December 2007

Are you climbing the right chiropractic ladder?

by Dr. Eric Plasker

When people visit your practice, is the impression they get a true reflection of you? Take a good hard look at your practice as it stands today and then take a look at the chiropractor that deep down inside you know you can be. Do you think your practice matches what's inside? Are you using scripts that are not you? Are you billing insurance companies in a way that deep down you don't really feel good about? Did you recently say something to a patient and then think, "Where did that come from? That's not me!" If so, you may need to assess whether or not you're climbing what I like to call the right chiropractic ladder.

So many people, not just DCs, spend endless hours and energy climbing the ladder only to find out ‑‑ as Stephen Covey illuminated in his book "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" ‑‑ that their ladder is leaning against the wrong wall.

But, how do you know if your ladder is leaning against the wrong wall? It's easy. Ask yourself these simple questions, and then answer them honestly. Am I often frustrated at work? 2) Do I feel unfulfilled at the end of the day? Am I doing all that I am capable of? Am I being the chiropractor I know I can be?

Many chiropractors, regardless of their practice volume, are sharing these same frustrations because they are unfulfilled. Very often, it's because their chiropractic ladder is leaning against the wrong wall.

One DC told me that he originally got into chiropractic because he wanted to help people and serve people. Soon, he ended up with a really large PI practice. But he didn't realize where his ladder was leaning until the insurance laws in his state changed, and he lost almost 80% of his patients overnight! What a nightmare!

Now is probably a good time for you to evaluate just which way your chiropractic ladder is leaning. Most chiropractors get into the profession because they want to make a difference. They want to change people's lives and help them improve. But somehow, they find themselves on the wrong track and end up more focused on their business than on the people they were seeking to help.

The beauty of chiropractic is that it can be an incredibly profitable, fun business. This is best achieved when you're doing it for the right reasons, and your ladder is leaning securely against the right wall. In chiropractic that means giving the best possible care and service consistent with your chiropractic vision.

So, what's the secret to getting your ladder leaned against the right wall?

1. Decide what kind of practice you really want. Do you want a family practice, a PI practice or one that takes care of children and adults because they want to be healthy? Are you only interested in patients because of their managed care plans? Many of the chiropractors I speak to deep down want a family practice and just don't know how to make it work.

2. Spend some time working on the business side of your practice. If you have a good plan of action and put it in place, you can then let it go, to a certain extent. Without constant worrying, you can focus on the people in your practice and giving the best care for your patients and community.

3. Build a team around you that can implement your practice system. This way you will be free to do what you love (and what you are trained for) ‑‑ taking care of patients.

4. Encourage people to come in with their families to get adjusted together, all at the same time.

5. Constantly reinvent and reevaluate your office procedures to remove any capacity blocks.

6. Create excellent lifetime care educational programs to keep your patients well informed and connected with your vision. Provide articles and newsletters that come from your heart. This way you're ensuring that your people will stay connected with you and your ladder is staying on the right wall.

Recently, I spoke to a doctor who was ecstatic when he told me that he had finally seen the light. He no longer had to give the care away. He no longer had to give up his personal life. He realized that he could have a great practice and be a great chiropractor... and have a life too!

If deep down in your heart you know that you are a great chiropractor, then you deserve to have a great practice, too. Don't settle for anything less.

(Dr. Eric Plasker, author of "The 100 Year Lifestyle" [www.100yearlifestyle.com] is the founder of The Family Practice ‑‑ a coaching and training organization providing all the systems, tools and support needed to build a highly successful and profitable family practice and dedicated to helping DCs unite to lead family health care. An internationally known speaker and chiropractic educator, he is best known for rallying the chiropractic profession around the Lifetime Care for Everyone 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 the Family Practice website at www.thefamilypractice.net. )