December 2005

Is it 'pushy' to help patients?

by Dr. Terry A. Rondberg

When a patient comes into a chiropractic office, it's not hard for the DC to spot a serious postural or gait problem that could adversely affect the patient's health. The fact that vertebral subluxations can be caused or exacerbated by improper posture or gait is well‑accepted, so both factors are issues that demand the chiropractor's attention. It's also been amply proven that properly fitted custom orthotics can result in significant improvements in skeletal alignment.

Yet, in the vast majority of cases, the patient leaves the office without the problem ever being discussed or even mentioned.

The major reason for this is fear that patients will think we're trying to "upsell" or "cross‑sell" simply to increase our revenue. We've all been in the situation where we go into a store and want to buy a simple product, only to leave with hundreds of dollars in upgrades or accessories. When we get home, we often feel 'taken' and resent the salesperson for pushing the extras on us. It's not surprising that we don't want to do that to our patients, or even risk having them think we did.

So, we provide the minimal services we can ‑‑ only those the patient asks for. We don't make recommendations for other services or more frequent visits, we don't ask for referrals, and we never 'sell' anything as crass as orthotics ‑‑ even if those products could help them!

What we don't realize is that patients will think worse of us if we fail to do everything in our power to help them, and will be forever grateful if our extra efforts mean the difference between success and failure.

Take, for example, the actual patient testimonial letter written to Dr. Pam Tickel, by a woman who described herself as a "serious walker or hiker" who had taken part in many major US trails. Faced with increased pain in her knees and feet, the patient had spent hundreds of dollars on orthotics, including two pair that had been custom made by her podiatrist.

Finally, after suffering two stress fractures in her right foot, she went to Dr. Tickel, carrying all five pair of useless orthotics in a grocery bag. The doctor reviewed her case, and the orthotics she'd been given, and made a daring suggestion: another pair of orthotics. Despite a lengthy consultation with Dr. Tickel, the patient wasn't convinced. "I continued to have my doubts, realizing how much money and time I had spent without results prior," she stated.

At this point, most doctors would have backed off out of feat of seeming "pushy." But Dr. Tickel knew what was best for the patient and persevered rather than let her walk out of the office without the help she needed. Eventually, the patient agreed to buy the orthotics, and went through the foot cast process.

"Dr. Pam and Foot Levelers settled all my doubts. I am now walking three miles a day in preparation for a 1,100 mile hike I am confident I can do without any problems. I commented to Dr. Pam today that 'When something gets resolved no matter how serious a problem it was, you forget that anything was wrong in the first place.' I'm very pleased and happy with my results."

Of course, Dr. Tickel ran the risk of having the patient think she was trying to "upsell" and make money from her, but the doctor was determined to do what was best for the patient, regardless of the risk. In the long run, that's always the best policy and more often than not will pay the biggest dividends in patients who write testimonial letters like this one!

For more information about orthotics, contact Foot Levelers at 800‑553‑4860 or visit www.footlevelers.com.

(Dr. Terry Rondberg is president of the World Chiropractic Alliance and publisher of The Chiropractic Journal and the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research. A popular speaker at chiropractic conferences and seminars, Dr. Rondberg is also a frequent guest on TV and radio shows. He has written numerous articles on chiropractic for the profession and the public, as well as several best‑selling books, including "Chiropractic First," "Under the Influence of Modern Medicine," and, with Timothy J. Feuling, the "CBS Malpractice Prevention Program," and "Chiropractic: Compassion and Expectation.")