“The future can not be predicted, but futures can be invented.” ~Dennis Gabor
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Tent Poster – Future Invented – Dennis Gabor
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Was Darwin Wrong? Happy Valentine’s Day!
Was Darwin wrong? Let’s find out.
BUT FIRST CONSIDER THIS WARNING:
You and your staff may have an uninspected cultural bias that is toxic to you and your office and is negatively affecting your best efforts. This could be happening right now as you read this!
How could this be?
Well, ingrained in our culture is the idea that to survive, we must compete and overcome others. It is a win-lose world: either I win and you lose, or you win and I lose.
This idea had much support with the work of Charles Darwin. Darwin’s perspective of evolution included the concept of survival of the fittest with a sort of “dog eat dog” theme.
However, recent studies suggest this is not entirely the case.
“When biologists look closely at nature they cannot help but notice cooperative partnerships that do not comfortably fit with the competitive struggle that is central to Darwinanin evolution.” (Darwin’s Blind Spot: Evolution Beyond Natural Selection, Frank Ryan)
This theory of cooperation in evolution was actually put forth 50 years before Darwin, by a Frenchman by the name of Jean-Baptiste de Lamarack (1744 – 1829), who established evolution as a scientific fact.
According to Bruce Lipton, “Not only did Lamarck present his theory fifty years before Darwin, he offered a much less harsh theory of the mechanisms of evolution. Lamarck’s theory suggested that evolution was based upon an “instructive,” cooperative interaction among organisms and their environment that enables life forms to survive and evolve in a dynamic world. (Biology of Belief, page 11)
But Lamarck’s ideas, which also included what is now called epigenetics, were cast aside and rejected until recently. So, instead of seeing that organisms in nature evolve symbiotically and cooperatively, Darwin saw that: “living organisms are perpetually embroiled in a struggle for existence. For Darwin, struggle and violence are not only a part of animal (human) nature but the principal “forces” behind evolution advancement. Darwin wrote of an inevitable “struggle for life” and that evolution was driven by “the war of nature, from famine and death.” (Bruce Lipton, PhD, Biology of Belief) [my emphasis]
The idea of “survival of the fittest”, obviously, is not very cooperative. In an office, it can create brooding jealously, competitive back stabbing, fear and defensiveness, and make us objectify our patients as “cases” and statistics. It can create at a division between us and our patients — between each other.
I got to thinking about all of this as another Valentine’s Day approached. As it turns out, Valentine’s Day is observed all around the world and has been around for hundreds of years, even as early as 300 AD. And, it wasn’t always about romantic love. One legend has it that:
“… in order “to remind these men of their vows and God’s love, Saint Valentine is said to have cut hearts from parchment”, giving them to these soldiers and persecuted Christians, a possible origin of the widespread use of hearts on St. Valentine’s Day.” (From Wikipedia)
The Greeks had 4 different types of love:
- Agape =Charity, or the love of Man for God or vice versa.
- Eros = We all know this – romantic, intimate love.
- Philia = Love between friends or family.
- Storge = love of parents for children (Wikipedia)
Valentine’s Day is about love. Romantic love, sure but also about charity, generosity, compassion, caring – all kinds of love. And this takes us back to the notion that love, or a type of love, has been the basis for survival of all species on this planet – including mankind. Survival of life forms requires mutual support on some level – survival is cooperative and caring.
In many offices I have noticed a degree of an adversarial undercurrent. You can almost feel a sub-sub culture of “dog eat dog.” You have experienced this, I am sure. For example, if the mood is wrong, the phones don’t ring. Right? When there is a high degree of compassion and care and good will for each other and for the patients, the phones start ringing.
To some degree , Darwin’s “war of nature” may be embedded in the culture of your office. Darwin was right about many things, but life evolved through cooperation and caring – not through war.
Look: Your patients want to survive better. Just find out what their goals are and help them get there. They will need some education and coaching, sure – you have had thousands of hours of what they are just now hearing. But care for them and do your very best to help them get to their health goals.
Your doctor wants to practice and live better – find out what she wants and help her get there. You may have to ask lots of questions and train and read and struggle at it for a while, but keep at it and you can make a big difference. In turn, this will help your patients do better – and of course, you do better as well.
And doctor, your team members want to do better and also have better lives – find out how you can help them do so – and do so.
As I mature, I truly see that this planet is getting smaller and that we are all in this adventure together, for better or worse. Hopefully, for the better. But there are no guarantees. If we are to get it better, it all comes down to what we can do here and now to help each other MORE than we have been.
The world can be a struggle, but we all have evolved because of cooperation, caring for each other, and love. If we continue to do so, we can continue to evolve in our practice’s and business, and in our lives.
And have no doubt, Petty, Michel and Associates are in the mix as well. We love your patients, team members and you, and want to do all we can to help you survive and thrive.
Here are our best wishes to you that everyday – is Saint Valentine’s Day!
# # #
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (From the New Testament, Corinthians 13:4-8, “love” is elsewhere replaced by the word “charity.”)
Tent Poster – Everyday Courage – Robert Louis Stevenson
“Everyday courage has few witnesses. But yours is no less noble because no drum beats for you and no crowds shout your name.”
― Robert Louis Stevenson
Patriot Project: Chiropractic Care for Military, a Recorded Interview
Phyllis Frase, consultant with Petty, Michel and Associates recently met up with Dr. Carol Ann Malizia in Texas. Dr. Malizia began sharing her story of her involvement in helping military personnel obtain chiropractic care and the Patriot Project.
Below is a recorded interview where Phyllis talks with Dr. Malizia as she shares her thoughts on the current climate of military health care today compared to years ago, how she became involved in the mission, and what the Patriot Project is all about and how you can get involved.
Patriot Project Interview (mp3-36 min)
Dr. Malizia mentioned a few books for followup reading:
- 24/7 The First Person you must Lead is You, by Becky Halstead
- 1 Degree of Change, by Dr. Georgia Nab
- Steel Will, My Journey through Hell to Become the Man I Was Meant to Be, by Retired Staff SGT Shilo Harris
- ArmyOneSource 10 hr training/certification
If you’d like to contact Dr. Malizia she can be reached at camdc63@aol.com
If you’d like to learn more about the Patriot Project visit: Patriot Project
Swiss Army Knife of Chiropractic Practice Development
Ever see a one of those Swiss Army Knives?
I have one. It shows up now and then in one of my drawers. I always forget how many applications it has and I am always surprised when I keep pulling out more.
Well, there is a particular practice building tool that works like a Swiss Army Knife for your office.
It is inexpensive, almost free, yet this one tool serves many purposes more effectively than most anything else you can do in your office.
You could call it the Swiss Army Knife of Practice Development.
Once you, and your team, and especially your patients watch Bought, you will understand the power of the Swiss Army Knife of Practice Development.
This one tool can be your most effective marketing procedure. It can be your best therapeutic modality or ancillary service. It can also serve as your best tool to boost team productivity.
But like with my Swiss Army Knife, it can easily get taken for granted and NOT USED.
I can guarantee that IF you energetically use the Swiss Army Knife of Practice Development, your patients will stay with you longer, they will get healthier, your team will be more productive, you will generate more patients, and, yes, you’ll see your collections increase.
What is the Swiss Army Knife of Practice Development?
Education.
Education brings about an increase of awareness and results in a motivation to make a change. It does this for your patients in terms of improving their health, in motivating them to get others to use your services, and in helping to make your team even more purposeful.
You know chiropractic and what it does for people. Each day, miracles occur. It gets almost routine. You know how chiropractic works and you know why it works. Your patients do not. And most of your staff only have a general, and perhaps forgotten understanding.
By educating your patients you are fortifying them with knowledge that makes them aware of the power of your services and the importance of continuing care. It counteracts the propaganda they receive in the form of hundreds of ad impressions we all receive each day for drugs and bad food. It increases their awareness and will motivate them to not only continue with their care, but to benefit more from it.
This will, in turn, encourage them to bring in their family and friends to see you. They may even encourage you to speak to their work place or organizations.
Education can motivate your staff. I have seen numbers go up 25% quickly once the rest of the team was educated more on chiropractic and natural health care.
Lastly, education motivates you.
Education is your least expensive modality or ancillary service, it is the most cost effective marketing tool you have, and costs nothing to educate your staff.
Here are some sample actions to take to improve your educational activities.
- Look at your office as an educational facility even more than a care facility. You increase people’s knowledge so that they can take more responsibilty for their health, and for those they care about.
- Spend a hour or more each week studying. Read, listen to audios, go to seminars, have lunch with a colleague. Call your coach!
- Watch a movie with your staff such as Bought, Doctored, Food Inc., and then have a discussion period afterwards.
- Staff Meetings. Go over a case history or two.
- Patient Care Class.
- Start a Lending Library and position your office as an educational facility. Even if you lose a few books or DVD’s each month, it is worth it as your patients will see that you are serious about health and health education. Give each staff member a bonus for a book report presentation at a staff meeting.
There are many ways to educate yourself, your team, and your patients. Done right, education turns into enlightenment and this will produce a greater return than many other activities you do.
Like a Swiss Army knife, health education serves many purposes. But also like a Swiss Army knife, it has to be kept out, used, not hidden away in the back of a drawer or on a bookcase.
The Most Cost Effective Tool You Have to Build Your Chiropractic Practice and Help Your Patients – and you probably are barely using it!
Forget about the roller tables, stretching bands, balance boards, traction devises, taping, decompression, protein powder, vibrating platforms, laser, lipo body sculpting, ultrasound, stim, tens, supplements, orthotics, etc.
Any or all of these may or may not be appropriate for your practice, but they should not be your first choice in providing a modality or ancillary service to your patients.
Think about this: what could you do for your patients, in addition to your adjustments, that would help them improve their health the most?
EDUCATE THEM
The more the patient knows about how chiropractic works – and how your services help them – the more motivated they will be in following through with their health care plan.
People don’t know about subluxations just like they really didn’t know about asbestos or cigarettes. It was a while ago but advertising was rampant on television and in print promoting cigarettes. MD’s were often used to legitimize the use of cigarettes.
Today, your patients are also being inundated with propaganda about food, drugs, and basic lifestyle choices that are not healthy, let alone not true. They are told that drugs are safe solutions for headaches, back pain, and other ailments when in many cases they are found to be poisonous. (Vioxx, Accutane, Cylert, Darvon & Darvocet, for example.) Nearly all the food they eat has various toxins, from aspartame in diet food to herbicides that linger (glyphosate, used in “Roundup” and sprayed on your kid’s schools playgrounds).
Educated patients are better equipped to keep to their treatment program and continue improving their health. Isn’t this what you want?
This is your #1 ancillary service.
#1 Marketing Tool
Educated patients are more motivated to refer those they know to you and to help you set up external events. They can become your ambassadors, field representatives and sales force. They know that someone with headaches, low back pain, or other odd symptoms may be helped by chiropractic and your services. They may be able to refer them directly, or you can help them by providing special workshops, special events, and opportunities for external programs at their place of work.
#1 Team Management Tool
All of this also applies to each of your team members as well.
We are all “numbed down” by a conventional lifestyle and a culture that is greatly manufactured by just a few large industries such as Big Pharma and Big Food that use media and government to achieve its ends.
And, frankly, we tend to take what we do for granted. Imagine a patient who had a headache for years and after your care is now pain free and can get a full night’s sleep and her relationships with her family have improved., etc. Amazing, right? But for us, pretty routine. We can end up being more concerned about billing her secondary or supplement insurance or keeping her scheduling than in just celebrating with her.
Almost anything you know about health care will be “new news” to your patients and probably many of your staff. Plus, we all tend to forget what we once knew.
What is the big difference with you from when you started chiropractic college and after you graduated (Besides debt) . THE difference was and is that you were motivated. And you were motivated because… you were educated and even more, you were enlightened. You were able to see things in people’s health conditions that you never saw before. And with all this understanding, you were now more motivated.
But in time, awareness can dim and so can motivation. New patients start dropping off, treatment plans get shorter, and the quality of staff performance erodes. The solution is to keep educating patients and team members so that they stay awake and motivated.
In other words, WAKE THE FLOCK UP!
Patient and staff education provide the best ROI of any activity you have. Modalities and extra services have many overlooked costs such as staff time to account and bill for the therapies, extra staff to apply the services, someone to take inventory of the products and to sell them, etc. Patient education is pretty much a no cost proposition. How much does a care class cost? Watching “Doctored” or “Food Inc. ” or “Bought” with your staff and then discussing it afterwards (that is very important), it is much cheaper than flying to Las Vegas.
And if you do it often and effectively, you will be able to afford that next seminar in Hawaii.
As the doctor, you are the CEO, the Chief Evangelizing Officer. I first heard this term from Guy Kawasaki, who was called this when he worked for Apple when the Macintosh was first launched in the early 80’s. Macintosh was trying to win over users from IBM computers to the Apple Macintosh.
You are creating converts to a chiropractic and natural health lifestyle.
Remember that education, both staff, patients, and your own education as well should cover not only what your services do, and how they do it, but WHY you provide these services. In fact, your emotional connection to the reason you do your services communicates the strongest.
WHAT TO DO
1. First, keep yourself aware and amazed at the innate healing power of the body and the great affects your services provide. Provide an hour or two of study for yourself each week. Just like you work IN your office, you have to work ON your office – and that includes yourself.
2. Let yourself get emotional about what the FLOCK is going on! Don’t be “correct”, well heeled and a good little domesticated “provider.” It is natural that you become somewhat “riled up” about the injustice that your patients and their family and friends experience in receiving “health care” or at the misinformation “fed” to people about healthy living.
3. Educate your team. Watch a movie with them and then have a discussion period afterwards. (The discussion is very important as it helps get everyone engaged in the process.)
4. Staff Meetings. Go over a case history or two.
5. Patient Care Class. There are many different names for this, but all patients get better, faster, and stay healthier longer if they know more about chiropractic and health. Make it a part of their treatment plan and bribe them with food!
6. Start a Lending Library and position your office as an educational facility. Even if you lose a few books or DVD’s each month, it is worth it as your patients will see that you are serious about health and health education. Give each staff member a bonus for a book report presentation at a staff meeting.
There are many ways to educate yourself, your team, and your patients. Done right, education turns into enlightenment and this will produce a greater return than many other activities you do.
# # #
Bought – The Movie
The Movie BOUGHT – available now for pre-release viewing.
The Movie BOUGHT is out. The same people that brought you DOCTORED have now produced one on general health care and how it has been taken over by the pharmaceutical industry, as well as Monsanto. I have watched it and found it to be very powerful, supported by credible authorities, statistics, as well as personal stories.
It can be a very effective tool in patient and staff education.
It is not actually distributed yet, but you can get a pre-release viewing of it now for the next 30 days or so before it gets shown in movie theaters around the country.
Go to www.boughtmovie.com, or view the trailer here:
Below is a statement from Jeff Hays, the Producer.
Watch it and I get others to do the same.
Best,
Ed
Hi, I’m Jeff Hays, an award winning filmmaker who’s been short-listed for an Academy Award. I’ve been known for making documentaries on controversial topics such as health care, alternative medicine and 9/11.
And over the last 12 months, I’ve been digging into the ugly truth behind vaccines, GMO’s, and our entire health care system.
With our crew, we flew all over the U.S. and got exclusive access to whistleblowers, former drug reps and university scientists…
We were shocked by what we uncovered.
As you probably know already…
For years now, Wall Street has literally “BOUGHT” your health and your family’s health. The food, drug, insurance and health industry is a multi-BILLION dollar enterprise… focused more on profits than human lives.
But I was not prepared to see how deep the rabbit hole went. And I was simply not ready to see things like…
Drug and vaccine companies blatantly falsifying documents…
Whistleblowers getting completely BURIED…
Government looking the other way…
Bribery…
And that’s not even to mention the tragic human cost of families ruined by unsafe drugs, vaccines, and food… endless medical bills… ruined marriages… and a rapid rise in chronic disease (especially in children).
By the end of my travels, We knew we had a controversial documentary that would not only open eyes, but could spark a movement for change across the US and the world.
It took over six more months of care, attention and energy to edit the film. But now it’s finally ready for the world to see.
Marketing Plans for Your Chiropractic Office This Fall
As we move from the summer months into fall, I thought that it might be helpful to preview some marketing ideas for the rest of the year.
Below is a link to several articles on our web site referencing marketing procedures and programs for the autumn and the early winter months.
Marketing is basically physics: for energy to come in, energy has to go out.
Ideally the energy is well directed and of a high quality, but mainly, it has to get out. Quantity first, then gradually, improve the quality.
But everything is done twice: first in your mind and then in the world. First comes the meta-physics, then comes the physics
This is why the most important and first step starts with you – your faith, confidence, and belief in what you are doing and especially, why you are doing it.
Organizational system failures or personal situations can often get in the way that distract us and cause us to lose sight of our purpose or of the great results we have achieved for others in the past.
And, there will always be the negative few that seem to outweigh the positive many.
Sometimes we focus on the “barking dogs” that come out to chase us for a while rather than concentrating on the fire we are racing towards to put out.
Marketing is about communication. It is an “outflow” that sooner or later, directly or indirectly, generates an “inflow.” It is your creative voice that is either filled with mission and purpose, or is forced and desperate. Stymied by failures or disappointments, our “voice” can recede to a whimper or a mumble.
But the fear that can grip us is mostly an invention because too often, we take things too seriously.
The fact is, as Ben and Rosa Zander point out in their book, The Art of Possibility, most of life is just “invented.” I listened to Ben Zander, the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, give an inspirational presentation at the chiropractic seminar called the WAVE in San Francisco in August.
He advised that when we slip and make a mistake, we should just throw out our arms, lean back slightly and exuberantly and say: “Fascinating.” We just can’t take things too seriously and instead we should move on passionately expressing ourselves. Not bad advice from a maestro whose goal is to get musicians to play better.
You could also go out to a field or park and just yell: “I am the greatest and the world loves me and wants to come to my office.”
Don’t be surprised if the universe cooperates.
Marketing your services, like helping people get better, should be enjoyable. It should be fun. You should be smiling and laughing.
And you know, as the song goes:
♪ When you’re smiling, ♫When you’re smiling,♪
♫The whole world smiles with you,♫
♫When you’re laughing, ♫When you’re laughing,♪
♪The sun comes shining through,♫
♫Wishing you plenty of smiles and all the best,♪
Ed
Click Link for more Marketing Articles
Here is a great rendition of the song by Frank Sinatra
Join us at EPOC for Dr. Billy DeMoss!
Download the flier Billy D Poster-Aug 2014
Epicenter of Chiropractic “EPOC” of Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin
presents
BILLY DeMOSS, D.C.
Monday, August. 25, Grand Geneva Resort, Lake Geneva, WI 8 pm
You don’t want to miss this event: Get motivated, inspired, and educated. Bring your entire team!
Billy DeMoss is a chiropractor in the Los Angeles area who founded the largest rock health festival in America called CalJam which is held yearly in Costa Mesa, CA. He also regularly hosts speakers at his busy chiropractic office sponsored by the Dead Chiropractic Society (DC/S), a group he also started.
Billy is an educator and a ferocious advocate for health. Learn more about him at these sites: www.californiajam.org ~www.deadchiropracticsociety.com
Monday, August. 25 at the Grand Geneva in Lake Geneva.
There is limited seating so please RSVP soon. Refreshments served.
Let us know if you will be there and you will be entered in a drawing for a DC/S t-shirt* (two will be drawn.)
Please let us know if you plan to come by RSVP’ing to Services@PMAworks.com.
Make checks out to “EPOC” and pay at the door.
Doctor $100/ea Staff $50/ea check
Questions: Call or email Linda. Linda@pmaworks.com (262) 749-0221
*this offer is not associated with EPOC. Please RSVP to Services@PMAworks.com to participate. Include full names of all participants.
Download the flier now Billy D Poster-Aug 2014
Sage on the Stage or Guide from the Side: Chiropractic Seminars vs. Coaching – Which is Better?
They both can be expensive, so what service gives the greatest “bang for the buck?”
I go to seminars. I like them. In fact, I hope to see some of you at the WAVE, sponsored by Life West in San Francisco this weekend (8/1/2014). (If you are going please contact me by calling the office number below and it will forward to my phone. It would be great to say “hi” in person!)
Seminars provide a good opportunity to get away. B.J. Palmer talks about this, of course, in his Rule Number #9. (1)
Also, by disengaging from your work, you can better re-engage in it when you get back. The science of this is discussed in a book called: The Power of Full Engagement.
Plus, networking. Nothing like meeting new people and hearing how and what they are doing and trading fish stories – even if they are often embellished. (“Don’t tell fish stories where the people know you; but particularly, don’t tell them where they know the fish.” Attributed to Mark Twain.)
And, they can be entertaining.
Plus, you can learn things. Learning new things that work and unlearning things that don’t work is probably the MOST important skill you can have. And it is getting more important every day. Our world is changing SO fast that in order to keep up, you have to really spend time and money learning.
“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” ― Alvin Toffler
However, there are drawbacks.
Seminars: the Sage on the Stage
First, there is the expense of the seminar. Actually, by comparison, most chiropractic seminars are dirt cheap compared to other seminars that run into the thousands. The expense is in the travel. The hidden expenses add up considerably, especially if you take your staff, which you should now and then.
Then, there is the actual content – the information being imparted. Much of it is motivational and that is nice. However, the seminar speaker does not know you. He hasn’t been to your office, your home, talked with your staff or know your family. He hasn’t read your town’s newspaper or seen your patients. He doesn’t know your situation. He teaches you a procedure that sounds good in theory and may have even worked in his office 15 years ago, for a while. He may be entertaining, or coercive. But, often only 10% of what is taught at a seminar is applicable to you and your office. And of that, very little gets implemented, and in two months, less than 5% of the seminar may be in operation at your office. The following is an example that shows how much useful information gets reduced down to actual implementation in most offices.
Actual Value of Seminar (approximate percentages)
- Motivational (can sometimes be excellent, but is very temporary.)
- Percent of information verifiably valid: 70%
- Percent of information comprehensible, heard, or understood: Of the 70%, one half is comprehended, heard, or understood, leaving 35%)
- Percent of information applicable to your particular city, staff, patient base, your style and personality, etc.: Of that 35%, perhaps 15% isn’t applicable, leaving you with 20%.
- Percent of information that can be implemented in your office: Of the remaining 20%, perhaps only half can get applied, leaving 10%.
- Percent of information that gets applied: In two weeks time, only 5% gets applied.
- Percent of information that stays in application: After two months, only 1-5% percent of the original information is still applied.
- If you had spent $2,000 on a seminar program, using the rough example above, you would have wasted all but 5%, or $1,900.
This example is a little harsh, I‘ll admit, but I wanted to make a point. But you know what? Even this small percent may still be worth attending the seminar.
Coaching – The Guide from the Side
Our company grew because doctors did not or could not adequately apply what they heard at the seminars. Starting out many years ago, I remember seeing doctor’s shelves full of binders, VHS cassettes, and manuals that were barely touched since they were brought home from the seminar.
So, back in the late 1980’s, we came up with our niche and our identity, encapsulated in our tag line:
When Seminars Aren’t Enough sm
Good coaching, helps you and helps your team discover what systems work best for you, and then helps you make them better – over and over until your TEAM becomes expert.
A good coach, like a competent doctor, has the experience to quickly identify what needs to be worked on that can bring about the quickest improvements. This is what we do. We have become skilled at spotting the key leverage points (3) in an office and have developed new and effective methods to make the changes necessary for faster improvements.
But, we do this as your guide. We don’t impose a particular patient system into your office. You are unique and what works for a doctor in Nebraska may not work for the same one in San Diego. We help you discover what works best for you and help your team get better at supporting you.
A good coach trains, advises, nudges, listens, counsels, teaches, and when possible, even does some of the work. And is this effective? You sure as hell bet it is! We have been doing this for nearly 30 years and those doctors that have worked with us know this to be true.
But the real reason for coaching is economics: bottom line, baby! Return on Invest. ROI. Studies show a pay back of 5 to 7 times on your investment. We have certainly seen this occur. (3)
Like chiropractic, good care doesn’t cost, IT PAYS. Health IS wealth. The same applies to education – and in particular – coaching. It doesn’t cost – it pays.
Seminars? Yes. Coaching? Hell yes! But books and webinars and mentors as well. A weekend of reading a book is a great investment.
In the end, you have to constantly study and learn to stay in the game. Success is, now more than ever, dependent upon constant never ending improvement. You have to do this just to keep up, let alone to get ahead.
And if you don’t – well, your community and patients will be seeking a healthcare office that is.
References
(1) Rule #9: Every man owes it to himself, his people and his service to go away about every so often. The more detail he has, the oftener he should go. The more worries, the more he needs to go. The bigger his work, the longer his vacation should be. – B.J. Palmer https://pmaworks.com/observations/2008/08/18/getting-away-rule-9/
(2) Leverage Points http://www.donellameadows.org/wp-content/userfiles/Leverage_Points.pdf , also: Eli Goldratt, The Goal
(3) BUSINESS IMPACT STUDIES
- Research conducted by MetrixGlobal on coaching at a Fortune 500 company showed that coaching produced a 529% return on investment and significant intangible benefits to the business. Including the financial benefits from employee retention boosted the overall ROI to 788%.
- A landmark study commissioned by Right Management Consultants found a return-on-investment of dollars spent on executive coaching of nearly 600%. Executives engaged in coaching reported increases in productivity, improvement in relationships with direct reports and colleagues and greater job satisfaction.
- According to a study by the Manchester Consulting Group, organizational benefits from executive coaching include:
Improved Relationships 77%
Improved Teamwork 67%
Improved Job Satisfaction 61%
Improved Productivity 53%
- An International Personnel Management Association survey found that productivity increased by 88 percent when coaching was combined with training (compared to a 22 percent increase with training alone).
- Studies completed by the American Society for Training and Development showed a ROI of 5 times the cost of coaching.
BUSINESS PRESS EXCERPTS
“Many of the world’s most admired corporations, from GE to Goldman Sachs, invest in coaching. Annual spending on coaching in the United States in estimated at roughly $1 billion.” Harvard Business Review
“Coaches are not for the meek. They’re for people who value unambiguous feedback. All coaches have one thing in common. It’s that they are ruthlessly results-oriented.” Fast Company Magazine
“Business coaching is attracting America’s top CEO’s because, put simply, business coaching works. In fact, when asked for a conservative estimate of monetary payoff from the coaching they got….managers described an average return of more than $100,000 or about six times what coaching had cost their companies.” Fortune Magazine
“[A Coach] is part advisor, part sounding board, part cheerleader, part manager and part strategist.” The Business Journal
“Between 25 percent and 40 percent of Fortune 500 companies use executive coaches.” The Hay Group International
“Once used to bolster troubled staffers, coaching now is part of the standard leadership development training for elite executives and talented up-and-comers at IBM, Motorola, J.P. Morgan, Chase, and Hewlett Packard. These companies are discreetly giving their best prospects what star athletes have long had: a trusted adviser to help reach their goals.” CNN.com
“In a 2004 survey by Right Management consultants, 86% of companies said they used coaching to sharpen skills of individuals who have been identified as future organizational leaders.” Harvard Management Update
“A coach may be the guardian angel you need to rev up your career.” Money Magazine
Tent Poster – Maya Angelou
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” ~ Maya Angelou
Tent Poster – The Privilege of a Lifetime – Joseph Campbell
“The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are” ~ Joseph Campbell (1904-1987)
Preparation for the September 7 switch to NGS Medicare
This shouldn’t be too big a deal, but there are a couple steps I want to make sure you are on top of. Obviously it would be best if you can attend one of the Wisconsin CSW Medicare seminars (here), but these are the basics:
- Make sure you have talked to your billing software company and your clearing house and that you have made any changes needed so that your Medicare claims goes to the correct place as of Monday, September 9.
- Do your final billing to WPS Medicare on Friday, September 6. That is the last day you can bill to them. Starting with dates of service September 7 or later, send those to NGS Medicare.
- You and the doctors should review the diagnosis that NGS Medicare allows for chiropractic claims. I have heard that there are slight differences, so this all has to be reviewed prior to submitting claims after the switch. Medicare Allowed Diagnosis Codes
- The new chiropractic policy for Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois is L27350 (here:LCD for Chiropractic Services) and has all the diagnosis allowed. Double check these on your Medicare patients. Any Dx not on this list will be denied.
- Doctors need to review all onset dates for all current Medicare patients to make sure that they are under active care, that they have an updated onset, and that documentation is in order (see #4 above).
- In order to document your objective goals and functional impairment, I strongly suggest you start using an outcome assessment tool every 30 days with all Medicare patients. In speaking to several clients, they like the Functional Rating Index. It is quick, easy for a Medicare patient, and very fast for the staff to score.
- You can find the FRI form for free at http://www.chiroevidence.com/FRI.html. There is a two page version or a one page version.
As always, call me if you have any questions, but these are the minimum basics that we have to be ready to move on.
Best, Dave
Upcoming Medicare and Reimbursement Changes: To Survive and Thrive – You Need to Study and Train
“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” Alvin Toffler
I don’t see this discussed much – at least not enough.
It’s called: STUDY. Study is similar to training, which includes practice, and both require real personal effort and engagement to be effective.
You may want to study more but just don’t feel like you have the time to do so. It does take time away from other activities. It can be confusing, tedious, and even seem belittling – sitting down and grinding over information, trying to figure out how something works. Practicing and roll playing can seem even worse.
But the return on your investment is worth it. And nowadays, you have to constantly study just to stay up to date, let alone get ahead. For example, for those of you in the insurance departments – patient accounts – you have probably had to learn many new things lately. You may have had to upgrade your computer programs for electronic health records. You have had to learn about “meaningful use” and other new terms.
But wait, there’s more!
INSURANCE
I checked in with our resident billing expert, Mr. Dave Michel, and he informs me you have the following headed your way:
I checked in with our resident billing expert, Mr. Dave Michel, and he informs me you have the following headed your way:
- June: new CMS 1500 claim form
- July: PQRS implementation
- Sept 7: WPS to NGS (Medicare administrator change in several Midwest states.)
- Oct: new ICD 10
- January major provisions of the PPACA and required EFT and ERA
For those of you in charge of patient reimbursement, you will have to learn about these new programs, train and then get them correctly implemented. You have many resources from which to learn, including: association seminars and webinars, the CMS website, Chirocode.com, NGS web site for those of you in the Midwest, the PM&A Members website and Facebook page. There are other resources as well, but the point is that you will have to study, learn, and work it out and get it implemented.
FRONT DESK AND OTHER CLINIC DEPARTMENTS
This also applies to every other job in your office. Each team member should be able to write a book about their department and job within five years and be capable of presenting a full day seminar on what they do to other chiropractic staff.
The front desk should be experts in customer service, sales for scheduling, and excellent in many other skills. Therapy and rehab staff should know the physiological affect their machines and protocols produce for their patients. They too need to be exceptional at patient education, customer service, and as compassionate as the patient’s mother.
YOU ARE PROFESSIONALS
These are high standards, but you are professionals. You don’t work on an assembly line at the Ford plant. We now live in a networked economy. We have long since passed the Industrial Age, even though most of our management techniques still seem tied back to when “Father Knows Best.”
There is no getting around it, this is a new age. Alvin Toffler, quoted above, wrote about post the Industrial age for business in his book, The Third Wave. The second wave was the Industrial Age – and the third was and is the Information Age.
It is 2013 and your patients are smarter than patients have ever been and expect more. They know about you before they call you and report on you after they see you so the whole world knows how you treated them.
You have to be better. You have to study, learn, train. In a tough economy, patients will go to the best and bypass the rest. You have to be the best.
A NOTE TO DOCTORS
This apples to you doubly. Beyond the continuing education credits, I suggest you consider challenging yourself to constantly work on improving any and every aspect of your clinical craft like a true artisan. Like a scientist. And like a philosopher.
But you are also a CEO, which includes an entirely different set of skills. As the owner and manager of your business, you need to perfect your skills as a leader, manager, and marketer. This is so horribly omitted (or perverted) in many programs as to be either laughable or criminal. Once you do learn these subjects, you can delegate most of them and we can show you how, but you need to learn them nevertheless.
ONE HOUR PER WEEK
Stephen Covey talks about how you have to “sharpen the saw.” You can cut a tree much faster if the saw is sharp and that sharpening is called training and study. According to the American Society for Training and Development, since 1991, annual training budgets in the U.S. have grown from $43.2 billion in 1991 to $156 billion in 2011. Obviously, business sees an ever increasing need for training.
Encourage your team to take at least one hour each week to study some aspect relating to their job. Encourage them to attend seminars and webinars and tele-classes, and have them give a presentation for the entire team at the next team meeting about what they learned. You can give them a bonus if they give a book report about a book they read in the Lending Library.
YOUR PATIENTS
Lastly, this also applies to your patients. One of the primary functions of your office should be the training and education of your patients. They need to take responsibility for their own health and in order to do this – they need to know what you know. Regular care classes, a “lending library” and of course, warm “table talk” by doctor and staff help.
***SPECIAL TEAM TRAINING TELECLASS WITH PHYLLIS FRASE AND DANA PITTNER TUESDAY, MAY 21,
12:30pm – 1:30pm CDT – “Dialogues and Dilemmas”
Take time this Tuesday to listen to these dynamic ladies discuss solutions to the 10 most common conversations staff often gets stuck on with patients.
Learn how your staff can share and educate your patients on the chiropractic lifestyle. What you can say at the front desk, in therapy, financials, etc.
There is no charge for this teleclass. For active PM&A members, you will find it on you Members site in a few days just in case you missed it.
April Teleclass: Affordable Care Act:How Will it Affect Your Chiropractic Practice?
“2014 will bring the greatest changes to the health insurance industry in our lifetime. This is not bull or scare tactics. The face of health insurance – already vastly different than it was ten years ago – is about to undergo a dramatic and seismic change.” -David Michel
Join us this Thursday April 18th, 12:30 CST to listen to Mr. Dave Michel of Petty, Michel & Associates discuss the Affordable Care Act.
Mr. Michel will discuss:
- Are your financial plans set for further limits on care?
- Can you continue to treat your patients based on your philosophy?
- Are you ready for mandatory changes to your Dx, your EOBs, the HCFA CMS 1500 claim form, and HIPAA? All coming in 2014?
If you can catch this class as it happens, it is free! Otherwise they will be in our vault for those of you who are active members with us.
To Register visit: Surviving, Striving and Thriving Through the Affordable Care Act
2013 – Teleclass Schedule – Poster
We are excited about our upcoming teleclass schedule for 2013 which will start this Tuesday, March 19th.
We have an awesome line-up of teleclasses for you and your staff in the areas of chiropractic philosophy, office procedures and reimbursement.
Class description and registration can be found on the calendar on this site.
We have also prepared a poster you can print and post on the wall in your staff commons area for an easy view of upcoming class. [Link]
If you can catch these classes live, they are free! Otherwise they will be in our vault for those of you who are active with us. Hope to “hear” you in class.
2013 Chiropractic Team Training – Live Teleclasses – at Petty Michel & Associates
Ms. Phyllis Frase and Ms. Dana Pittner will be presenting 10 special training classes for chiropractic teams in 2013.
- Phyllis Frase and Dana Pittner
- Chiropractic Team Teachers and Coaches
These classes will be offered free of charge when sitting in for the live session. (Fees may apply for viewing the archived edition)
Classes will be held on the third Tuesday of every month from 12:30 to approximately 1:45.
March 19, 2013- What Makes Chiropractic So Special?
Getting Oriented With Chiropractic Basics: History, Science – Art – Philosophy, Key Terms.
April 16, 2013 – Extra-ordinary Service:
8 basic everyday actions to deliver WOW to your patients.
May 21, 2013- 7 Ways To Educate Your Patients During Your Day – And Why.
June 18, 2013- Over the Counter Collection
Strategies and Tactics.
July 16, 2013 – The Secrets Of Scheduling:
Cluster booking, and multiple scheduling the right way.
August 20, 2013 – Recall Systems that Work.
September 17, 2013- What You Should Be Telling Your Doctor.
What your doctor doesn’t know that you should tell him/her, and why.
October 15, 2013- Leadership Role in Chiropractic
November 19, 2013 – Purpose, Procedures and Checklists: How To Improve Your Skills And Success In Chiropractic.
December 17, 2013- Your Golden Future in Chiropractic
To Register Please Visit the Calendar of Events and follow the instructions.
For all classes register immediately by selecting the class(s) of your choice on the calendar and click the Register Now link below the class description. You will automatically, via email, receive your special log-in access number where you can participate via computer, or by telephone only.
*** Each class will require a new access number and a new phone number. To attend the conference, all you have to do is call the number from any phone, enter the access number, and you will be in the class.
If you are a PMA client, you will receive a special email during the week before the talk with the access number and new phone number. You can also find this information on the PMA Member’s web site at www.pmamembers.com. It will be a posted a few days before the teleconference.
For questions, please give us a call at 1(414) 332-4511. Or Email!
Get New Patients By Just “Concepting” Them
The stories exist.
It is not talked about much. Most offices don’t know about it, and those that do, often just take it for granted.
But we have seen it happen and it never fails to amaze.
One office I worked with had been doing badly with new patients and office visits. It was March and numbers had been declining since the previous summer. They had tried about everything – new marketing procedures, new staff, but nothing was working. It was a three doctor office – all good chiropractors and the support team was great. But everyone was exhausted at trying to increase the volume. They all looked haggard and disillusioned.
The senior doctor and I worked out an ambitious plan to solve the problem. We decided to hold a staff meeting to go over our ideas with everyone. The meeting lasted about an hour and a half. Everyone brought their lunch and we talked. We discussed items on the plan and followed an agenda the doctor and I had put together. At the end of the meeting, the mood of the office seemed to change.
Then, the phone starting ringing.
Literally, off of the hook. Existing and inactive patients starting calling in for appointments. I remember that the front desk team scheduled at least 4 new patients before I left that afternoon. By the time I left, what had been a sullen office in the morning was now an exuberant and festive party of healing in the afternoon.
I am really not exaggerating. Looking over their numbers at the end of the month, the doctor and I noticed that they had their best month ever for office visits and new patients.
Their success was not due to a new marketing or management procedures. It was because of something magical.
This magical thing – you too have it. You have probably even experienced it a few times. It is not always easy to acquire, but never the less, it is there. If you can grab it, harness it, it will help you towards your dreams.
Our webinar this Thursday, November 15 will cover 8 solid steps to uncovering your magic that can help you boom your office – and your life.
The power that made your practice is the power that can heal and grow your practice.
Learn how this Thursday.
The Chief Danger In Life…
Motivational tent poster for your office:
“The chief danger in life is that you may take too many precautions.”
~ Alfred Adler
[ Also, find the hidden joke on poster: What do you call cheese that is not yours?]
Click to download a tent poster for your office (in pdf format): 2012-10-precaution
July Webinars- Positive Job Reviews and Practical Chiropractic Patient Education
This month, we have 2 webinars designed to help you grow your practice and provide better service to your patients. These are in addition to our world class expert consulting and coaching, our free articles on our web site and those especially for our clients in our PM/A Members Library.
These are short discussions with plenty of slides and examples, along with follow up summaries.
Register now. Keep training!
- Office Management – How to Do An Employee Job Review For Your Chiropractic Office So That Everyone Wins.
Are these job reviews really necessary? Do employees get raises automatically every year? Employee reviews are often neglected, or are dreaded by both employee and doctor. This webinar covers the basic steps to make them effective and positive for all concerned.Thursday, July 12, 12:30pm Registration
- Marketing Management – Educating Your Chiropractic Patients – 6 Programs that Work.
Does patient education work? How much of it just a sales pitch by companies to get you to buy their brochures and videos? Even if it does work, what are some practical steps you can use in our office? We will discuss 6 simple programs that are working to help increase patient referrals and retention.
Thursday, July 19th, 12:30pm Registration
****To view the calendar and/or register for our other webinars as an active PM/A client or guest, please go here: LINK