The report of findings is one part educational, one part clinical, and one part sales

Educated patients are those that stay, pay, and refer. The dental profession has done a great job educating its patients. People flock to the drug store to load up on dental floss, tooth brushes, toothpaste, and tooth whiteners. In fact, the dental patient is so well-educated that many dentists have the luxury of closing their practices to new patients and are booked out months in advance for an appointment. Wouldn’t it be something if the chiropractic practice was the same?

Certainly, in today’s highly competitive environment, one of the keys to good patient management is the report of findings. There is so much misinformation out there about what we do for patients that the report of findings has become something almost mandatory in most chiropractic clinics.

But how do you give it? Is it a formal report or just a quick explanation to a patient about your findings? Well, let’s break the process down into its individual components.

The Art of Selling
The report of findings is actually one-part educational, one-part clinical, and one-part sales. Yes, sales! Like it or not, the competitive health care arena is one of the largest marketing realms in the United States today. Whether you are a chiropractic physician or a medical doctor, patients are being marketed to with mass effort. So, when it comes time to review your treatment recommendations with patients, remember that other health care providers and other health care options have the patients’ attention. Billions of dollars are spent on health care marketing each year. You have to play the game to win.

The sales part is really quite easy when you understand that patients have three questions they want you to answer:
1) Did you find my problem?
2) Can you help me?
3) How long (and how much money) will it take to fix me?

All you have to do is effectively answer those questions and you have done the sales part. How To Master the Art of Selling by Tom Hopkins is a great book to help you brush up on your skills.

It also helps to remember some key factors from the examination. During the exam, be aware of the patient’s goals and expectations for care. Get a feel for whether or not the patient is educated about chiropractic care, whether he has been to a DC before, and what his comfort level is. If he has been a patient before, what kind of treatment and frequency helped him? What techniques were used? What are the patient’s motivational factors for getting care? Is it to improve his job function, home life, or play-time with kids? What are his expectations for care? Is he looking for a quick-fix, or long-term care? This information will help you deliver a report of findings that the patient will understand.

From the moment you enter the room, command doctor authority. Using a firm handshake and looking right into the patient’s eyes, say, “I’ve looked over your case and I’ve found the source of your problem. I am confident that we may be able to help you.” Guess what? You just answered 2 of the 3 questions. Now, all you have to do is educate the patient about some basics of his condition and how chiropractic care will be used to improve his condition. And of course, reassure the patient that he is at the right clinic.

Go Bowling
When delivering the report of findings, you may want to consider having a few tools or props available. Some of those might include a spine model, a 10- or 12-pound bowling ball, a spinal decay degeneration poster, and a written report with the patient’s treatment plan schedule. The spine model is great for a quick anatomy lesson. It can also be used to demonstrate several aspects of care and nature of the patient’s condition. You can demonstrate normal curve, scoliosis, pelvic deficiency, anterior head carriage, bulging discs, and the “pinched nerve” phenomenon.

The bowling ball is a great analogy for the biomechanical problems created with anterior head carriage. I have the patient hold the bowling ball with both hands up next to his stomach. This demonstrates how easy it is to bear the weight of the ball when his entire body is involved. Then have the patient hold the ball extended out in front of him to show how the degradation of the cervical curve to a position away from the body adds stress to his spinal structures.

Most patients are familiar with the “pinched nerve” idea. And while we can debate whether or not that particular pathology actually exists, the whole point is for the patient to understand that the bones of the spine and the discs can become dislodged to the point of causing pain. You can use anatomical models to show patients the relationship between the nerves, discs, and the facets (which are often the real problem).

Your report should be delivered in a comfortable room where the patient is at ease and you have access to the educational tools you need for the care you’re recommending. The room should include a TV or computer monitor if you decide to show a video that is offered by some of the chiropractic management companies. Some patient-education posters are also good to have on the wall, but only use ones that you may refer to during the delivery of the report. You don’t want to overcrowd the room with too much information. I often refer to a spinal decay chart to show patients what is “normal” and where their individual condition may fall.

Your report should be concise and easily understood. Do not get carried away with impressing the patient with big medical terminology. Not only will the patient be overwhelmed but he will have no idea what you are talking about and your message will be lost. I often hear doctors talking about how much they go over x-rays and surface EMG scans. I find it works best to not spend a lot of time on these. Briefly show the patient one or two x-rays regarding how his spinal condition (subluxation) may be causing his pain and explain that you know how to help him with it.

The goals of the report of findings are: answer the patient’s questions, review your recommendations, and connect those to helping the patient get well. That’s educating patients about what you know and how chiropractic works. You can do that in your sleep. If you look at the anatomy of any sales situation, it is no different than the report of findings. The patient has a need, you have a solution, and you must convince the patient that your solution will solve his problem. It’s that simple.

Keep this in mind: The patient basically has 3 questions. What’s wrong with me? Can you fix it? And, how long will it take (which sometimes is the same as “how much does it cost?”) If you can effectively answer those three questions, then you have delivered a successful report of findings.

Michael Perusich, DC, is clinical director for the BackBone of Health in Sedalia, Mo. Contact him at mperusichdc@yahoo.com