Offering treatment products can boost your bottom line

The trend for DCs to add profit centers to their practices is continuing. Many of these methods can bring additional income to your office. They also provide additional service to your patients and keep them from seeking the service elsewhere.

Treatment products are one of the possible profit centers available to help you expand your practice. Our roundtable participants have experience in helping DCs make treatment products a profitable venture. Craig Ure is marketing manager for Performance Health Inc in Export, Penn. Mark Mandell, DC, is director of business development for Foot Levelers Inc in Roanoke, Va. John Vuckovich is director of the Wellness and Rehab division for SPRI® Products in Libertyville, Ill.

Craig Ure

What are some treatment products, services, or techniques chiropractors can offer to create a niche practice?
Ure: Biofreeze, our flagship product, is a topical pain reliever that helps to relieve aches and pains commonly found in the lower back, neck, shoulder, knee, and joints. It is a great adjunct for relieving patients’ pain between office visits. Biofreeze is available in patient size, tubes, roll-ons, and now the addition of the new CryoSpray. Chiropractors can display the product in treatment rooms and also at the front desk or waiting area. We have free patient-education displays for waiting rooms. These displays accommodate two 5-gram product samples attached to a patient-education brochure preprinted with the chiropractor’s name and number.

Mark Mandell, DC

Mandell: Custom foot orthotics are the perfect adjunct to complement a chiropractic practice. Everything changes in the body when the foot hits the ground. When any of the three arches in the foot are compromised, the patient can have biomechanical issues that affect the knee, hip, pelvis, spine, and even the neck. Going beyond the spine and treating the patient’s whole body from the ground up with orthotics provides long-term biomechanical support. Providing this extra service helps a chiropractor to really stand out in the eyes of the patient.

John Vuckovich

Vuckovich: Selling at-home rehabilitation products to patients is an excellent way for chiropractors to create a niche and add a profit center to their practices. For 22 years, SPRI has been a staple in the industry, providing rubber resistance tubing, weighted products, and balance and stability products. Since then, SPRI has continued to provide quality products supported by education, examples, and instruction. Now, with the addition of SPRI’s new rehabilitation product lines—the WOW™, Contour-Weights®, The Reset Glove™, and the Flexor™ line—chiropractors can provide a more proactive treatment protocol, leading to a faster road to recovery for their patients.

What steps are involved for a chiropractor to set up this niche practice?
Ure: It is very simple. Just call (800) BIOFREEZE and ask for the complimentary patient-education display and customized samples and brochures. We will ship these out promptly. Place the display and samples in your waiting room, and also keep a supply of patient-size tubes, roll-ons, and sprays at the front desk. When a patient comes in, give out some 5-gram samples and always use the product during treatment. The product will sell itself after the patient experiences relief from pain. Your staff can also recommend the product during checkout, and you could also incentivize them for sales they make.

Mandell: The best way to get started with custom orthotics is to get a digital foot scanner for your office. Some scanners can be purchased for as little as one pair of orthotics per month for 12 months, while others can be prohibitively expensive. Another alternative is to attend a seminar sponsored by an orthotic company, so look for one coming soon in your area. Some companies, like ours, also offer a simple kit to help doctors get started the next day. We’ll even spend as much time training you and your staff as you need.

Vuckovich: Setting up the practice is easy with SPRI Products. When a chiropractor places an order for products, all the chiropractor has to do is state that they intend to sell these products to their patients. SPRI will provide the chiropractor product-description sheets, explaining each of the products and how they are used. If they are unsure of which new products are best for them, they can contact SPRI’s medical division, which will then guide them and give them advice specific for their needs.

What special training is involved for chiropractors and their staff? How can the staff contribute in offering the service or product?
Ure: The staff can give the brochures and samples to patients as they are checking out and suggest they use the product or give it to friends, relatives, or colleagues. At that time, they can explain how to use the product and how it will help to relieve pain. Many patients will gain pain relief between office visits and wish to purchase more. This is the time staff can promote sales. If they have not tried the product yet, ask if you can use some during treatment so they can experience the relief. After the application, let them know that the product is available for purchase at the front desk. As they are experiencing the relief from pain, they will ask for Biofreeze by name when they are checking out.

Mandell: Nearly every chiropractor learned foot and gait analysis and weight-bearing casting procedures in school, but it’s always good to hear it again. Even doctors who have worked with Foot Levelers for years attend our seminars for a refresher course, to earn continuing-education credits, and to learn the latest procedures. Most of all, help is only a phone call away. Our trained customer service team can assist any doctor with any problem. We also make sure to educate chiropractic assistants on how they can assist the doctors with the procedures and billing.

Vuckovich: Training and educating staff members is crucial to the success of selling products to patients. Once the staff members fully understand a product and its benefits to the patient, they can then relay this message to the patients so they can fully utilize the benefits. The culture of the office must be in full support of the venture, and the staff needs to be trained to teach the patients how to use the products. The doctor is extremely busy treating patients; he or she needs to feel comfortable to hand off a patient to a staff member so that the staff member can educate the patient on how to use the products at home.

What are the profit margins? When can chiropractors expect a return on investment?
Ure: Chiropractors can expect at least a 100% markup selling Biofreeze, which creates an immediate return. Biofreeze is sold through appointed suppliers and is not sold in retail stores. Chiropractors should contact their local supplier to evaluate the best offers at that time. The patient-education customized sampling program I discussed earlier is only available from the manufacturer of Biofreeze direct at the toll-free number, but the manufacturer does not sell the product directly. It is available only through appointed suppliers.

Mandell: Doctors can mark up the orthotic from a few dollars to a few hundred, but the real profit opportunity is in expanding the quality of care by providing a higher level of service. First, the doctor can complete a special foot and gait analysis exam to determine the clinical necessity of orthotics. On that same visit, the doctor can also adjust the foot, ankle, and lower-extremity joints along with the spine, and instruct the patient in home strengthening and stretching exercises. On the ensuing visits, the doctor will fit the patient with the custom orthotics, instruct the patient in their proper use, recheck the adjustments in the spine and lower-extremity joints, and review home exercises.

Vuckovich: Once a chiropractic practice places its first order and receives products, the return on investment can be seen immediately. This is a great benefit of selling quality at-home products. As the chiropractor and staff explain the need for these products to the patient, it turns into an immediate purchase by the patient as a means to a faster recovery. The profit margins on these products are up to each individual office. SPRI’s price sheet only offers suggested prices to sell to patients; many professionals in the past have decided to increase certain prices to enhance their profit margins.