Requiring new patients to attend health care classes builds their confidence in you and chiropractic, thereby increasing your patient base

Many successful practices have an internal marketing program that is consistently and systematically implemented throughout the year. One aspect of the program is a health care class for patients scheduled on a regular basis, from weekly to once a month. The classes are essential in a patient education program.

There are six requirements in the new-patients acceptance process, to which new patients must stipulate, for better treatment results. The seven stipulations are:

1. Keep your appointments.
2. Make up missed appointments within 1 week.
3. Follow instructions regarding exercise, nutrition, posture, and activities of daily living.
4. Have a positive attitude—expect to be well.
5. Keep current on financial responsibilities.
6. Attend the new patient education class.

Patients benefit from attending new patient education classes because they learn what and where health comes from, how chiropractic works, and specifics about the doctor. Your practice will benefit with better compliance and greater enthusiasm (enthusiastic, not satisfied, patients refer). One of the greatest benefits of health care classes is that it keeps you focused. It renews the doctor’s commitment to and passion for the profession and can even become a self-motivation seminar.

Importance of Content
How does one implement a health education program? What should be taught? To implement a program, there must be a commitment from your staff. Choose a convenient day during the week for the classes (Monday through Thursday are best). Require all new patients to attend the health class as a prerequisite to being accepted for care. Send invitations to your new patients from the past 6 months and require an RSVP. When scheduling patients for the spinal care class always ask if they will be bringing a friend or family member. These will be your new patients. Offering light refreshments is a nice touch. Also, start and end on time. I’ve found that the best time for the classes is 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm.

The content of your class should include the following:

• Why a health-care class? Educated patients get better results—short- and long-term—by understanding what health is and where it comes from.

• What is health? It is not the absence of pain or symptoms. Pain must be demonstrated to be the effect of causes. The duty of a chiropractor is to find and correct the cause.

• What causes symptoms? An altered form due to physical, chemical, and/or mental stress that leads to altered functions, which results in an imbalance in the homeostasis of the body. The medical model for the past 75 years has been to remove symptoms. The chiropractic paradigm is to correct causes. The DC (detector and corrector) works to naturally correct the altered function in order to return the body to health. Being able to separate symptoms from causes is essential to changing the patients from a pain-based model of health to a wellness or functional model.

• Inform your new patients of how chiropractic improves function. This is where you discuss how physical, chemical, or mental stress can cause subluxations. Relate subluxation to something they can understand. I use the spine as a circuit breaker model. If the subluxation overloads a certain segment, it shuts off to protect the whole system as a circuit breaker would. You know the circuit is shut down because the body in its innate wisdom creates symptoms to attract attention. Subluxations are like the power being shut off. Chiropractors turn the switches back on by the adjustment—subluxation=power-off and adjustment=power-on.

• Give personal examples about your patients’ return to health. Stories about the people you see in your practice, without divulging names, are powerful motivators. Talk about cases that are outside the usual neck and back pain. Explain how constipation or menstrual cycle problems may be related to low back pain. Describe patients who were told surgery was their only option, but with chiropractic care, are now functioning and were able to avoid surgery. Give a personal testimony—how and why you became a chiropractor.

Visual Aids
Since most people are visual learners, drive your message home by using visual aids in your presentation. Provide attendees with a clipboard and blank sheet of paper to take notes (retention increases 50% when notes are taken). You also need to solicit feedback from the attendees by having them complete an evaluation form. Ask them what they liked best about the program, what they liked least, how to improve the presentation, what was new information, and whether they would like you to present this program at work, club, or organization.

To end the class, you need a call to action. Offer your patients and their guests a complimentary consultation and examination. They can also refer someone for a complimentary consultation and examination to determine whether chiropractic care would be appropriate. I do not include X-rays in this offer. Most people who receive a free consultation and examination will pay for X-rays, if needed, to complete the evaluation. This offer must have a time limit, such as the person referred must schedule within 2 weeks to be eligible.

You can consult with a number of sources on how to present a patient education class. Each new patient is a source of future practice growth and success. With treatment and education, they will stay, pay, and refer. Most importantly, educating will keep you focused and true to your purpose.

About the Author
Dennis R. Buckley, DC, operates a private practice in Pasadena, Calif, and is the vice president of communications for the California Chiropractic Association. He can be reached via email: tridocd@aol.com.