{email_subject}

Disclaimer: I may highlight words that link to youtube videos or google articles. I have no relationship with any company, person, financial or practice building recommendations. Please view and read with discretion.

Hopefully your practice is on auto pilot running at full capacity and needing little tweaking or a general overhaul. But regardless, there are some basic fundamentals that are often overlooked by both the novice as well as the veteran doctor that will allow you peace of mind and what retirees often hear concerning their investments, “SWAN” or Sleep Well At Night.

Keeping a successful status quo takes effort leaving little for granted and even more so if the practice is like a failed diet, yo yo all the way. This week’s e-mail will dwell on one of the three fundamentals: practice management, patient management and staff management.

Let’s take a doctor fresh out of school with an ambitious drive to jump right into success. Often with little money they have to rely on an associateship or become an independent contractor with limited say either way. Once a few dollars are in the bank, they may band together with colleague or two and create a new practice with all the financial and emotional risks or purchase an established practice hoping that the numbers the previous doctor maintained either remain steady or skyrocket as hoped. Either way, jumpstarting these new endeavors requires some basic fundamentals.

Same with the doctor ready to take the plunge by themselves. Their vision is beyond the horizon as their sights are focused on how to acquire, keep and generate referrals from their sold patient base. They understand the risks are their own without the support of a partner. They must adhere to practice growth and never let go as the risks are great. No chiropractic graduate or veteran doctor should fail as our Health and Wellness mission is too great. So let’s get to it

Practice Management:

From day one establish sound business rules starting with patient communication and education. No patient should be in the dark about their problem, your solution and what chiropractic has or has not to offer. Educate them. Every patient should provide their personal e-mail address, snail mail address and cell number. I'm sure they are written on every new patient form, but do you review and use it!

Create a database that the doctor and a staff member can easily find and begin a weekly campaign to reach them. There is nothing better than to hear the surprised voice of a new patient when you call them a few hours after their initial evaluation and/or adjustment just to check in, how they are doing, answer their questions and give them your cell number if ever they have questions.

Create an e-mail list and weekly reach out to your patient and community list via e-mail with either a e-newsletter or short but powerful Health and Wellness message. Also dedicate a staff member to send a specific individual e-mail to a few selected patients with specific links to topics that might interest them such as stretch videos, healthy lifestyle and menu tips that may enhance their life. How many doctors and practices do this? Not many but new referrals and community wellbeing will become the norm rather than the exception. Also maintain a social media presence.

Create a Facebook, instagram, twitter and other media accounts and if you feel comfortable with your looks and voice a youtube account and visually spread the word about your office activities, ergonomic and how to manage stress discussions and general health and wellness tips with chiropractic care prominent. You get the idea. Oh, you don't have the time or skill to start and maintain such folly, then hire someone as the cost will be minimal if results bear fruit. I can go on but this small bit of practice management from the get go is both fundamental and crucial