Getting Patients to Wellness You will get more of your patients on to Wellness Care if you ensure that each step of their treatment program is executed completely.  Here is a simple exercise that can help improve the number of patients you have on Wellness Care, increase referrals, and enhance teamwork:Make a list of all the important procedures by you and your staff on key patient visits, such as Day 1, Day 2,  Re-Evaluation Visit, Regular Visit, Transition to Wellness Care Visit, Wellness Visit,  etc.   This would include a thorough report of findings, a financial consultation, patient education during each visit, possibly a 6th visit micro-report, re-eval. after 12th visit, etc. Review and adjust this checklist regularly with doctors and staff against every 10th patient for quality case management.Many of your retention problems can be traced back to shortcutting of your own successful procedures. Making a list of all of your patient procedures from acute care to wellness care, and then ensuring that you and your staff actually DO each procedure, will greatly improve the number of patients you can get to wellness.  For more information, click here.

Demand. A vital element to practice success is the use of “demand.” This is such an obvious ingredient that it is easily overlooked.What is demand? Webster defines it as: “to ask or call for with authority:…or insistently”.   Having a dream, a goal, or a promotional plan is useless without the self-discipline to activate it. You have to demand action – from yourself, your staff, and your patients.  And it has to be positive. Set short term and realistic goals and practical plans. Then, be unrelenting and insistent, accepting no excuse until you achieve your objectives.Interestingly enough, done correctly, your staff and patients will respect you more for it.

Don’t Ask Your Patients For Referrals. Don’t ask your patients for referrals. Tell them. Don’t beat around the bush and ask for permission.  You don’t need approval to do this, or a license: you already have one. You are the doctor, and you have a responsibility and a  mission. Most people just don’t know about chiropractic, or your specialized services.Timing, however, is important. Ensure the patient is appreciative of your care. Ideally, the she or he has mentioned something about a relative or friend, but this is not necessarily.  Example:  “Mrs. Jones, I would like you to bring your husband in so I could check his back.” Be direct and friendly.  Done correctly, patients interpret your directness as honesty and genuine care, and often comply.