March 2006

Who's in charge of your office?

by Dr. Kevin Pallis and Dr. Ed Plentz

One of the most frustrating aspects of running a successful chiropractic office is being walked over by patients. The sinking feeling of knowing you depend on that person for your survival is enough to make you want to vomit. You've heard the all too familiar railings of patients who aren't going your way. Three times a week for 12 weeks? I can't come in that often. I can't afford it. I'm a single mother. I'm on fixed income. Does insurance cover it? How long will you allow your self‑image to be eroded by people who don't know what you do and what chiropractic is?

The answer to this seemingly daunting situation is to put the doctor back in charge of the office. How can it be all about the patient when the patient doesn't even know what he or she needs to be healthy?

When you are rock solid about what chiropractic is and who you are, you attract patients who value who you are and what you do. In the world of athletics, when one's college hockey days are done, most players wind up in men's night leagues. This is how hockey enthusiasts "keep the flame burning." In some leagues, goalies are scarce (who'd want to stand in front of a net and have people fire pucks at you anyway?) and, as an inducement, some leagues pay the goalies to play for their teams. This creates uncommitted, lazy goalies who are chronically late or sometimes don't even show. In leagues where goalies pay their way, there's a better chance they'll play hard and be grateful for the opportunity.

How about your office? Do you forget to collect co‑pays? What about "let's make a deal" finances or recommendations? How about your CAs? Are they teammates or do they stubbornly protect the ways of the past, even if your office isn't growing? These are signs of the inmates running the asylum.

When you're a chiropractor, you must be prepared to lead your team. Nobody else is going to do it for you. One of the most common limiting factors we see as coaches is the lack of leadership. We don't learn it in school. It's a developed skill that starts very early in life. Many of us were trained by parents and teachers to become followers, not leaders. We were taught to conform in school rather than to develop our unique talents and skills and the ability to lead.

The deeper your belief in yourself and chiropractic, the more people you will attract and keep. You don't need to create a tolerance to rejection and become a salesperson. You have to be able to make an emotional connection with each patient. Once this emotional connection (based in trust) is established, you have to educate them about this "foreign" concept known as chiropractic.

The first supposition you must make is that nobody you'll ever see knows what health is. If they don't know what health is, how can they understand chiropractic's relationship to health? This is where the problem begins. This is the seemingly endless saga that is played out in offices across the country. There's only one person who can educate the public about chiropractic ‑‑ you.

People everywhere are searching for leaders in health and wellness, not more leaders in disease and symptoms. The reason most people in this country have created such "trust" in medical care is because it's familiar, not because of its righteousness or truth. We "believe" in heart attacks, cancer, and disease... after all, it's a way of life for our society. Or is it?

People (and some DCs) are brainwashed into thinking the cure is a pill or an operation away. We can alter the appearance of almost anything today: cosmetic surgery, winning the lottery, throwing money at poverty, building more expensive and elaborate jails to house the criminals, etc. ‑‑ all expensive, elaborate illusions to keep the status quo of society. In this case, the downward spiral of humanity known as the black flag of death.

Every parent has their children's health at the forefront of their consciousness, yet we continue to "specialize" in adult back and neck pain. The longer we cling to the identity of chiropractic as a musculoskeletal specialty and abdicate our responsibility as teachers and educators of health and wellness, the more pressure and frustration we'll receive from patients and society at large. Where are the heroes who will elevate the human condition?

Who's in charge of your office, doctor? The choice is up to you.

(The New Renaissance is a movement of passionate chiropractors dedicated to changing the world. The leader in patient education since 1977, the Mentor IV Coaching Program is a step‑by‑step navigational guide that embodies the very essence of The New Renaissance vision of healthier people creating a healthier world. Without patient education, your patients won't "get it." To learn more about The New Renaissance, contact world headquarters at 800‑525‑3879.)