http://www.patientmedia.com/blog/ en Copyright 2013 Mon, 20 May 2013 06:00:11 -0700 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Do you see yourself as a slave or a servant? The difference is profound and your choice makes practice a heavy burden or a glorious opportunity. Which is it? If you choose to be a slave, then you feel impeded by your obligation to document your care, your imposed duty to get patients feeling better as soon as possible and the responsibility of doing all the heavy lifting. If you choose to be a servant, you're thrilled by the opportunity to help others, you're humbled by the prospect of advancing the truth about the nature of real health and you're moved by the trust others place in you. http://www.patientmedia.com/blog/2013/05/monday_morning_motivation_slav.html http://www.patientmedia.com/blog/2013/05/monday_morning_motivation_slav.html Monday-Morning-Motivation Mon, 20 May 2013 06:00:11 -0700 If there's one thing that has conspired to thwart some chiropractors from enjoying the practice success they deserve, it's their wrongheaded beliefs about what chiropractic is and what it isn't. Derailment here produces a variety of practice pathologies. Among them:

• Patients who consistently leave when they feel better
• Dependency upon the generosity of insurance carriers
• Reports that have become sales presentations
• A constant appetite for more new patients
• Chiropractors who become defensive when patients express discontent with the pace of their recovery
• Chiropractors who take what patients do, personally
• Chiropractors who are reluctant to take a vacation for fear their practice would lose too much momentum

These and other unhelpful aspects of chiropractic practice are the predictable result of obscuring, ignoring or willfully perverting what chiropractic is, or not effectively communicating its true nature to patients. Have you embraced all five of these simple truths about chiropractic?]]> http://www.patientmedia.com/blog/2013/05/the_practice_of_treating_nothi.html http://www.patientmedia.com/blog/2013/05/the_practice_of_treating_nothi.html Musings Fri, 17 May 2013 11:56:45 -0700 Drunk Tank Pink by Adam Alter is the perfect airplane read. Which is where I read this fascinating book, which compiles many of the psychological studies that reveal how our environment shapes our thoughts, actions and behaviors. The title is based on the late 1970 study showing how a particular shade of pink calmed those who tended to be aggressive. That's just one of dozens and dozens of studies showing how the weather affects the stock market, sunshine affects mood, what affects creativity, nonprofit giving and the image that prompts others to act more honestly when no one is watching. (I was particularly interested by the study on page 165 explaining what color you should avoid when designing a website!) Thanks Lisa!]]> http://www.patientmedia.com/blog/2013/05/what_im_reading_29.html http://www.patientmedia.com/blog/2013/05/what_im_reading_29.html What I'm Reading Thu, 16 May 2013 06:00:52 -0700 "What's something I could do that would give my practice a shot in the arm?" When I'm asked a question like this I can't help but hear the medical reference to a treatment designed to produce a temporary, short-term improvement to the chiropractor's practice situation. I'm assuming the practitioner has overlooked the implications of the particular turn-of-phrase used to communicate his hoped-for solution and that it's this mindset that's actually creating his problem! Employing short-term strategies to produce a temporary bump in the numbers is a common tactic. In fact, it's an addiction. No one asks for "...something I can do now that will produce a stabilizing, long-term benefit to my practice that may not pay off for months or years." http://www.patientmedia.com/blog/2013/05/monday_morning_motivation_foll_1.html http://www.patientmedia.com/blog/2013/05/monday_morning_motivation_foll_1.html Monday-Morning-Motivation Mon, 13 May 2013 06:00:06 -0700 Over the years, especially at speaking gigs, I've asserted that if you have any hope of attracting a tribe of wellness-oriented cash-paying practice members, you're actually in the belief-changing business. Not the pain relief business. Not the spine straightening business. Not the curve restoration business. And not in the chiropractic business. Moving a patient (and ironically, some chiropractors!) from thinking of chiropractic as a treatment for various spinal conditions, in favor of seeing it as a discipline focused on whole-body health by optimizing nervous system function, is essential if you hope to interest patients in using chiropractic proactively as a long term health adjunct. Yet, not a single course at chiropractic colleges is devoted to patient belief changing. Thus, even the most principle-oriented chiropractic colleges are unwitting accomplices to the medicalization of chiropractic, disgorging graduates who discover they must become new patient marketing machines to constantly replace patients who come in for a brief "diet" of symptomatic relief.]]> http://www.patientmedia.com/blog/2013/05/adjusting_your_sails.html http://www.patientmedia.com/blog/2013/05/adjusting_your_sails.html Patient Priorities Sat, 11 May 2013 11:08:22 -0700 Postcards are the perfect way to remind patients that you still think of them as part of your "tribe," even though they aren't under active care. We've turned the graphics of some of our most popular wall posters into reminder postcards. No need to get heavy-handed. A sentence or two is all you need. Or offer a quick health tip. Such as... "Remember to drink lots of water as it heats up this summer!" "Hope your adjustments are still holding. If not, give us a call." "We were thinking about you at a recent staff meeting. Hope all is well." "How's your golf game? Time for a tune-up?" You get the idea. Keep your message short. You're simply jogging their memory and letting them know you were thinking of them.]]> http://www.patientmedia.com/blog/2013/05/ping_with_postcards.html http://www.patientmedia.com/blog/2013/05/ping_with_postcards.html Product Profiles Mon, 06 May 2013 15:04:28 -0700 Monday Morning Motivation. ]]> http://www.patientmedia.com/blog/2013/05/monday_morning_motivation_play.html http://www.patientmedia.com/blog/2013/05/monday_morning_motivation_play.html Monday-Morning-Motivation Mon, 06 May 2013 06:00:34 -0700 Chiropractic is a simple idea. Powerful, but simple. It's so tempting to add extraneous detail. Or include superfluous elements. But not this brochure! It's taken 30 years for Bill to simplify the explanation of chiropractic to its essential essence. The result is 11 compelling images accompanied by a mere 133 words. (By way of contrast, the Monday Morning Motivation messages are 150 words.) In other words, short. No bones. No spines. And not one reference to pain. This brochure is sure to become your new favorite. It's the perfect outline for a spinal care class. It's an ideal way to facilitate referrals. It's a powerful tool that communicates chiropractic principles to today's visually-oriented patients with short attention spans. Read the You & Chiropractic brochure online. US customers can buy online or call (800) 486-2337.]]> http://www.patientmedia.com/blog/2013/04/explains_chiropractic_in_133_w.html http://www.patientmedia.com/blog/2013/04/explains_chiropractic_in_133_w.html Product Profiles Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:01:59 -0700 Ask most chiropractors to make a list of things they could do that would most likely grow their practice, and they can easily supply a half dozen ideas in a matter of minutes. In other words, practitioners who are not enjoying the success they want, can supply numerous strategies that would. But they won't do them. Is it simply being stubborn? Is it a sense of entitlement? Sure, there's some of that, but the reasons for not implementing known techniques for a more successful practice are far more basic. How many of the following reasons stop you from enjoying the success you claim you want?]]> http://www.patientmedia.com/blog/2013/04/knowing_but_not_doing_1.html http://www.patientmedia.com/blog/2013/04/knowing_but_not_doing_1.html Musings Mon, 29 Apr 2013 06:41:21 -0700 Monday Morning Motivation. ]]> http://www.patientmedia.com/blog/2013/04/monday_morning_motivation_are_1.html http://www.patientmedia.com/blog/2013/04/monday_morning_motivation_are_1.html Monday-Morning-Motivation Mon, 29 Apr 2013 06:00:33 -0700 Success does not flow into disorder, chaos or uncertainty. If you're not experiencing the patient volume and follow through you'd like, chances are you have pockets of doubt, areas of confusion or certain aspects of your practice (or your life) you don't want to look at. This produces a lack of clarity, limits the performance of your practice and the joy you deserve to receive from it. The Conversation changes that. This 30-day program isn't a seminar. It's not a rah-rah session. And it's not a touchy-feely chiropractic "experience!" Instead, the journaling assignments, concluding with the intimate debrief with no more than 9 other growth-minded chiropractors that

Reveals scotomas and blind spots Uncovers unhelpful beliefs Produces "ah-has" and eurekas Shows you ways to be more resourceful Creates an action plan for growth

Get your head back into the game. (The game has changed.) Resolve the conflicting beliefs you have about practice. (You've done all the easy stuff.) Accept that your practice will grow only when you do. It doesn't happen any other way. Denver Conversation #26 Enrollment closes May 3 (Call Leslyn (800) 486-2337) London Conversation #27 Enrollment closes May 30 (Call Melissa 01752 658785)]]> http://www.patientmedia.com/blog/2013/04/are_things_a_mess.html http://www.patientmedia.com/blog/2013/04/are_things_a_mess.html Product Profiles Mon, 22 Apr 2013 14:57:13 -0700 Monday Morning Motivation. ]]> http://www.patientmedia.com/blog/2013/04/monday_morning_motivation_lies.html http://www.patientmedia.com/blog/2013/04/monday_morning_motivation_lies.html Monday-Morning-Motivation Mon, 22 Apr 2013 06:00:51 -0700 It's well known that patients make decisions emotionally, and attempt to back up their decision with the facts. Which is why maximizing case acceptance requires the proper packaging and reporting of your findings and care recommendations. Our VIP Report of Findings System is quick to prepare, easy to use and communicates trust on several key levels: Organizes Your Findings - It's a coordinated communication system that reassures patients, increases confidence and presents irrefutable evidence for the needed care. Makes Your Recommendations Tangible - In many ways you're actually selling the promise of hope that your care recommendations will achieve. These documents say, "Trust me." Persuades Skeptical Spouses - Don't overlook the decision maker who isn't at your report! Equip patients with what they need to recreate your explanations and get approval to begin care. Listen to an actual report using these tools and see examples of how each form increases your influence and authority.]]> http://www.patientmedia.com/blog/2013/04/increase_your_influence_and_au.html http://www.patientmedia.com/blog/2013/04/increase_your_influence_and_au.html Product Profiles Sun, 21 Apr 2013 09:30:28 -0700 It's no accident that the cover art, which spells out the title Salt Sugar Fat, has the look of a ransom note. What author Michael Moss has so engagingly researched and written about is an inside look at the processed food industry and how it attempts to attract "heavy users." Learn about the "bliss point," the precise amount of sweetness that produces the greatest effect. Discover why the classic "tongue map" of sweet, sour, bitter and salty is all wrong. And why Cargill sells 40 different types of salt to the food manufacturing industry. A fascinating exploration of the profit motives behind the obesity pandemic.]]> http://www.patientmedia.com/blog/2013/04/what_im_reading_28.html http://www.patientmedia.com/blog/2013/04/what_im_reading_28.html What I'm Reading Thu, 18 Apr 2013 09:03:35 -0700 Support - First seek to understand, as in "stand under." Show up curious about why patients believe what they believe. Discover that the barrier is often a lack of critical thinking about how their body works or what their symptoms mean. Patience - Embracing a new health paradigm takes time. It makes most of the decisions they've made in the past, wrong. While usually incorrect, there is great security in conforming to our culture's herd mentality. Love - Patients have been granted the free will to abuse themselves, make life-shortening decisions and generally make a mess of the exquisite soul package they occupy. Love them anyway. When patients make unhealthy choices, it's not a reflection of you, but rather part of a larger spiritual battle to which you are merely a witness. Subscribe to Monday Morning Motivation. ]]> http://www.patientmedia.com/blog/2013/04/monday_morning_motivaton_three.html http://www.patientmedia.com/blog/2013/04/monday_morning_motivaton_three.html Monday-Morning-Motivation Mon, 15 Apr 2013 06:00:04 -0700