Using patient education materials to promote can make for a successful practice. Chiropractic Products sits down with four experts for advice.

When it comes to practice growth, promotion and patient education go hand in hand. After all, it isn’t enough to put your name in the minds of the public; you have to give your public a reason to keep you in their minds by teaching the value of chiropractic. Chiropractic Products asked four professionals to discuss how your practice will benefit with patient education and promotion.

Pete Fernandez, DC, is president of Fernandez Consulting, Seminole, Fla. He has practiced chiropractic for 20 years and has been a consultant for 23 years. Bruce Goldsmith, president of Visual Odyssey, Temple, Ga, has educated millions about chiropractic since 1976. The Visual Odyssey Neuropatholators® and the SHO® flip chart were designed to create “at the speed of sight” patient education. Mark Mandell, DC, MBA, is a third generation chiropractor and the sixth in his family. He cofounded Chiropractic Mattress Education, North Brunswick, NJ, with Stuart Carlitz to educate chiropractors about sleep health issues, principles of mattress design, and practice building methods that increase the level of patient care. Steven Madnick, president of Health Visions Inc, Bensalem, Pa, and cofounder Peter Madnick, have provided chiropractors with quality patient education products and are recognized for their silent reception room video series since 1966.

What are the most successful patient education/practice promotion (PE/PP) tools? Why?

Fernandez: There are a number of electronic demonstrators and computer programs on the markets that are effective, but nothing replaces good doctor-to-patient communication skills. Good, professional advertising—print and television—is also effective.

Goldsmith: The short answer is that the most effective tools are those that get used and get results. My favorites are those that are designed to interactively boost the doctor/patient rapport. I also like automated and passive education, but I love interactive solutions.

Mandell: In chiropractic, there are no home-run patients, like big court cases or million-dollar deals. A chiropractic practice is built on the backs of multiple patients, one at a time. DCs should examine various methods to see what works best for their practices.

Madnick: I believe that every single PE product on the market is effective and successful. If a chiropractor feels that a specific tool is not effective, it is because they are not implementing them correctly.

Are there certain tools or methods that work better in different regions of the country?

Fernandez: With advertising, consider the area that you are in. For example, you wouldn’t run a blue collar ad in an affluent community and vice versa. Also, the cost of advertising will depend on where you live. You may not be able to afford television or newspaper advertising if you live in a big city, such as New York.

Goldsmith: Different regions play a significant role in PE as there is more ethnic diversity, requiring other languages. As you get to know a patient, you must also respond to their personality type which may be region-influenced. After recognizing the community’s unique needs, the key to success is consistency.

Mandell: In crowded markets, chiropractors need to do more than just advertise chiropractic; they need to differentiate their chiropractic offices from the others. If there is a certain focus on athletes or seniors in the practice, special therapeutic equipment or an integrated multidisciplinary approach should be the focus of the promotion.

What are some of the common mistakes chiropractors make in choosing their PE/PP avenues?

Fernandez: The most common mistake is not taking professional advice, such as using an agency or consultant. Go to a firm that specializes in advertising. Don’t try to be a novice in a pro’s world. Don’t think for a second that the CEO of Coca-Cola does the advertisements himself.

Goldsmith: Inconsistency. PE and PP have to be ongoing, engaging, and specific to all different patients and their families. The next mistake is ignoring that patient learning styles may be vastly different than the doctor’s. When this happens, then the DC only attracts one type of patient.

Mandell: DCs often try to promote chiropractic without promoting themselves. New chiropractors feel they must compete against medical doctors. In today’s health care market, new graduates should be concerned about the other DCs in town. They have to find a way to make themselves standout.

Madnick: The biggest mistake is implementation—every PE tool can be effective if used properly. Another major mistake is focusing on the cost instead of the true value of how PE products can positively impact your practice.

Some chiropractors may be uneasy about “selling” or promoting themselves. Is a hard-sell or soft-sell appropriate?

Fernandez: A hard-sell is never appropriate and is nothing but a lack of communication skills. I had a very large practice because I explained to patients about what they needed to do. The problem with selling is you have to keep selling. Then, you have to hype yourself up to get to work. You’re a doctor, not a salesman.

Goldsmith: There is no place for hard-sell in a truly successful promotion strategy. True acceptance comes from skillfully presenting facts and options in such a dynamic way that you attract your ideal patient base. The problem is a misconception about what selling is. It is actually only the process of satisfying a real need with an appropriate and ethical solution.

Mandell: The right selling technique is one the chiropractor feels most comfortable using. If you are uncomfortable talking about yourself, then talk about your practice instead. Soften your approach and keep the discussion more heart-to-heart.

Madnick: The most successful chiropractors are the ones who are not afraid to tell patients what they need. It can be a hard-sell, but done in a sincere manner by showing true concern. Those who do not want to hard-sell should offer PE tools to sell chiropractic in a nonintrusive way.

Tell us one of your success stories about a chiropractic client.

Fernandez: A young man joined my firm while still in school. After opening his own practice, he had 247 new patients and 98,000 hours within 30 business days. Now, he does $3 million per year with three satellite offices, and we are guiding him into about twelve offices $750,000 per year.

Goldsmith: A client who has enjoyed using lighted nerve charts or flip charts for a while and now added accompanying software, wrote saying. “These tools have increased my retention and referrals, while decreasing missed visits.”

Mandell: Some of the experts in the bedding industry foresee chiropractors as the future of the mattress industry. By utilizing a mattress fitting protocol and selling a premium mattress, DCs can increase earnings by more than $50,000 each year.

Madnick: A success story is when I get daily calls from chiropractors telling me their patients are being educated about the big idea. It is nice to get a success story almost every day!

What PE/PP tool is not widely being used by chiropractors, but would be effective?

Fernandez: DCs should use television more, such as in commercials or infomercials. Try using commercials or education programs in your reception room and therapy suites. An automatic slide system, which can be personalized, is also effective.

Goldsmith: Doctors should have their staff more involved in communicating chiropractic to the patients. Another effective method are automated poster systems. Go to public places and give health and wellness lectures, which builds rapport.

Mandell: It is imperative that a chiropractic office responds to changes in the local market. My family’s community has become increasingly international with a number of new residents who are physicians. We have welcomed new doctors as they open their offices, and offered to introduce them to other specialists and to leaders in the community. We advertise in foreign language newspapers and will solicit their help with translating the ad. We have also hired staff members that speak multiple languages.

Madnick: The most common tools not being used are the expensive ones ($5,000+). These products take commitment to make them successful.

In what ways has technology improved PE/PP?

Goldsmith: The computer is still an underutilized PE tool. There are many flexible ways to implement computers for PE, such as animated posters and computer games to teach chiropractic concepts in the home. Also, email newsletters have improved communication.

Any last words of advice for our readers?

Fernandez: Hire a CA to do one job: promote your practice by scheduling screenings, speeches, and interviews with employers in the community. Doctors simply don’t have the time. I have one doctor who has a public relations CA who produces more than 300 new patients a year for each of the four doctors in the office.

Goldsmith: Think like your public instead of like a doctor. PE is for everyone—even patients who have been coming to see you for years. A thorough consultation, exam, and report of findings are critical. Take your flip charts out of the closet and show a different poster each day. Schedule those group talks. Use PE as your vehicle for public awareness and acceptance. Make presentations whenever and wherever you get the chance. Don’t short change your patients by not giving them the ammunition to eloquently defend their decision to choose health care over disease care.

Mandell: There are three ways to exponentially build a chiropractic business: 1) get new patients, 2) retain the patients for more visits, and 3) increase the value of each patient visit with ancillary products and services. Don’t just think about building your practice, take some action. If you don’t know how to get started, then speak with a practice consultant or coach.

Madnick: Before purchasing any chiropractic PE tools, decide how much time and effort you want to put into implementing these tools. Do not purchase anything for $10,000 if you feel you will not use it after 6 months. There are many products on the market; just take your time to choose the ones that will best fit your needs and commitment.

Julie Z. Lee is a contributing writer for Chiropractic Products.