Sample chiropractic practice marketing plan for chiropractors and their staff. [ Download/View File ]
Sample Chiropractic Practice Marketing Plan
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Author Archives: Edward Petty
Leprechaun Appreciation Day Poster
Leprechaun Appreciation Day Posters.
[Customizable posters available for member’s on member’s site.]
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Your Chiropractic Practice Marketing Plan
How is your marketing plan?
Do you have one?
You really should have a marketing plan for your chiropractic practice, and it should be updated monthly, nudged weekly, and totally reviewed every three months.
This may sound oversimplified, boring, or too too obvious, but in our experience, it is a major key to practice building.
Sure, there are many other factors behind a successful business, but constantly marketing is essential. And, if your practice is not growing, it may be because you are not routinely marketing.
And how do you make sure that you are marketing? Have a plan.
A Marketing Plan Is Simply Marketing Activities Scheduled,
Assigned, Regularly Supervised, And Measured.
Assigned, Regularly Supervised, And Measured.
The key to effective marketing is simply planning. This is because marketing often just does not get done. It is not that your marketing did not work. More than likely, it just didn’t happen.
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To overcome this, you need to schedule short planning times each week, and longer periods each month.
This is the core of the Marketing Management System as we have developed it.
Your marketing plans should include the following:
• Recurring Marketing-Oriented Procedures. These include not only your internal marketing procedures, but recurring clinical and administrative procedures as well. They are the usual recurring procedures that go on regularly in your office. Often overlooked and neglected, they are the most important form of marketing. They need to be reviewed and practiced regularly to be keep fresh and important. Because they are so routine, I usually schedule them last.
Very successful offices rely mostly on these types of procedures. When you hear chiropractic doctors say “We don’t do marketing”, it is because they have their marketing as part of their internal procedures and they do these extra-ordinarily well. These could be the way the phones get answered, the report of findings, the new patient lecture, the simple consistency of patient flow procedures, great internal staff and doctor communication, staff training procedures, staff meetings, etc.
• Special Promotions. Hold special promotions every now and then. These could include a Kid’s Day, a donation drive, mother’s appreciation day, teacher’s appreciation week, etc. I walked into an office a few days ago and in the middle of a very cold, snow packed winter, the doctor and staff were wearing summer clothes, offering smoothies (without the run), with a big sign saying: “Welcome to Chiroville”, no doubt referencing “Margaritaville” and warm ocean lifestyle. What a refreshing and friendly surprise greeted each patient that day!
• Patient and Community Education Programs. These are usually held in your office. Educate your community through your office and patients by providing special workshops that are chiropractic or health related. Or, you can sponsor a special “Awareness Week”, such as a Headache Awareness Week, offering no charge or discounted condition specific screenings, consultations, and or exams.
• External Community Services and Networking Events. These can range from spinal screenings, to in office ergonomic workshops, lunchtime “Lunch & Learns” for local businesses, setting up referral sources with business or other professionals, or working in the food pantry twice a month feeding the homeless.
There are other procedures, such as advertising, PPO soliciting and reviewing, yellow pages, web site, but many of these can be put onto a yearly, quarterly, or monthly recurring checklist.
The above are various categories of marketing. But again, the most important part of marketing is doing it, and the key to getting marketing done is to schedule it and assign it and measure it.
For the best reference, review the materials in your Marketing Toolkit which is part of your Marketing Manager System computer software, if you have it.
Here is a sample marketing calendar for a chiropractic office.
NOTE TO CLIENTS AND PMA MEMBERS: You may find a customizable sample calendar on our PMA Member’s web site.
What the Moon Has to Do With You Success
The moon is back to normal again.
Just a few hours ago, though, standing in the middle of a snow-covered playground near Lake Michigan, in the night sky at about 3 degrees above zero, it looked like a smudge. A grey brown spot that was almost black, like someone had tried to erase it with an old eraser, but part of its image still remained.
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For a few hours, the earth blocked out the sunlight to the moon, at least from our perspective. These unimaginably huge spheres of matter, nearly perfectly in balance, were gracefully moving like billiard balls in a ballet. Compared to this, all else really seems insignificant.
Before street lamps, car lights, TVs and late night computers, the night sky entertained us. Everyone could recognize the constellations, and an interplanetary event such as an eclipse was a very big deal. All our ancestors were stargazers – the night sky gave them the comfort of familiar signs, as well as wonder and awe. And mystery.
Besides the city lights to distract us, we have our daily duties and deadlines that rivet our attention to the near. Your patients, your notes, your computer, staff members, phones; most things are just a yard stick away. Like a ping-pong game, your focus has to be complete, quick, and close, or, you lose.
When your attention drifts, patients think you don’t care, staff thinks you take them for granted or are displeased, and insurance companies can’t read your notes. Success in practice requires keen attentiveness.
You can’t survive asleep at the wheel, dreaming or daydreaming. To be a winner you have to be alert and actively attentive to your job each minute you are at the office.
And if that is all you do, you soon will burn out.
Studies have shown that you have to, now and then, disengage. Take a break. Learn Japanese. Play with your kids. Help the poor. Pray. In their best selling book, The Power of Full Engagement, the authors offer studies and examples on why it is important to become involved in disrelated activities to balance our hectic if productive lives.
All this goes back to the moon and the sky. I don’t think we look up enough. The sky, the stars, and the whole natural God given world are about us, mysterious and awe inspiring.
In business, we have to focus on the short term and build for the middle term. But it is the far away that calls us, if we can stop to listen. What makes you curious, fills you with awe, love, and seems a mystery? What does your future whisper back to you, as if you could hear your eulogy years from now? What are your greater purposes?
Balancing these three is the key to a successful practice, business, and life. Your first goal is to play each day fast, full out, like a basket ball game you have to win. Your second goal is to gradually build a strong organization with the right teammates and the best plays that have proven to work for you. But your third goal, and there may be many, are why you work at all.
If your business has plateaued and stopped growing, it is because one or more of these goals is not being worked on correctly.
We have developed a general pathway and framework for doctors to move upward so that they can correctly work on and achieve all three goals. It doesn’t matter what technique you use, therapies, providers, or offices.
We are excited and pleased about the development of this new approach to practice management and marketing and how it impacts our consulting and the results our clients can see, as well as our own business and personal lives.
We will be publishing and just talking more about these three goals, but we encourage you to come to our seminars. You can learn more about them by clicking here. 3-Goals Seminars
And, in the meantime, as my old pal, Jack Horkhiemer the stargazer always says: “Keep Looking Up.”
photos from Microsoft and NASA
Chiropractic Does Not Increase Risk of Stroke- Patient Handout
Billing Audits and “Red Flags”
Angie’s Angles
From a Chiropractic Billing Consultant
For your protection, you should be aware of the Top 10 Red Flags for a billing audit in a chiropractic office. Here they are.
Since this is the beginning of a new year, I will start with the Top 10 Red Flags for a billing audit (in no particular order):
1. “Phantom Billing”—Billing for services not rendered.
2. “Double Billing”—charging more than once for the same service, e.g., using an individual code again as part of an automated or bundled set of tests.
3. “Clustering”—Using only a few codes on the theory that it will average out.
4. “Upcoding”—Using a higher reimbursement code than the code reflecting the service rendered; e.g., billing for complex services when only simple services were performed, billing for brand named drugs when generic drugs were provided, listing treatment as having been for a more complicated diagnosis than was actually the case.
5. “Unbundling”—Using two or more billing codes instead of one inclusive code where
regulations require “bundling” of such claims. Submitting multiple bills in order to obtain a higher reimbursement for tests and services that were performed within a specified time period and which should have been submitted as a single bill.
6. “Code Jamming”—Inserting or “jamming” fake diagnosis codes to get insurance coverage.
7. Billing for non-covered services
8. Billing for services that are not reasonable and necessary.
9. Inappropriate balance billing—billing Medicare beneficiaries for the difference between the total provider charges and the Medicare Part B allowable amount.
10. Routine waiver of co-payments and billing third-party insurance only.
The complexity of managing a practice is not a walk in the park. As a Billing Consultant with PM&A, my job is to free doctors from the worries that can accompany running the financial end of a medical practice. I can review and streamline your billing department, train staff, and credential doctors with insurance companies, among other services.
Questions on how any of these might apply to your office? Contact me and I will let you know.
Next month – look for tips on nailing your Financial Consultations!!
Goals For Patients and Chiropractors
Goals Give Us Tools to Put Dreams Into Action
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| Phyllis A Frase |
If each of us is on a lifelong journey to find our hat, to know who we are, then by implication we are all on a journey to somewhere. It is our passion for that destination that makes us engaged and purposeful about our work and lives. Without a dream, without goals, we have no direction. As the old expression says, “If you don’t know where you are going, any path will get you there.”
William James, the visionary turn-of-the-century psychologist, might be considered one of the fathers of self-actualization. He understood the power of our thoughts to affect our lives. His advice then is as true today as ever: “Seek out that particular mental attitude which makes you feel most deeply and vitally alive, along with which comes the inner voice which says, ‘this is the real me,’ and when you have found that attitude follow it.”
Many, many people are afraid to follow their dreams. They are afraid of goals or at least resist them. They think goals take the fluidity and spontaneity out of life. And they worry about how they will feel if they don’t reach them.
But we need to remember that goals are not a blueprint; they simply provide a vision.
Think about it in terms of a fishing line. A big goal, like a big fish, puts some tension on the line. You’ve got to have tension to succeed. You can’t catch a fish without it. If you line goes slack, you know you’ve lost a big one. If you yank too hard, you risk losing the fish and the lure as well.
We teach our patients our chiropractic truth and values. We offer gentle but continuous pressure to gradually pull and lure them into referring, committed lifetime oriented chiropractic patients. But if you lose patience and jerk the line too often, you can lose the patient by not having systems and procedures that guide that patient. Constant dialogues, clarity, trust and soft tension on the line—those are the qualities that lead to the results and relationship we look to have with our patients.
In your life you’ve got to go after your goals and dreams. Of course, for the passion and the persistence to be there, and to take ACTION and not think about it, they need to be aligned with who you are and not what everyone else thinks you are. They also need to be about what you what to accomplish. And yes, you will surely lose some. But you can’t catch a dream without tension on the line.
So be purposeful. Don’t be satisfied just dawdling along. We need to save people chiropractically…..If you don’t do it and take action, who will?
Blind Man Sees With Chiropractic
A news account about how a blind man regained his vision after seeing his chiropractor. Print story for office use. For Video.
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Tent Poster Ayn Rand
Feel bullied by insurance companies and the stresses of running your business? Some thoughts from Ayn Rand can help.
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Chiropractic Newsletter – sample
Chiropractic Newsletter-Doctors Column
33 Chiropractic Principles
A distillation of chiropractic by Dr. R. W. Stephenson into 33 principles.
Chiropractic Motivation – Gratitude
Chiropractic motivational tent poster to help your team with their “Gratitude Attitude.”
How Gratitude Can Improve Chiropractic Clinic Performance
“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.”
Cicero (106-43 B.C.)
Those Greeks were pretty smart, and Cicero’s statement is just one example.
According to an article in Psychology Today, gratitude is a sentiment we’d all do well to cultivate. “Feeling thankful and expressing that thanks makes you happier and heartier–not hokier.”
But more than that, when gratitude is expressed to others, many benefits occur. A simple “thank you” goes a long way in improving the morale and ultimate performance of others. Of course, it has to be genuine. Counterfeit praise is easily seen through and can do more harm than good.
According to Tom Rath, co-author of How Full Is Your Bucket, “Gallup polling has revealed that 99 out of 100 people say they want a more positive environment at work, and 9 out of 10 say they’re more productive when they’re around positive people.”
He points to research that shows when a work team has more than three positive interactions with managers for every one negative interaction, it is significantly more likely to be productive. The point is not to keep managers from correcting or reprimanding, but just to express more praise.
To improve your gratitude attitude, consider the following actions:
1. In your personal life, you can list the kindnesses of someone you’ve never fully thanked. According to Lauren Aaronson in Psychology Today, if you read this letter aloud to the person you’re thanking, you’ll see measurable improvements in your mood. She refers to studies show that for a month after a “gratitude visit” (in which a person makes an appointment to read the letter to the recipient), happiness levels tend to go up. In fact, according to her references, the gratitude visit is more effective than any other exercise in positive psychology.
2. In your practice life, list the positive contributions of each team member. Once each day, take just a moment to recognize your team member’s action and express it to them. Your communication does not have to be lavish, just a short 3 second notice of something good followed by a “thanks for the report, Dr. Smith” is all it takes.
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One chiropractor I worked with years ago seemed to always be in a bad mood. He was quiet and basically ignored his staff. His opinion was that he paid them to work, they should work hard, and that was it. But, his office wasn’t doing well so he called me in. I made several visits to his office, each time simply improving the communications between he and his team. I coached him on listening to each staff member and to simply acknowledge them for their contributions.
A few month’s later, we saw his practice grow. I remember this because he was always complaining to me that I was not doing anything for his office! (Sheesh!) His constant complaining and lack of appreciation was the real problem yet he just didn’t see it.
This concept is not new, of course, but it is worth remembering now and then. More studies that validate the practical aspects of this as a management tool are covered in the above referenced book. But beyond management, like Cicero says, it is just an all round good virtue to cultivate.
For a motivational tent poster with the above quote, click here.
And … thank you for taking the time to read this!
Note: If you feel you need some instant appreciation yourself, try this. (Will need speakers or earphones.)
Two Wolves – Poster
The Four-Handed Chiropractic Office
We once knew of a dentist that was able to see hundreds of patients each week. Just himself.
How?
He had four hands. Actually, he had about 40 hands.
Four-handed dentistry became popular in the 1960’s and is a procedure that utilizes a dental assistant at the chair side of the patient with the dentist.
The two extra hands of the assistant allows the doctor to do the essential work on more patients. It is actually more than just adding two more hands. It includes all aspects of cooperation and coordination, allowing for maximum production through improved efficiency.
But his success was due to not just having extra “chairsides.” He had everything delegated, had separate departments in his office systematized, and had manuals for each department from which he constantly trained his staff. And, he had a fast and efficient management system to keep it all going. This permitted him to work with patients and develop the personal rapport that helped to keep them coming back to complete their treatment programs and refer their family and friends.
All of this leads to a key concept: capacity. Capacity is the ability and “room” to produce. Four-handed dentistry increases the capacity for the dentist to serve more people.
The reason why many offices stop growing is that, simply, they run out of room. It could be that there is not enough physical space or not enough effective staff. It could be poor patient, staff, and paperwork systems that clog up the flow so badly that even a can of Drano or a visit by the Rotor-router man couldn’t fix.
And, sometimes, even our mental capacity can get “filled-up.”
A well-organized office allows you to leverage your abilities and create more production. It also opens up the room to produce.
Imagine trying to play a football game on a 10 yard by 10 yard field. This is what many of us are trying to do, yet we just don’t know it. If you are having a hard time growing your office, you may have unseen capacity constraints holding you back.
A four-handed chiropractic office would be an office where there were many “hands” efficiently doing all the work, allowing the doctor(s) to focus only on those key actions necessary to treat patients and run the office.
Give this some thought and we will SOON show you some specific examples and what to do about capacity restraints in your office. Stay tuned…
P.S. If you know any doctors or marketers who would enjoy this article, just send them an email with this link: http://www.pmaworks.com/main/Four-Handed_Chiropractic_Office.shtml
P.P.S. E-mail addresses are never shared.
You are free to use the material from these articles in whole or in part on your web site or eZine (email newsletter) as long as you include the attribution below and also let me know where the article will appear.
“This article is by Ed Petty of Petty, Michel & Associates. Petty, Michel & Associates web site is a comprehensive resource on practice development for chiropractors. For free marketing resources and valuable development tools visit http://www.pmaworks.com”
Randy Pausch
Randy Pausch
Last Lecture
Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch, who is dying from pancreatic cancer, gave his last lecture at the university Sept. 18, 2007, before … a packed McConomy Auditorium. In his moving talk, “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams,” Pausch talked about his lessons learned and gave advice to students on how to achieve their own career and personal goals.
Summary of lecture from the Wall Street Journal. Viewing time 4 minutes 39 seconds.
Link, or watch below:
Full Lecture 1 hour 39 minutes
Chiropractic Motivation – Two Wolves
An elder Cherokee Native American was teaching his grandchildren about life. He said to them…
“A fight is going on inside me… it is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One wolf represents fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.
The other stands for joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.
This same fight is going on inside you and every other person, too.”
They thought about this for a minute, and then one child asked his grandfather… “Which wolf will win?”
The old Cherokee simply replied… “The one you feed.”
Chiropractor: Are You a D.C. or a D. S.?
Whether you are a D.C. or a D.S. makes a big difference in your patient retention and patient referrals.
Many years ago we were working with a chiropractor who, while he had a great practice, couldn’t manage it worth a damn. Even so, because his patient retention and patient referrals were exceptional, he had a high volume practice.
As we worked with him to improve and expand his business structure, his volume continued to increase. This was a while back; when note taking was very simple, but I think he got up to seeing around 500 visits a week, with peak weeks over 600. We helped with marketing and associate doctors, and he continued to grow. He had all kinds of marketing programs, plenty of associates, and made a great name for chiropractic. But at the heart of his growth was a special secret he often related.
What was his secret?
Well, one of them was the way he started each case. On his initial consultation with each patient he would say:
“Before I tell you what chiropractic does, let me tell you what it doesn’t do. As doctors of chiropractic, we do not prescribe drugs. (Pause.) We also do not perform surgery. (Pause.) Lastly, we do not treat symptoms.” (Long pause.)
He would let that sink in for a few moments. He would then briefly explain what chiropractors were really after. Namely, subluxations. And while there may be other terms for this condition, from a marketing point of view, this has worked. It fixes in the mind of the patient that there is an underlying cause or a basic contributing factor that resulted in, or at least affected their current complaint(s).
Over the years of consulting, we routinely see doctors “going shallow”, treating only the superficial symptoms that patients come in with. “Hey doc., I must got a crick in my back. Can you just give me a crack here (points) and fix it?” Horror of horrors!
It is easy to focus only on the symptoms. First, it is the reason why the majority of your patients come to see you. They have pain, stiffness, or discomfort and want it fixed. Second, it is what your insurance company requires in your documentation. Third, it is the path of least resistance. Give the patient some relief and then move on. Fourth, chiropractic is usually SO effective with symptoms relatively quickly, that we often are just happy with that.
I am certainly not advocating any particularly type of treatment guideline. I am just pointing out that many successful chiropractors look for earlier traumas in their consultation and history and maybe spend just a bit more time on the general diagnostic process, if only a minute more.
This is from a marketing point of view, not from a clinical perspective. In these times of higher deductibles, you have to put the value into your service. If a patient comes to you for a pain in the “keister”, and you only address that, not only is the patient being the doctor, but also you are relegated to “therapist.”
Another doctor David and I worked with had a practice “melt down” one winter day. (By the way, we see these “melt-downs” every now and then! Too much insurance B.S., mid-life burnout, staff problems, etc. Please call us if you feel one coming on!) He was mostly a “straight” doctor, but had purchased a very inexpensive, used EMS (muscle stim.) unit for patients. One day, one of his patients came for his adjustment. He told the doctor that he didn’t want adjustments anymore, just wanted some of that electronic muscle stimulation. Our doctor blew a fuse. “Fine”, he said. “Here, take the dang machine and go home. You can have it.” And he actually gave it to him.
A bit extreme, but it was probably good to get it out of his system. The doctor was feeling that he had become only a band-aid therapist for his patients because of the therapy unit. It took a while, but we got him to see that it was not the patient’s fault. The patient simply did not understand the purpose of the doctor’s treatment program.
D.C. could be called Doctor of “Chronicity.” I was reminded of this recently by one of our clients. D.S. could be “Doctor of Symptoms.”
We suggest the following:
1. Be a D.C. Doctors who emphasize the chronic nature of the patient’s symptoms seem to have busier practices. We suggest that you should do both: definitely help patients get what they want – pain relief. But, as appropriate, work with them to get what they really need.
As a side note, some doctors can become so philosophical that they loose touch with the fact that “the Customer is King.” (In Japan, I have read they say that the “Customer is God.”) Philosophy, principles, and emphasizing the chronic nature, as indicated, is fine. So is “Wellness.” Just remember that you have to also give the patients what they want and keep them happy.
2. Integrity. Needless to say, in all things you have to call it like you see it and maintain your integrity. If there are no chronic conditions, then so be it. But at least, take the time to look. Be curious, investigate, and don’t let the insurance company or the patient’s desire for fast results compromise your clinical integrity.
3. Interest. Traumas may have occurred many years earlier, or accumulated over the years. Be genuinely interested and focused on their case. Even intense about what you discover in their exam and x-ray and how you explain it. “Would you look at this, Mrs. Jones”, pointing to a spot on the x-ray as if this was the first x-ray you had seen of this kind before. (And it is.) This will increase the patient’s confidence in you and acceptance of your treatment plan.
4. Time, Repetition, Effort. It may take time to correct the condition. It may take repetitive visits (like an orthodontist), and it will take effort on the patient’s part as well as yours.
Go over the factors of time, repetition, and effort with the patient. You can also ask the patient how long do they think it will take to correct the condition. If you have educated them on the true nature of the condition, you might be surprised to hear that they often offer a longer period of time than you were ready to present to them in your treatment program. (A very successful doctor recently reminded me of this.)
5. You Are, And Have Been, A Leader. And finally, don’t sell yourself short. As a chiropractor, you are an active member in a profession that, no doubt, has led the way in real health care over the last 100 years. Certainly, it will continue to do so in the future, provided that you stick to your guns, while always adapting to the ever-changing market.
By looking for and working to correct the long term causes of spinal related symptoms, you will inspire trust and confidence in your patients as their doctor of chiropractic, coach, and friend. As such, your patients will be loyal and refer their friends because of your care. And, as such, you will be a D.C.
Ed Petty
The Self-Reliant Chiropractic Clinic
Six Steps To A Clinic That Runs Itself
Some chiropractic offices seem to run themselves. The doctor walks in, the rooms are full, and he leaves after the last patient is seen. The staff is efficient and upbeat. The chiropractor takes lots of vacations and can afford to. New patients call in every day.
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Isn’t this what we all want: a self-reliant office that is profitable, gets people better, and gives us plenty of time off?
What we don’t want is a doctor-reliant office. You know, the one that requires your constant supervision, your hourly orders, and many hours of extra work. The one where you struggle for new patients and that gives so much stress to you, your staff and family, and in return provides so little profit.
There are not too many self-reliant offices, but they do exist. Maybe you have experienced such a condition in your own chiropractic practice, or seen it. In such an office, there is a lot going on behind the scenes that can go unnoticed.
What are these often overlooked key components that make up a self-reliant office? Listed below are six of them that you can use to make your office self-reliant.
1. Staff. You have to have the right staff in the right positions.
They also have to be trained and have the feeling of being included in the overall growth and decision making of the office. Otherwise, they can become apathetic, as their views have no weight and so why should they have any views or suggestions? This is an important reason to have staff meetings, by way. They help include everyone in the management of the office and helps make employees feel like it is their clinic too.
By the way, staff also include any vendors that support you and your business, from accountants, coaches, and consultants, to computer support providers and lawyers.
2. Procedures. As Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do.” This is a subtle but huge secret of the successful offices: they do what they do consistently. Over and over again. They don’t change. Sometimes they need to, and when they don’t, their numbers start to crash.
This applies to staff, patients, and you personally. Brushing your teeth, exercising, getting regular adjustments yourself, all should be regular. Success is the sum of consistent good actions. Make sure your office has procedures that are in writing, that are referred to, and that get reviewed at least every three months.
3. Monitors. Baseball teams have a scoreboard. Golfers have a scorecard. Weight watchers have a scale. Business owners and investors have financial statements. Doctors have outcome studies, patient testimonials, practice statistics, and patient surveys. Managers have all these.
It is hard to tell what is going on by “feelings.” Sometimes, these are very useful, but emotions can lead to incorrect conclusions. An annoying associate may have very high numbers and great patient testimonials, referrals, and outcomes. On the other hand, a very sweet front desk assistant may not be able to schedule patient appointments.
Without accurate scores, your clinic team won’t know whether they are coming or going, rising or falling, and may not even care.
4. Owner’s Role. The doctor has a number of roles. Mostly, doctor. Doctoring patients is what the office is ALL about. However, the doctor also has the role of the owner, and this has just a few, but very vital, duties that must be fulfilled.
Actually, it is just one duty. Here it is:
The owner has to be able to make everyone feel like an owner too.
What would the staff member do about a low new patient count if it were their office? What would the associate doctor do about staff training, promotions, and overhead? What is the greater mission of the office and why? If the employees could share in the burden of responsibility, the pressure of performance, the sense of duty, and in the vision of the future, the clinic would drive itself.
The owner has to put energy into the office and provide leadership. He or she also has to make everyone feel like a leader.
5. Management. If all the earlier points are doing well, then there should not be a need for a lot of management. Management is mostly communication and coordination. This includes regular reviews of performance monitors, procedures, and plans that allow everyone to know where they stand and what should be done to reach the next level.
6. Professional Service and Patient Care. The only reason there is management, owners, monitors, procedures, and staff, THE ONLY REASON, is for that one patient that comes in to see you when they come in to see you. All else is minor.
It is everyone’s job to continually work on improving the quality of services they render to the patient. Improving your craft as a doctor, educator, therapist, hostess-front-desk-patient-service coordinator, reimbursement specialist, etc., is the most important component in a successful office.
You see, patients can tell. What distinguishes you from others is the level of your intention to care for them. Give the 100%, and you will keep them and get their family and friends to come in as well. Give them less and they will be looking elsewhere. Just like you do when you visit any service professional.
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These ingredients can be applied to different departments in the office, such as the front desk, billing and collections, adjusting, therapy, diagnostics, and marketing. For example, do you have marketing procedures that your staff understand and apply regularly? Do you monitor not only the number of your new patients, but where they come from? Is your marketing well managed, and do you work to improve its quality?
You can grade your office in terms of how complete each one of these components are present. (See chart.) You have to be honest and face the fact that many times, not all areas of your office are in the best condition. When this occurs, you will have to get busy and improve things. But the reward of a well-built business is time off and profit. The penalty, of course, is no time off and no profit.
In The 4-Hour Work Week, author Tim Ferris discusses how, in theory, one can earn more and work less. Perhaps a bit unreal, especially for a doctor, it lays out ideas on how, and why, you can cut your workload. Similarly, the by now well-known E-Myth by Michael Gerber, discusses the importance establishing systems (a fancy word for procedures) that will help you do the work.
We have a proprietary term for this which we call The PM&A Practice Development Process. We have been helping doctors achieve this goal for nearly 20 years, and is a core focus of our services.
If you are willing to do what it takes to get all six of these components in place, in time you can be receiving your practice statistics via cell phone while you are sipping lemonade along the beach in Tahiti.
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Chicago Tribune: Chiropractic Lowers Blood Pressure
According to a recent news article in the Chicago Tribune, chiropractic adjustments have been proven to reduce blood pressure.
The actual article has photographs of a doctor of chiropractic making cervical adjustments.
The article is based on a study done at the University of Chicago.
This is wonderful validation of chiropractic and should be communicated to your patients.
The article can be a useful marketing tool for existing patients as well as new patients. It can be printed and handed out to patients, used in your patient newsletter, or included in a special workshop you give to patients, their family and friends, or to local companies.
Chicago Tribune link
PDF of article link
From the article…
“A one-time chiropractic adjustment of a misaligned neck vertebra has been shown to significantly reduce blood pressure in people with hypertension, according to a pilot study by University of Chicago researchers.
When the vertebra, known as the Atlas, or C1, was manipulated in 25 people with high blood pressure, both their systolic and diastolic readings decreased significantly, equal to taking two blood-pressure drugs at once.”