November 2008

DC and CA must act as a team

by Dr. Robert Schiffman

I've been in practice a long time, and have seen the best try and fail. Here are a few pointers that will help your practice increase the work flow and patient longevity.

One of the most important procedures you can have in your office, and an excellent way of increasing patient longevity, is to have a working team. A working team is a group of people who work and communicate with each other almost seamlessly. Your team would consist of you, the doctor, and your staff members. Your CAs need to have interaction with you and training in order to produce good team work.

There are programs designed to build camaraderie between doctors and CAs, but what's needed is to introduce a program that will build a good team. Let me share some things that will help you to start building that good team, and producing excellent teamwork.

In building a good team, some of the benefits will usually be on the group level. A couple of keys are making sure you communicate well with your staff and -- perhaps most important -- that you like each other. If someone has a problem with another person, you'll never have an effective team.

Another major point is respect. As the doctor, you've been through training and will continue to train, and your staff must value you as the doctor. The other end of respect is your respect for staff members. The staff sees patients first, so remember they are there to help you in your practice and deserve respect as well. Never forget that you are (or should be) working toward a common goal, that of seeing people healed through the vehicle of chiropractic.

When a team works together and uses the points I've listed, their work is productive and better than those who don't try. The very best way to train a good team is to train individuals in a way that helps people communicate better, helps them deal with coworkers better, helps the staff like and respect each other better. This helps the whole group line up individual goals with your practice's goals. If training is fun and interactive, participants tend to learn much faster and the training tends to be more valuable.

You should design a productive atmosphere that will benefit your practice, and produce results. It will also dramatically reduce employee turnover, lessen the duplication of work, improve morale, create greater efficiencies in processes, lessen office miscommunication and increase greater profitability and patient longevity. This is considered the team culture. When you try to open the lines of communication, identify the characteristics of your team and observe the actions of individuals and how they affect the whole group, this can improve your team's efficiency.

As a team, there are things to remember when it comes to your patients. These points will also help you maintain a patient increase and produce patient longevity.

You and your office staff must make a favorable first impression on patients. Patients almost always look at the appearance and attitude first. Then they look to how efficient you are and how well you're able to service them. Keeping in mind the importance of respect, the staff must always introduce the doctor correctly and respectfully because that validates the respect the staff has for the doctor and helps build it in patients as well.

There are a few things that can be done at a patient's first visit to instill a safe and friendly atmosphere so he or she will be at ease rather than fearful. As a team, you want to work together to produce this type of atmosphere for patients so, remember to always be ready and understand the patient's needs, address the patient with a smile, and pronounce the patient's name correctly (be interested, and don't be afraid to ask for the spelling of a name). Be friendly and shake hands firmly, with sincerity. Always remember to look at who referred the patient to your office and acknowledge them.

Be empathetic with patients, letting them know and feel that you're sincere and do care about them and their condition. Be a good listener. Patients know when they're being sold, or influenced. Since, as I mentioned earlier, patients look at the appearance of things, the first impression is vital. How does your office look or smell? How does the staff look and behave, how are they being approached, and what type of treatment do they receive? Keep in mind that CAs and doctors form a team, so the CA must always back up the doctor.

Ultimately, people who work well together, communicate with and respect each other make up a good and productive team, the kind of team you need to maintain a successful practice.

(Studying under CS Gonstead ignited Dr. Robert Schiffman's passion for chiropractic. The Life University graduate's career accomplishments have won him much recognition, and he is one of the most sought-after speakers in chiropractic today. Dr. Schiffman -- founder of the Principled Revolution, Get the Big Idea! Seminars and Coaching Programs -- continues to maintain one of the world's largest volume practices. Contact him by calling 877-251-0181, or visit online at www.getthebigidea.com.)