Tag Archives: chiropractic

Your Front Desk – Practice Driver or Practice Denier?

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front desk comparison in the chiropractic officeI walked into two businesses recently.

I needed some printing done so I visited a local printing business. It was near a local college. As I walked in, I noticed that the front desk was covered with a see-through plexiglass, from the ceiling to the counter. There was a small opening just above the counter. The woman behind it looked up, begrudgingly, as if I was interrupting her. I asked her some questions and soon decided NOT to work with the company.

But here’s the weird part…

It was a printing company that made signs. So, it had its own sign, a colored banner actually, up at the top of the plexiglass on the Front Desk. It read: WE ARE ALL VACCINATED.

Now, I don’t keep up with all the new trends, like the latest songs, clothing styles, and what is popular nowadays. So, I am asking, is this the new COOL?

Then, the next office I visited was a chiropractor’s. So, I walk up to the front desk. Well, not all the way. In front of the front desk was high table, belly-height. I guess this ensures that I just don’t get too close to the person who is on the other side of the desk.

So, from a distance of 4 to 5 feet, the woman at the front desk looks up from what she was doing and with a concerned and cautious look, asks how she could help me. I attempted a conversation, but she was not interested. I said that I have known the doctor for many years and wanted to drop something off for her. She was still not interested in me or the promotional material I was leaving for the doctor.

== == ==

What the heck?

What is wrong with people nowadays?

No… “Howdy partner, what brings you into town?” “You from these parts?”

Is everyone scared or angry?

So, this takes to me to the point of this newsletter… your Front Desk.

== == ==

Why do you have a Front Desk?

What is its Best Purpose?

→The purpose of your front desk is to fill up your appointment book.

→The ideal outcome of the Front Desk is a fully scheduled – and kept – day.

How does the Full Desk fill the book? You name it:

  • Being friendly and conversational is a good start.
  • Not being frightened of germs or cooties from cheerful older guys
  • Converting phone call inquiries to appointments
  • Generating referrals from existing patients’ families, friends, employer, and clubs/associations. (This can be a significant source of new patients.)
  • Retaining existing patients.
  • Getting involved in community events that generate more new patients.

Basically, the front desk should own patient volume – and be rewarded for it. They should be a “Demon on Control,” and “Aggressively Friendly.”

Keep it simple.

Do not burden the Front Desk with insurance or other admin duties. That clogs up the flow. (This is too typical and tempting, so guard against it.) And don’t frighten your Front Desk staff about the dangers of germs or other people!

Keep it simple and focused to fill up that appointment page/sheet/screen.

And remember – “There’s always room for 1 more!”

Stay Goal Driven,

Ed

Scale Your Chiropractic and Healthcare Practice?

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chiropractic practice growth graph

 And what does this really mean – to scale?

I’ve been seeing ads all over social media blasting away about “scaling” your practice – chiropractic, dental, any service business.

But what does it mean?

The online Webster’s dictionary does not have a definition for it as it is used in business.

It’s really a math term.

Scaling is keeping the basic proportions of an object the same but just increasing its size by multiplication. “Growing,” as opposed to scaling, is just adding things. For example, you may add more new patients, but you also add to your expenses.

More for Less

Scaling is getting more for less.

When we launched our multiple clinic centers here in Wisconsin in the 90s, we did add locations, doctors, and front desk staff.

But, we were careful not add the same number of billers, managers, or marketers. We developed systems to keep our growth limited in most areas while increasing production.

Scaling is driven internally. Scaling is improving what you have – your people and your systems.

So how do you scale?

You improve your people and systems each month.

And improvement is done through coaching.

The Best Coaches

Vince Lombardi, former Green Bay Packers coach, is credited with focusing on fundamentals in training camp, and is reported to have said:

Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.

And what did Dr. Clarence Gonstead say – while he was adjusting 300-400 visits or more a day?

I need more new patients?

No! He said:

Practice. Practice. Practice. Never stop.*

If coaching improves what you already have, and this produces scaling, what gets in the way of coaching and practicing?

The Biggest Barrier to Scaling Your Chiropractic and Service Practice

Your biggest barrier to scaling is not new patients. It’s that you don’t have enough time to practice and improve your business.

That is the hidden reality with nearly all competent and decently run practices. The clinic director does not have enough time to work ON the business.

Michael Gerber’s The E-Myth is practically required reading in chiropractic. Every doctor nods at his advice to work ON the business, not just IN it. And then goes back to adjusting.

Why? Because something is missing.

A manager and a management system that supports improvement.

The research by Gallup reveals:

“Gallup finds that the quality of managers and team leaders is the single biggest factor in your organization’s long-term success.” *

The manager takes care of business operations so that the doctor can:

1) focus on improving patients, and then,

2) focus on improving the business.

Most practice/office managers I have worked with are willing and capable, but not quite sure about what to do or how far to go. Good management is a skill, just like doctoring.

If you have a manager, encourage them to read our Tuesday Goal Driver newsletters. Coach them so they improve!

And stay tuned for more information about our practice MBA this fall. You can also sign up for our Practice MBA Waitlist where we will offer special info on practice management.

Fall 2026 Practice MBA Waitlist

== == ==

Scaling is generating more production with the same or less resources.

The key to scaling is improving your systems and people.

And the key to improvement… is a competent and motivated manager.

Keep Driving,

Ed

References

*It’s The Manager, Clifton/Harter

*Clarence Gonstead, Wikipedia

Communication: The Real Practice Builder in Your Chiropractic and Service Business

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chiropractor understanding patient

Seek to Understand First

Last week we reviewed the Japanese concept of Ichi-go Ichi-e – “One Time, One Meeting.”

The lesson was simple: Be present. Be interested.

But why is that so important?

Because communication creates relationships. And relationships create practices.

But you think you already know this, right? Well, yes and no.

Intellectually, perhaps you do. But in real life… a practice is busy, and life is full. So, communication often devolves into a text or is abbreviated.

Authentic human communication takes time — time that busy people don’t always make.

Communication with Your Chiropractic Patients

Doctors rightfully focus on adjusting and treating patients. Staff members believe their primary job is scheduling, collections, insurance, or even marketing.

The Clinic Director is looking at the bottom line.

But underneath it all — is communication.

Communication is the operating system that allows all the other “applications” in your practice to function.

Every patient who walks through your door is asking a question:

“Do you understand me?”

Not necessarily with words. But they are asking it, nonetheless.

Patients want competent care. They also want to be heard, understood, and valued.

When patients feel understood, trust grows. Trust is the foundation of every successful relationship.

And when trust grows, recommendations are accepted more readily, appointments are kept, referrals occur naturally, and relationships strengthen.

Communication Within the Chiropractic and Service Team

The same principle applies inside the practice.

Your practice is composed of people. Staff, chiropractic associate doctors, and providers often wonder why things are managed the way they are, why something was changed, or… whether their work is any good or appreciated.

Over the years, I have seen staff members leave practices not because of pay, benefits, hours, or workload.

They left because they didn’t feel understood. Their questions went unheard, and their accomplishments went unrecognized.

And people don’t always get up and just leave a relationship. They usually leave mentally first – months ahead of time.

I bet right now, you can think of how this applies to you and your situation.

This applies to any team. It applies to family and family members as well.

And it certainly applies to your patients.

__ __ __

Communication is more than talking. It is more than giving instructions. It is more than conducting meetings.

Communication requires being there — with attention and genuine interest. Then it needs understanding the other person’s point of view well enough that they know you understand.

It also requires time, but it is time well invested.

When the quality and quantity of communication in your practice improves, the practice numbers will go up!!!

As Stephen Covey says, in his 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Habit #5 is:

Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood

Stay present. Stay interested. Listen to understand.

The results may surprise you.

People stay, and are happy and productive, where they feel understood.

Patients.

Staff.

Providers.

Family.

Keep driving – what you are doing is important!

Ed

P.S We work this concept strongly on our Practice MBA course this fall – with tough but fun exercises!

And remember,

A practice is a network of relationships – created and sustained through communication and service.

Ichi-go Ichi-e in Your Chiropractic and Service Business

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ichi-go ichi-e

For better case acceptance and retention in your chiropractic and service business
–be present and be interested.

________________________________________

We live in a fast and shallow world.

We spend more time in front of screens than we do with people. Conversations are reduced to texts.

In the office, scripts are learned, smiles are trained, and interest is manufactured.

Everyone does their best, but staff and doctors are often rushed. And our culture has become used to a kind of electronic operating system that insulates us from one another.

But in the end, we are people, not systems. We are social beings.

Your patients want to be seen. They want to be heard and understood. They want an honest relationship.

Remember that:

A practice is a network of relationships – created and sustained through communication and service.

A relationship is created through communication. The requirements for communication include attention and interest.

Be Present

Years ago, I spent some time in Japan. While I was there, I attended a traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony with a few others. On the wall was a plaque, like the one at the top of this article.

It translates to “One time, One meeting.”

The idea is that, at this moment, this moment is its own. It will never happen again. Therefore, respect this moment, this time, with this person.

Just be here. Don’t think about what to say next. Respect this time.

Be Interested

Every person who walks through your door has lived an entire life you know nothing about. Each has a hobby, a loss, a dream, a funny story. It is always there.

People, your chiropractic and service business patients are interesting. You can always find something interesting about another person. And when you show interest – genuine interest, the other person feels it immediately.

They can also sense if it is fake!

When practicing “scripts”, or what to say and when to say it, rehearse being present with your patient. Practice being interested in them.

Real interest is never faked.

In every successful practice and healthcare business I have visited over the last nearly 40 years, these two qualities were naturally demonstrated by the doctors and staff.

And when it was present, there was a lightness and happiness that pervaded the practice – and it showed up in the numbers!

Practice MBA

This September, we will go deep into this subject and practice these points in our next Practice MBA program. We are putting the program details together now. Stay tuned for more info coming, and if you really want the inside scoop, you can sign up for our Waitlist below.

And thank YOU for being a subscriber and reader. Please forward to a colleague or friend if you want.

We are interested in you, so feel free to contact us anytime.

Stay present, stay interested, and

Keep drivin’ to your goals,

Ed

Do You Have ADHD — Most Chiropractic Entrepreneurs Show the Signs

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If you own a chiropractic practice, or any other type of service business you likely have some degree of ADHD.

How do I know this? Experience!

We have worked with business owners, and especially chiropractors, for 40 years. You all have the American entrepreneurial spirit our ancestors had — go West, homestead, start a business, make a claim!

WHAT IS ADHD?

ADHD — Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder — is officially defined as a condition characterized by persistent patterns of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that interfere with daily functioning.

That’s the clinical version. But I wouldn’t call it a “disorder.” In fact, for many entrepreneurs, it might be closer to a gift.

Research consistently finds ADHD traits at significantly higher rates among entrepreneurs than in the general population.* Here are a few you may recognize:

  • You can see the big picture, but become impatient with the details.
  • You get excited about starting things, but follow-through is weak — “shiny” new programs and equipment draw your attention, while maintaining systems and procedures drift away.
  • You struggle with time management and organization.
  • You get bored easily, especially with tasks that require prolonged mental effort.

ADHD and the Chiropractic and Healthcare Entrepreneur

On the plus side, these same characteristics often help a business owner:

  • High risk tolerance lets you bet on yourself and act before all the information is in.
  • Creativity — I have been genuinely impressed by the sometimes genius-level solutions of many chiropractors.
  • High energy and urgency create a driven intensity that people find both exhausting and magnetic.
  • Comfort with chaos makes the startup environment feel natural rather than threatening.

But these same traits can stall the growth of a practice:

  • Starting things is easy — finishing them is hard.
  • Detail and administration are not strong suits.
  • Structure, routine, and repetition are exactly what the ADHD brain resists — yet consistency is what a growing business requires.
  • Impulsivity and changing directions can confuse and demoralize staff who need steadiness from leadership.
  • The practice remains dependent on the owner’s daily presence and energy.

Whether you have an ADHD brain or not, you are still an entrepreneur, and some of these traits just come with the job.

I am sure this is why Michael Gerber wrote The E-Myth, and it is why I wrote The Goal Driven Business. There are plenty of other books and researched solutions to this business dilemma.

IF THESE AE THE SOLUTIONS, WHO WILL IMPLEMENT THEM?

The big question is — who is going to implement the solutions? The entrepreneur?

Doubt it.

THE ENTREPRENEURIAL BRAIN — AND WHY IT NEEDS A MANAGER

Gallup put it plainly in It’s the Manager — the quality of managers and team leaders is the single biggest factor in an organization’s long-term success.

Many of the traits associated with ADHD are noble and admirable, and I applaud the courage it takes to build something.

But passion without structure stalls. And structure — is management — putting systems in place, keeping them in place, and steadily improving them.

The most honest advice I can give you is this: get a trained manager — someone whose brain complements yours — who loves the structure you resist and maintains what you build.

This September, I’m opening a small cohort of 20 managers and their entrepreneur doctors for our next Practice MBA Program – our 4th.

If that interests you, stay tuned. We will be putting up a Waitlist next week with more information.

Ed

* Research on ADHD traits among entrepreneurs has been documented extensively, including studies by Johan Wiklund et al., published in the Journal of Business Venturing. Wiklund et al., Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 2025. Estimated 29% of entrepreneurs meet ADHD criteria versus 4-5% of the general adult population.

Get Off the Internet and Into Your Chiropractic Neighborhood This Summer

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While Everyone Else Is Going Viral – Go Local

Community health screenings remain one of the most effective marketing tactics for you.

They can deliver genuine human connections that cut through digital noise and advertising.

We are saturated with social media “content.” And increasingly, it is AI-generated content. Fake.

But you are not fake! You and your team are real and alive.

Trust is a big factor in healthcare, probably the biggest. As I pointed out in an earlier newsletter, trust in MDs has crashed. And trust is built far more effectively in person than through a smart phone.

By being involved in a community event, you demonstrate that you are a member of the community, just like those who walk by your booth.

Also, people who attend these events are usually more motivated than social media scrollers. They are more apt to schedule for further services at your office.

We’ve been doing health screenings with and for chiropractic offices since the 80’s — believe it or not. But the fact is, they still work!

Now, there is some tech on how to make the screening or information booth work for you. So, there is that. You can’t just go sit in a chair and wait for people to come to you.

List of What Makes a Chiropractic Healthcare Screening Work

Here is a fast list of the key duties:

  1. Venues and Admin. Finding suitable screening locations takes work and is vital. Then, there is the admin – registering for the event, bringing the forms, equipment if you use any, extra personnel, and handouts.
  2. Setting up. The setup is simple. They are centered around the two roles described below.
  3. Two Roles. There are also 2 roles at the booth.
    1. The Greeter. Think of the Front Desk. Friendly. Controlling! 😉 They fill the booth.
    2. Then the doctor or the Screening Tech. I still have my name tag, “Ed – Screening Tech!” The doctor checks the subjective and then can use an objective tool, such as a posture analyzer, a mirror, or other equipment. Primarily, the consultation is the determining factor. Screening equipment can help attract people to your booth or even validate what comes up during the consultation.
  4. Scheduled for further testing. If indicated, the doctor or screening tech encourages the screenee to come for more thorough testing.

Those are the basics and they work. A well-run screening can generate 5 or more new patients in an afternoon.

Bonus: The Reunion Effect

And besides generating new patients, these events always reactivate former patients!

Doctor or staff member: “Hey Frank, haven’t seen you for a while!” (Frank, looking sheepish) “Yea, I need to come in. Been busy.” (Greeter schedules Frank.)

Also, you can generate new community alliances for future screenings, talks, and mutual referral relationships.

Your people. They are looking for someone — let them find you.

Stay Goal Driven,

Ed

What Gets Measured Gets Done in a Chiropractic Business, or Any Business

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chiropractic statistics scoreboard

Goal Driven and Team Managed

Sometimes you can’t see the forest for the trees.

Sometimes you think things are worse than they are.

But then again, sometimes you think things are going better than they are. And then,

BANG! Poop hits the fan!

What is the best way to determine how your business is doing?

Your Chiropractic Healthcare Scoreboard

Your numbers are the best indicator of your performance. They are your scoreboard. They are your Google Maps, dashboard, and your altimeter as you take your business off the runway and up towards your goals.

In our consulting work, we too often see major management changes driven by a minor error, hearsay, or emotion. This can have devastating long-term results.

On the other hand, improvements that show up on the stats can be ignored if no one is watching them.

One chiropractic office we worked with continued to see an increase in new patients referred from a local gym. But amidst the busyness of the daily patient care, they hadn’t noticed. Since we closely monitored their numbers, I saw this increase in new patients from a local business on their New Patient Tracker. After discussing this with the doctor and manager, they finally took action to strengthen this valuable relationship.

Having a scoreboard can help your team be more engaged in the business. A great example is keeping a line graph of the percentage of kept appointments. This helps the front desk team manage themselves by objectively showing how they are doing in keeping patients on track.

You can miss the good things — as well as the coming crash. Numbers help you predict what needs fixing before things get ugly and what needs reinforcement to keep the good times going.

Ultimately, statistics tell you if you are moving toward your goals — or away from them.

Unfortunately, most offices do not consistently keep track of their numbers in such a way as to easily review them or their trends.

As a result, business owners do not get the information they need to manage their businesses properly. Software can spit out reports that can help, but they are not enough. And usually only partly used, if at all.

Tips for Using Your Scoreboard

  • Key numbers. Monitor week-to-date and month-to-date numbers, especially new patients, visits, charges, and collections.
  • Line charts. We use monthly line graphs plotted over 1-2 years. This is the visual that clearly and simply shows the truth – are you headed up or down? This is the first thing I look at when checking any performance indicator.

line graph of chiropractic statistics

  • Percentages. Use percentages, such as visits per new patient, to gauge how long your patients stay with you.
  • This year to last year. You should be able to compare this year-to-date with last year-to-date.
  • New patients. Track the sources of your new patients as well as the types of new patients.
  • Weekly reports. Have someone in your office give you a daily, or at least a weekly and monthly, statistical report.
  • Individual providers. If you have multiple providers, they should have a complete package of their performance indicators so they can better manage their performance.

I can’t recommend a more valuable management tool for managing your business profitably.

Your analytics scoreboard will help you—and your team—navigate toward your goals.

Stay Goal Driven,

Ed

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:

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

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.)

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/

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

== ==

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.

Leaders Like You – in Chiropractic and Healthcare Practices

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Doctors and team members of Excel Chiropractic, Lake Geneva, WI

Empowering Others in Chiropractic Healthcare Practice

You are a leader.

You may not consider yourself a leader. But you are. So is everyone on your team.

Not only by the service you provide, but by the example you set.

What is leadership? Let’s take a look to see if you fit:

  • “Leadership is not about who you are or where you sit. It’s about what you do to make a difference in the lives of others.” — Jim Kouzes & Barry Posner, The Leadership Challenge
  • “Leadership is not about being in charge. It is about taking care of those in your charge.” — Simon Sinek
  • “Leaders become great, not because of their power, but because of their ability to empower others.” — John C. Maxwell

I think you’ll have to agree, both you and your team are leaders. Servant leaders in chiropractic and your healthcare practice.

But, as you know, leadership is tough. It isn’t easy.

But you did it in 2025.

You helped others in big ways and small, regardless of your role.

It is possible, quite likely in fact, that you may not have acknowledged the vital role you and your teammates played in the wellbeing of others last year.

Why not? Well (lol) … because of all the #@#% that occurs when trying to get things done. The list can go on and on… there is so much noise and changes that occur in practice that sometimes it is difficult to see the road we are on.

But, you made it through another year. And in your wake, people are better.

All of us at Petty, Michel and Associates are proud to work with you. We appreciate your struggles and celebrate your wins as independent health care leaders!

In this New Year, stay true to you purpose and your role as the servant leader that you are – and your path to your goals in 2026 will be straighter and more certain.

“We never know how far reaching something we may think,
say or do today will affect the lives of millions tomorrow.”
B.J. Palmer’s 1949 book The Bigness of the Fellow Within

Ed Petty