ones you have.

Trends for the future indicate that, in the end, the best and surest marketing will be customer services and outcomes. The communication channels are so packed and manufactured that your messages will get lost unless you have millions to spend. And now we have AI marketing – ads that robots put together.

THEREFORE, THE BEST MARKETING WILL ALWAYS BE PERSONAL – relationship based. You and your people — authentic and interested in your patients and the individuals in your community – delivering extraordinary service and outcomes.

Marketing Plan

Practically speaking, it helps to plan your marketing.

Plan your work and then work your plan, right? So, I have attached a sample marketing plan (link below at the end of the blog article) to help you outline what to do. It is a sample and gives structure to managing your marketing. We’ve used one like this for years, and it works. Make your own and customize it to fit your needs.

And stay tuned for a new service we will offer to help you with your marketing.

But for now, Happy Spring!

Spring Forward!

Ed

*Contact me for help! Email: Ed@pmaworks.com, or 414-332-4511.

Download the Spring Marketing Plan  2026 March 3 Spring Marketing Plan

Why Things Don’t Get Done in Your Chiropractic and Healthcare Practice

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everybody, somebody, anybody, nobody taking responsibility in a chiropractic office

The Importance of Goal Driven Job Checklists

Why don’t things get done in a chiropractic practice – or any professional practice?

It’s rarely laziness. It’s usually just a lack of clarity.

Last week we discussed Accountability — and how it helps grow and sustain a practice.

There is real science behind this, but it is sort of obvious. People perform better when they have something, or someone, giving them feedback!

Like a coach! (Hi! Call me! 🖐️😁)

But in order to be accountable for something, you kinda need to know what it is that you are being accountable for.

That’s where the work activities break down.

We say we want accountability — but we haven’t clearly defined responsibility.

That is why job descriptions matter.

Most of these, the ones I have seen, are so confusing as to be impractical.

A good job description defines what it is that you are responsible for…and why. It defines the purpose of the job, its specific duties, and its outcomes.

And those outcomes…? You can measure them.

With a good job description, a person knows what they are responsible for and they have the stats that shows them how they are doing.

They can be their own manager!

Now the CEO/Clinic Director doesn’t have to police. They get to coach and that’s the culture we want.

Here are the 4 parts of a Goal Driven job description, or what I call a Job Checklists:

  1. Purpose of the job.
  2. Duties of the job.
  3. Outcomes of the job.
  4. Statistics (metrics, Key Performance Indicators) of the job.

Here’s a fast example:

= = =

Chiropractic Front Desk Coordinator

Purpose

  1. Ensure that patients complete their programs by keeping their appointments.
  2. Keep the appointment book full, rescheduled appointments to a minimum, and ensure patient flow is smooth and efficient.

Duties

  1. Always answered the phone with a smile.
  2. Greeted every patient personally when they entered the office with a smile, by their first/last name, as appropriate.
  3. Followed clinic and office policies as outlined in our office manual.
  4. Confirmed appointments as necessary for the next day’s schedule.
  5. Ensured that all patients had a treatment plan and set multiple schedules off them
  6. Ensured that the flow of patients never got jammed or “plugged up.” Got help when needed to “unplug” the flow.
  7. Never let patients wait more than 15 minutes.
  8. Asked for patient referrals each day.
  9. …

Outcomes

  1. All patients are scheduled for their appointments
  2. All patients keeping their appointments.

Performance Monitors

  1. Percentage of Kept Appointments
  2. Office Visits

This is a sample, but I am sure it comes close to what your front desk does… or should do.

= = =

Review your job checklist with your team monthly. Improve them and use them for training. You can co-coach each other!

But remember: responsibility comes before accountability.

Help others take responsibility for achieving their goals.

  • Define it.
  • Measure it.
  • Coach it.

And stay Goal Driven.

Ed

P.S.

Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, Nobody

“There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it.

Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.

Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody’s job.

Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it.

It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.”

– Charles R. Swindoll

Lisa, Congratulations on 10 Years of Service!

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Dave Michel and Ed Petty presenting Lisa Barnett with 10 year service award

Dave Michel, Lisa Barnett, Ed Petty

Dave Michel and Ed Petty recently met with Lisa Barnett to present her with a 10 year service award.

Over the past 10 years Lisa, a “jack of all trades”, has been a valuable consultant assisting clients with troubleshooting billing and collection issues, working with clinics through Medicare audits, and credentialing new doctors among many other tasks.  If it has anything to do with insurance/billing/collections, Lisa is your go to person!

In addition, she also assists clinics with determining the value of their practice.

Please join us in congratulating Lisa Barnett for her 10 years of Service with Petty, Michel and Associates.

If you’d like to learn more about Lisa and the services she provides visit  Lisa Barnett  or call 920-334-4561.

Accountability Can Create a Goal Driven Chiropractic and Healthcare Practice

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Practice owner overseeing a goal driven chiropractic business

From Personality-Driven to Goal-Driven

I don’t recall a single doctor — chiropractor, dentist, or podiatrist — telling me they wanted to be chained to their practice so they could never leave it.

Nearly every doctor I’ve worked with wanted a business that was not entirely dependent upon their daily production or constant supervision.

Michael Gerber (The E-Myth) wrote about the system-driven business. Others talk about team-driven practice. I talk about a Goal Driven Practice.

In every case, the objective is the same:

The business should not depend on the personality of the owner.

I make a clear distinction between a Personality-Driven Practice and a Goal-Driven Practice:

An essential difference is accountability.

HOW ACCOUNTABILITY TRANSFORMS A PRACTICE

In a Personality-Driven Practice, results rise and fall with the owner’s energy and oversight. They are the driver of everything.

But a structured accountability system changes this.

A Goal-Driven Practice operates like a team sport. There’s a scoreboard. There are defined positions. Everyone knows their role, and everyone can see the score.

The numbers provide objective feedback. Roles clarify ownership. Goals define what winning means. Regular review keeps the team aligned and improving.

There is a great deal of science, actually, on how accountability improves performance. (See below)

THREE DRIVERS OF A GOAL DRIVEN CHIROPRACTIC PRACTICE

1. Clear Ownership of Outcomes

Every role should have one or two numbers that answer: “What results am I responsible for?”

These are the practical goals that need to be achieved each month.

2. Regular Review and Supportive Feedback

Numbers must be:

  • Reviewed consistently (Monthly, weekly)
  • Shown in trends, not just totals
  • Discussed openly, without blame
  • Action plans and coaching for improvement

We don’t always face, as Jim Collins says in his book, Good to Great, the “Brutal Facts.” Just facing up to them each month is a step forward.

For example, you can look at your bank account at the end of each month. Is the trend going up, or down? Discuss this with your spouse and consider what actions to take to improve what you see. Do this regularly!

3. Clear Purpose

Numbers without purpose become mechanical and soulless.

It is what the numbers represent that counts. When people understand why their role matters and how their outcomes serve patients, performance becomes meaningful.

The purpose is the higher level goal that gives you the reason for everything you do.

A SIMPLE EXAMPLE of CREATING A GOAL DRIVEN CHIROPRACTIC PRACTICE

At a monthly team meeting, each team member reports on their key numbers.

“Cheryl, how did we do at the front desk this month?”

“We beat our goal — 91% kept appointments, up from 88% last month. Visits increased from 1150 to 1204.”

The doctor acknowledges the wins and may ask what was done to improve performance. Then, the next team member gives their report. After everyone is through, the doctor asks each person about their goals for the new month.

Lastly, the chiropractor-CEO discusses some version of the purpose of the clinic. Perhaps with a story or testimonial and ends the meeting.

This process done over and over can help create a goal driven chiropractic practice.

I think the funny thing is… that we are all on scoreboards, we just don’t know it! (Lol) Maybe we look at our numbers now and then, but not on a regular basis! Or get our teams to do the same.

Read this newsletter/article again and put it to work. You’ll see your numbers improve!

And, as always, stay …Goal Driven,

Ed

P.S. If you have questions or would like some help transforming your practice into a Goal Driven business, please contact me. (Ed at goaldriven dot com.)

**References

Goal-Setting and Feedback
Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2002).
Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation.
American Psychologist.

Key finding:
Specific goals combined with feedback produce significantly higher performance than vague goals or no feedback.

Feedback Loops Improve Performance
Kluger, A. N., & DeNisi, A. (1996).
The effects of feedback interventions on performance.

Key finding:
Performance improves when feedback is frequent, task-focused, and tied to clear standards. Poorly designed feedback harms performance; structured accountability improves it.

. Scorecards and Visibility
Kaplan, R. S., & Norton, D. P. (1996).
The Balanced Scorecard.

Key contribution:
Organizations that use visible performance metrics aligned to strategy outperform those that rely on financial results alone.

Thoughts on The Goal Driven Business

I WISH I WOULD’VE HAD THIS BOOK 30 YEARS AGO!

Mr. Ed Petty takes his reader on an entrepreneurial safari, complete with a roadmap for success. This is a relatable, actionable business or practice guide for conquering the challenges that come along with business ownership or private practice. I have personally worked with Mr. Petty for years as he has helped me to convert my extremely personality-driven practice to a goal-driven practice. I am so grateful our paths crossed when they did. I wish I would’ve had this book 30 years ago! What an amazing compilation of the process of building a solid, goal-driven business. The author takes you through literally every “phase” of business practice and “chunks” it up into actionable steps. If you own a business, you need to read “The Goal Driven Business.”!!

Ann Metzler, D.C. Group Practice Owner ( 2 offices, 5 doctors) [LINK]

Marketing: The Benefits of Positioning, Football, Food, and Chiropractic

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“Chiropractic just makes you feel so much better… as long as I see the chiropractor, I feel like I’m one step ahead of the game.” Tom Brady (7× Super Bowl Champion, 5× Super Bowl MVP, 3× League MVP, 15× Pro Bowler, Considered GOAT.)“Chiropractic just makes you feel so much better… as long as I see the chiropractor, I feel like I’m one step ahead of the game.”
Tom Brady (7× Super Bowl Champion, 5× Super Bowl MVP, 3× League MVP, 15× Pro Bowler, Considered GOAT.)

For those of you who are Patriots fans, Sunday was a tough loss.

But Seahawks fans (the 12s), you’ve got to be feeling pretty good. That was a clinic in defensive strategy.

I enjoyed the game, but here’s what caught my attention – nearly half the country watched the Super Bowl. That’s significant — not because of football, but because of what people pay attention to.

And that brings me to the subject of positioning.

Positioning is a marketing concept that means borrowing meaning from things people already trust, admire, or desire—and letting that meaning transfer to your service.

This weekend gave us two very relevant examples.

2 THINGS PEOPLE CARE ABOUT
(That Relate Directly to Chiropractic)

1. Sports

People of all ages love sports. Sports require physical health, mental focus—and I’d even say spiritual discipline. You must be healthy to perform, and health is your department.

There’s also a reason every professional football team has a chiropractor. If you haven’t looked into it, check out the Professional Football Chiropractic Society:

https://www.profootballchiros.com/

 

2. Healthy Food: RealFood.gov

During halftime, a public-health PSA aired promoting real food and warning about ultra-processed diets. In the spot, Mike Tyson spoke candidly about his own struggles with obesity and the tragic loss of his sister, who died young from a heart attack linked to obesity.

His line was blunt (and memorable):

“We’re the most powerful country in the world, and we have the most obese, fudgy people.”

The ad was funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, currently headed by RFK Jr., who has attended chiropractic conventions and spoken at chiropractic colleges.

These are not fringe ideas. These are mainstream conversations.

WHAT THE RESEARCH TELLS US

This shift isn’t anecdotal. The data supports it:

U.S. adults using at least one complementary health approach nearly doubled, from 19.2% in 2002 to 36.7% in 2022.*

Among adults aged 50–80, 66% report using at least one integrative health strategy.*

People love sports. Real food is being promoted nationally.

And more Americans are using natural health care.

So the question becomes: How Do You Join the Party?

There are lots of ways. Here are a few proven ones.

1. Be the change.
As Gandhi is said to have put it—be the change you want to see. Exercise. Eat well. Get adjusted.

2. Make it a core value.
Support your team in practical ways to help them move better, eat better, and stay healthy.

3. Communicate it relentlessly.
Table talk. Newsletters. Social media. Don’t assume people “get it.” Repetition builds positioning.

4. Create health allies.
Build relationships with owners of athletic businesses—golf courses, gyms, yoga studios, CrossFit boxes—and with coaches at schools or special programs. Cross-refer appropriately. Relationships matter.

5. Provide workshops.
Education beats advertising.

Include consultations and screenings. Partner with a pro or business owner when possible. Share a couple of success stories—with photos.

For example, we’ve done this successfully with golf workshops, co-hosted with chiropractors and a golf pro. Titles included:

  • Golf and Back Pain – Reducing Back Pain in Golf
  • Generating Increased Power in the Golf Swing
  • Improving Distance and Accuracy

We had strong turnout, immediate new patients, and more followed.

Golf season is right around the corner—and I’ve been told golf is a sport (lol).

Here are other natural workshop opportunities:

  • Gyms
  • Runners / Endurance sports
  • Cycling / CrossFit
  • Recreational & youth sports
  • Organic food stores

Sports. Real food. Good health. Your chiropractic services.

For the win!

Keep Drivin’,

Ed

P.S. If you’d like help applying this in your practice, you know where to find me. 🖐️

References:

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-analysis-reveals-significant-rise-use-complementary-health-approaches-especially-pain-management

https://ihpi.umich.edu/national-poll-healthy-aging/national-findings/use-and-interest-integrative-medicine-strategies

https://www.beinsports.com/en-us/american-football/articles/how-many-people-will-watch-super-bowl-lx-2026-02-06

Tom Brady – https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Ask Lisa: Benefits Verification: Because Guessing Is Expensive

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chiropractic assistant verifying insurance benefits for patient

In today’s healthcare landscape, verifying a patient’s insurance benefits is more than an administrative step – it is a critical safeguard for both the patient and you. Benefits verification ensures that coverage details such as eligibility, co-payments, deductibles, and authorization requirements are clearly understood. When done accurately and promptly, this process lays the foundation for transparent care, financial clarity, and trust.

For your patients, unverified benefits can lead to unexpected bills, delayed treatment, or denied claims long after services are rendered. These surprises not only often create stress at moments when patients are already vulnerable, but become a compliance issue with regards to the No Surprises Act. Verifying benefits in advance also empowers patients with accurate information about their financial responsibility, preventing fears about surprise charges.

From your perspective, benefit verification reduces claim denials, improves your revenue cycle management, and supports effective, functional operations. It bridges the gap between clinical care and financial responsibility, ensuring that your services provided align with billing requirements. Ultimately, verifying benefits is not just about reimbursement, it is about protecting patients, strengthening provider-patient relationships, and promoting a more transparent and sustainable practice.

The best time to verify benefits in the chiropractic office is either 1) before the new patient’s Day 1 if you obtained their insurance information when they called or came in to schedule, or 2) After the patient’s Day 1 visit and prior to their Day 2 visit. This fosters continued trust and adequate time for your one-on-one financial consultation. You’ll also want to verify benefits if the patient has a change in insurance during the year.

Best Verification Methods: How to Verify Benefits

  • EHR/Clearinghouse: For a minimal extra monthly fee, verification of benefits feature is available for immediate output through your EHR or clearinghouse.
  • Insurance Payor Portals: Using specific payer websites provides the most up-to-date, detailed, and accurate benefit information, often surpassing phone checks.
  • Phone: The most reliable method for complex or high-cost services, enabling confirmation of specific benefits, authorization requirements, and obtaining a first name and reference number for the call.

Be ready to provide the following information:

  • Patient Name
  • Date of Birth
  • Member ID
  • Group Number (if applicable)

Some Coverage Questions/Criteria:

  • In-network or out-of-network status of provider
  • Annual or visit limits (if any)
  • Deductible amount and remaining balance
  • Co-payment or coinsurance
  • Is prior authorization required
  • CPT codes
  • Effective date of coverage and if calendar year or policy year coverage

If an appeal is needed:

When you need to appeal a benefits verification that mismatches the reimbursement on your EOB, the best method is to call the payer regarding the specific issue and provide the call reference number and representative’s name if you originally called to verify. If you used your EHR/clearinghouse or the payer’s portal, provide the information stated on the printout to the appeals representative. Focus on what you need for resolution, such as, “It appears your claims system miscalculated what we are to be reimbursed. We are expecting $XX remaining, and are requesting you resend the claim(s) to process per the member’s policy coverage.” If they paid correctly on another DOS, let the rep know this.

You may want to inform the patient of your appeal as well. Sometimes the patient will need to ultimately call to sort out a coverage dispute. If they signed your financial agreement, they’ll be more than willing to call their insurance company if they were expecting their insurer to pay a portion for their care.

Need an insurance verification form for use or to compare what you currently use in your office? Click HERE for an insurance verification form. On the house.
Questions? Just Ask… Lisa

The Hidden Power of Patient Testimonials in Chiropractic and Healthcare that Go Beyond Marketing

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women healthier and pain free after chiropracticIn this newsletter I was going to show you some neat tricks to improve team accountability. Accountability is a powerful and positive trigger that drives excellent practice performance.

But something happened just before I started the article.

I received a patient success review from a doctor we work with.

It read it and…WOW! What a success! What a Win! (It is below!)

And I thought – boy, this is really good for marketing. But reviews like this also have other practical uses in your practice that may be overlooked.

Mostly, these are marketing tools—patients give reviews to let the community know what you do. They’re legit and one of the absolute best methods to sell your services. I’m sure when you buy products on Amazon, you look at the reviews. Right?

But patient reviews have 2 other very powerful benefits that may be overlooked.

Two Hidden Benefits of Reviews in Your Chiropractic Practice

First, they reinforce wins for your patients. A patient comes in barely able to move. You adjust them. They get better. And then—they start to forget how bad it was. It’s human nature. We adapt to our new normal fast. Or their wins come on so gradually they don’t even notice the change.

When patients write their reviews, they reconnect with where they were and recognize where they are now. That testimonial becomes their documented “why” — why they’re investing in care and why they’ll stick with their treatment plan.

Second, patient reviews keep the WHY in mind for you and your team.

The daily demands and deadlines that are required working in a practice, for the chiropractor and staff, can bury the reason you work in this profession: to help people heal.

Reading chiropractic patient testimonials reconnects you and your fellow team members to your purpose and the purpose of the office. When Mrs. Johnson writes about finally holding her grandson without pain, or the athlete describes returning to their sport—that’s not marketing copy. That’s meaning. That’s impact.

That is the essence of health care.

The Joy of Practice

If you can stay connected to the wins of your patients, I think you’ll find that practice stressors, or “onset burnout,” will start to melt away.

So,

Keep generating patient reviews. And if you aren’t, do so.

Get them posted so your community can see what you do: website, social media, Google Business profile, and your newsletters.

Read them. At weekly team meetings, staff and doctors can take turns reading one or two patient successes. I have seen patients how up at team meetings and at spinal care classes to talk about their wins!

Patient testimonials aren’t just marketing assets. They’re memory landmarks for patients who might take their wins for granted.

They’re purpose statements that remind the entire team what you all are really doing there. They’re the antidote to the sometimes-dreary aspects of practice management.

So yes, get the reviews for marketing. But also share them with each other. Let them be the thing that brings everyone back to why you all do this work.

And stay driven to enjoy the wins,

Ed

The public patient review I just read.:

Doctor Max is an absolute miracle worker. He is the best. I went to him a month ago basically as a last resort. I had tried everything else, and I mean everything. When I went to see him, I could barely walk. I had to use a cane. Getting in and out of vehicles was soooo very painful. I had sciatic pain, lower back and hip pain and could not bend my knee at all. Regular doctors told I would need a knee replacement. Nope..,not doing that. Doctor Max took X-rays of back, neck, hip and knee. Immediately he had a course of treatment. Now, after 1 month of treatments, 3 times a week, the change is a true miracle. I feel like a new woman (and that is tough to do at 80 years old LOL). I’m still going in for treatments to continue healing to make sure my body stays in great condition. I am convinced, if I had not found Doctor Max I would be in terrible shape and facing a knee replacement I did not need to have. Not only is Doctor Max great, but his staff is wonderful.” Cindy B

Kickstarting Your Patient’s Health and Their Referrals In Chiropractic and Healthcare Practices

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chiropractic healthy start coupon

A healthy start for 2026 in your chiropractic practice

Now is a perfect time to connect with all your active and inactive patients.

If you haven’t yet, compliment them for working on improving their health last year. Express your gratitude for trusting you with their health.

Then, as their Health and Wellness Coach, encourage them to set some health goals for the first quarter of the year.

You can be a little forward about it…you want them to win! Patients appreciate chiropractors and other doctors who genuinely care about their results.

You can also encourage them to invite their family and friends in to see you if they’re dealing with back pain, headaches, or other conditions you can help with.

Below is a sample coupon you can personalize then use or modify to suit your situation.

Wishing you, too, a healthy start to your New Year — in business and in life!

Ed

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2026 “HEALTHY START” COUPON

We want to help you start your year off as healthy as possible. Use this coupon:

  1. If you are active on your chiropractic program, bring this coupon in to enter a drawing for a [healthy gift, which could be a gift certificate to a local health food store, restaurant, yoga studio, sky-diving, etc.]

  2. If you haven’t been in for a while, bring this in for a free update exam and x-ray if needed.

  3. If you know someone who might benefit from chiropractic care, give them this coupon for a consultation, exam, x-ray if needed, and report of findings for $25 as your guest.