A Class Act

The key to referrals and retaining patients is education, such as wellness seminars, email newsletters,and take-home folders

The goal of every doctor is to have a successful practice anchored by satisfied patients, technical performance, objective results, and an ongoing streams of referrals. This goal is easier to reach if we have the co-operation of educated and willing patients. Education is the first step toward an understanding and appreciative patient.

Many practice consultants advise their clients to set aside time for spinal-care classes for new and established patients. Patients who attend receive a better understanding of your professional purpose, personal thoughts, and doctor and patient responsibility.

For example, if you use a unique technique that requires increased patient understanding, it is useful to present it as a group so both the patient and their guests can appreciate its nature and purpose. Use this time to outline your criteria for diagnostic and treatment protocol, patient schedule, insurance, or financial options as well as planting referral seeds.

This is also the perfect time to explain the conservative approach to chiropractic health care, general rules of spinal health and daily living, and ergonomic issues. Discuss where chiropractic excels or complements medical care. For your patient orientation and wellness classes, gather research from chiropractic schools and technical and diagnostic vendors, as well as colleagues.

Ask patients to bring supportive people, such as spouses, family members, or friends, which will multiply your referral and patient base. Take this opportunity to express postural and structural concerns. Illustrate how the cycle of life from infant to golden years are fraught with spinal stress and decreased personal performance.

Discuss your desire to help the community, and ask your patients to assist by inviting you to their corporate workplaces, civic organizations, or church groups for extended health and wellness classes.

Class Materials
For doctors with limited time and creative ideas, the solutions is to find vendors who offer unique educational media, such as print, video, Web page creation, and interactive CD-ROM/DVD. Attend state, association, and CE conventions to find the best vendor sources and materials. Patient education tools have taken a leap from the days of hand-drawn flip charts or slide presentations.

If costs are prohibitive, I recommend using a word processing program to outline your workshop notes with bullet points on transparencies. The cost of an overhead projector is minimal.

Patient education begins with the inital phone call. So the first place to begin is training the front desk CA to answer the phone in a warm, caring tone. It is imperative that the first impression addresses patients’ health care needs.

Make sure you have a CA phone script. For example: “Good morning and thanks for calling the Family Chiropractic Center, this is Melanie, how can I help you?” The tone should be caring and not overly enthusiastic or mundane. Further discussion concerning office hours and insurance acceptance may be useful. Gather enough information to verify their insurance coverage prior to their office visit. End the conversation with assurances that you will do everything possible to help and the CA anticipates meeting them soon. An assured staff calms new patient fears and creates the friendly tone that should permeate your office. Have the case history form ready with their name and any data that was collected. You can also use this moment to plant referral seeds,, I am so glad you called and will schedule your special evaluation at 4:30. Did anyone refer you to our office? We receive many referrals from our patients and other community health care providers.” Educate your staff to introduce referrals with the first call.

Patient history forms can also be used as an educational tool. The flow of questioning can introduce postural and structural concerns. Along with the typical information, ask questions that focus on structure and how patients may have developed their problems. Consulting and explaining the anatomical reasons for their problems opens an opportunity to acknowledge issues related to both their social and ergonomic stresses.

When you probe for answers about environmental and work-related concerns, make it clear that there are many others in the same predicament, such as family, friends, sport partners, and fellow employees, who may also benefit from chiropractic care.

During evaluations, use interactive charts, anatomical tools, and analogies to illustrate problems. Booklets, handouts, pamphlets, videos, and CD-ROMs/DVDs are also effective patient education tools. There is nothing better for your practice than educated patients.

Make It Worth the Wait
Waiting room time should not be wasted. Rather than blank walls or floral displays, display changeable wall posters with chiropractic concepts and themes. Many doctors have waiting room chiropractic videos. In my office, I have my new patients watch two videos after I take and develop their x-rays. It is a good idea to periodically play these videos in the waiting room. Even without sound, patients will identify with their first visit and reinforce the need for specific care.

Finally, offer chiropractic and health-oriented periodicals. If you feel comfortable and can work within the confines of HIPAA, create a testimonial binder for patients to browse. During my first chiropractic experience, I remember reading the interesting stories that demonstrated the wide variety of health issues that chiropractors care for. Also, provide informative and descriptive chiropractic pamphlets in the waiting and treatment rooms. Do not forget to include your contact information on the pamphlets and handouts.

Use the reports of findings to state chiropractic philosophy. Written reports should also outline your techniques and treatment protocols. Include spinal illustrations so you can circle the problem area. Give patients homework such as instructions on exercises.

To add a personal, unique touch, call your new patients that evening to remind them of their homework and to answer any questions.

Specialized diagnostic testing is another opportunity to plant referral seeds and educate your patients. If you use objective tools such as SEMG, be sure patients leave with a clear understanding of your findings. Reports should include pictures or printouts that can be taken to family and friends who may also benefit from a similar test. X-ray reports should include the consequences of a neglected spine. Structural distortion and degeneration should be outlined with illustrations that clearly define the problem and proactive steps to prevent further damage. Use normal structure and alignment films as comparisons and outline the postural and health danger of segmental distortion.

Timely and topical office workshops stimulate the practice and keeps you on your toes. Take advantage of holidays and seasons to provide useful classes for your patients and their guests. Along with regular new patient orientation classes, add some programs, such as Prevent Seasonal Sprain and Strains and Healthy Gardening, where you outline proper body mechanics during gardening and seasonal sports.

Also, have programs set aside for your older patients, such as an Aging Gracefully program. Recently, I invited a local attorney to discuss legal concerns for senior citizens. He talked about living wills and durable power of attorney for health care. Not only did it stimulate my patients and their guests, it also cemented my attorney referrals. Use an Internet search for workshop topic material.

Do not forget to provide a space on the new patient case history form for email addresses. I send, at minimum, a monthly email newsletter to my patients as well as others within my community. There are many professional chiropractic email newsletter programs, but a simple email that includes office news, health-oriented topics, and office and community workshop schedules works just as well. I recommend adding a paragraph or two called Chiropractic 101 to discuss chiropractic concepts. This is a great way to stimulate reactivation and maintenance patient visits.

For more specific information on finding patient education tooIs and vendors, visit my Web site: www.chirosmart.net, and check under weblinks. CP

Joel E. Margolies, DC, has been in practice for 25 years in Atlanta and is the author of four books: Smart Start, Workshop Workbook, Chiropractic Marketing and Public Relations, and Personal Injury Workbook. He sends a free weekly chiropractic email newsletter concerning practice management, public relations, and philosophy to more than 10,000 DCs in 31 countries. Margolies can be reached via email: joel3639@aol.com, or website: www.chirosmart.net.