January 2003
Mastering the business of family practice
by Dr. Eric Plasker
If you're like me, you've already started to question where
you and your practice will be at the end of 2003, and the answer could
very well lie in the amount of effort you're willing to put forth toward
mastering the business of family practice.
Many chiropractors have the desire to create a successful
family practice but are uncertain about what it will take to make that
practice a reality. In particular, they are unfamiliar with or fall short
in their ability to implement the types of business systems they will need
to support a successful family practice.
Taking the time to perfect your systems today will afford you
the ability to build a lifetime care family practice that will pave the
way for you to transform a couple dozen new patients a month into hundreds
of new patients a year.
For instance, if an average of 24 new patients per month
enroll in your lifetime wellness care practice, you'll increase your
patient base by 288 patients annually. By communicating the importance of
lifetime care and having a fee system that supports easy enrollment and
patient participation, you would be seeing a minimum of 250 to 300
patients a week by the end of the year if they all chose to come for care
on a regular basis.
Here are some immediately applicable exercises and tools you
can utilize to support your family practice:
1. Choose your niche.
Get off the fence! Make the choice to serve families in your practice.
They really need your help, especially given the fact that tens of
thousands of people die each year (120,000 to be exact) from medical
errors.
In addition, according to a study conducted by the Journal
of the American Medical Association and reported in USA Today (
10/23/02
), the nation's nursing
shortage is now responsible for a more than 30% greater risk of death for
even simple surgeries like knee replacement.
Health care challenges make the family practice niche an
important one to fill, especially given the ever‑increasing
disillusionment Americans are having with traditional medicine. Your
community and the world is searching for the family health care leadership
that you can provide as a chiropractor.
2. Deliver it to the people.
Communicate and connect with this new family practice niche in everything
that you say and do. Whether you're speaking one‑on‑one with a
new patient or in a group setting, lecture, or media interview, make sure
that your message is steady and consistent.
Let's face it, family health care is serious business (just
note the statistics above), and you should get serious about spreading the
word that there are healthy, holistic health alternatives to invasive and
costly medications and surgical procedures.
3. Build great systems around your family practice
niche.
Will you be ready when your new patient families arrive? How do you plan
to educate your patients, and will you have easy-to-understand financial
policies and procedures that will encourage them to participate? Can your
office handle the increased flow, and is your team efficient enough to
fully serve them?
Building sufficient systems support will ensure that you
avoid shifting into overload when you experience a practice growth
"spurt." Perfecting your systems will take your attention away
from the day‑to‑day details of practice and allow you to focus
instead on delivering exceptional care to your patients. When delivery of
quality care is your primary focus, your profitability will go up, and so
will your retention!
4. Make participation simple.
Many chiropractors have policies and procedures in place that are too
complicated for the average patient to comprehend or want to enroll in.
Remember to always keep your language simple and easy to understand
(including patient fee contracts), and never keep your patients waiting.
There are many reasons a potential patient many walk out
without a second glance -- the cost of your initial visit could be too
high, there's too much paperwork to fill out, the exam takes two hours,
the Report of Findings might be too lengthy, etc.
5. Build value into everything you do.
Everything that you do should add value to the experience that people have
when they come into your office. Always evaluate the new systems or
communications you plan to implement to see if they actually accomplish
this value addition. If they don't, abandon the idea because it will just
be a waste of your time and energy.
Enrolling patients in life plans enables them to participate
in care while capping their out‑of‑pocket costs and still
maintaining profitability for you. Establishing efficient prime times
reduces the amount of waiting time for your patients and increases the
perceived value of your services. Giving brief -- but consistent --
dynamic exams and re‑exams adds value to your patients' experience
because they keep you tuned in to their individual needs at any given
moment or time.
In addition, participating in community outreach programs
like "Toys for Tots" and other local fundraising drives helps
add value by keeping you and your practice connected to the pulse of your
community.
Implement steps 1-5 in 2003, and join those chiropractors
who, by putting these principles to work in their family practice, are
enjoying a huge personal and professional return!
(Dr. Eric Plasker is the founder of The Family Practice,
a chiropractic coaching and training organization that provides all the
systems, tools and support to build a highly successful and profitable
family practice. Internationally recognized as a speaker and educator, he
is best known for rallying chiropractors around the Lifetime Care For Everyone [LCfE] and Family
Practice visions. For seminar, coaching, training, or product
information, call The Family Practice toll‑free at 866/LEAD‑DCS
[532‑3327], ext. 118. Or visit online at www.thefamilypractice.net.)
