March 2008

Procedures that attract chiropractic families

by Dr. Eric Plasker

One of the most common questions chiropractors ask me is how to transform their practices from symptom‑based centers for pain‑relief to places of health and wellness for families. Implementing a family practice vision and consciousness can be one of the first steps in attracting these new patient families.

However, implementing the family consciousness isn't enough unless you have the systems in place to support the new volume it will create. Your office staff and systems may be ready to handle one new patient, but will they be prepared for the sudden influx of five or ten new patients when entire families begin to book appointments? Unless you have the proper systems in place to support your growth, your new patients will begin to disappear as quickly as they came and so will your resolve to implement the family practice vision.

Wouldn't it make more sense and be more exciting and profitable to implement a family practice support system to prepare you for the sudden increase in volume? Here are just a few tips that will make a huge difference in your practice and life.

1. Communication Systems. The first procedure begins with the way that you communicate your practice philosophy to your new patients or potential new patients when they contact your office. What you say in that initial introductory call will determine whether they make one appointment for themselves or an appointment that includes them and four other family members! Every time someone calls, have your chiropractic assistant ask: "Is this an individual or a family appointment?" You will be amazed at the doors that will open when you begin asking this one simple question. It immediately conveys that your office specializes in taking care of families, not just individuals.

2. Education Systems. Once you've planted your family consciousness in your patients' minds, you will need to nurture and fertilize it so that it blossoms into chiropractic families. One way to do this is with the educational materials that you hand out. Make sure they emphasize the value of chiropractic not just for symptom relief but for its ability to allow the body to achieve the highest level of health. They should emphasize that this holds true for every family member, if that person continues chiropractic care on a regular basis over an entire lifetime.

Teach patients to get involved with chiropractic on the same level that you and your family would participate. When you select your educational materials, make sure they are supporting your vision. Choose information that speaks to a broad audience and can be distributed to a wide variety of people in a number of settings such as new patient consultations, reports of findings, patient and community lectures and other venues. Don't hand out educational items just once. Make a mental note to yourself, or set up a system with your chiropractic assistant where every fifth visit your patients receive something about the benefits and importance of living a subluxation‑free life.

Most of the educational articles and brochures I come across today support the chiropractic lifestyle in that they explain the importance of nutrition, posture and exercise, but they fall short when it comes to linking subluxations with innate intelligence and ultimate health. You owe it to your patients and your practice to supplement the popular press presentation of chiropractic with subluxation‑based educational information that gives people the "big idea" about chiropractic. As you know, this information is just a phone call away should you need it.

3. Prime Time Systems. It's essential that you set up your schedule to support individuals and families coming in at the same time. If your current system is set up to see only one person at a time then no matter how many new families you get in your practice, you will be confronted with capacity blocks. Organize your time system and office flow to support multiple families instead of multiple individuals.

Avoid frustration. Don't waste your time and energy one more minute in trying to get systems and procedures that are designed for individuals to work for families. Your practice will grow spontaneously when you remove office systems that interfere with your ability to see multiple patients and implement a family practice‑focused set of systems and procedures that support your vision.

(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.)