Chiropractic Patient Education...

You’ve probably heard that “England and America are two countries separated by the same language.” Apparently, add chiropractic to the mix and you have an even greater separation.

I mention this because on Monday, March 8, 2010 the General Chiropractic Council (GCC), the governmental body ostensibly created to “protect patients” (apparently from chiropractors) and “set standards” (apparently for chiropractors), released their new leaflet (brochure), “What can I expect when I see a chiropractor?”

Besides being a collector of chiropractic brochures going on 25 years, I’m keenly interested in what the GCC might have to say. Especially in light of the recent brouhaha regarding what is permissible for a chiropractor to publish on his or her practice website in the UK.

I quickly found two serious, yet common errors on the second page. And they weren’t merely typographical errors.

Continue reading "Crossing the Line" »

I met the author of Killing Sacred Cows, Garrett Gunderson at the Chiropractic Leadership Alliance (CLA) Total Solution boot camp about two weeks ago. Then, I listened to his On Purpose interview and immediately bought his book. It profoundly resonated with me, and as a chiropractor, it probably will with you as well.

If you’re living your Soul Purpose, why would you want to retire from chiropractic? Is there any basis for the belief that we should work at a job for 40 years, become economically stagnant (retire) and then die? And that’s just the start. If you or your spouse have an IRA, 401k or some other retirement fund, after reading this book you might see the folly of it, and like me, take the penalty and tax hit and shut it down.

You and I are held in financial bondage by believing many of these myths. Such as “Money is Power,” “High Risk = High Returns” and even the classic, “A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned.” If you have any hope of not being a ward of the state in your old age, read this book!

Leadership is the process of assuring others that the future will be better than the present. You become a leader of patients by helping them see a better tomorrow.

How?

Find out what patients really want. Sure, they want relief, but what they really want is something far greater. Don't settle for the "first right answer." Dig.

Whether it's a new career, a life partner or a sense of ease, it all begins by seeing it. Help them form a clear and vivid mental image of it. Remind them of how it could be. Help them see beyond the distractions of the urgent present and transport them to the possible future. Keep their focus on the goal.

Leaders are actually servants, helping others get what they want. When you add value in this way, not only will you be handsomely rewarded, you'll have delivered the most powerful adjustment of all: hope.

When we set up chiropractor websites through our sister company Perfect Patients, it doesn’t take long before the conversation turns to Search Engine Optimization (SEO). This is the art and science of getting a website to become visible to the major search engines and rank highly for the search terms someone might use to find a chiropractor on the Internet.

There are probably as many or more misconceptions about SEO than myths about chiropractic!

When you eliminate the smoke, mirrors and hyperbole surrounding SEO for chiropractors with websites, it’s a sobering game changer. Allow me to do so.

Continue reading "Getting On Page One of Google" »

Professional caregivers of every ilk are at risk of burnout. While burnout tends to show up as a lethargic, low-energy physical malaise, it's actually an emotional issue. It's a sign your emotional "checking account" is overdrawn.

This overdraft is often the result of investing yourself in situations in which you have little or no control. Such as, whether your intervention produces results quick enough to please patients. Or, whether patients will follow your recommendations. The lack of control, unrewarded effort and patients who want you to do all the work, create a dangerous, "if-they-don't-care-why-should-I" attitude.

Patients aren't the problem. The real culprit is failing to establish clear boundaries.

At your report, clarify where your responsibility ends and the patient's begins. Make sure they know that in many ways they control the outcome of their care more than you do. Even better, avoid the temptation of showing up as the heroic rescuer.

“Hi, my name is Steven and I’m a patient pleaser.”

“Hi Steven.”

No, there isn’t a 12-Step Program for patient pleasers, but if there were, plenty of chiropractors would be attending. Apparently, when you choose a profession like chiropractic that doesn’t fit into the accepted mainstream model, you have two choices. Either dumb down chiropractic and round off the sharp edges to make it something more palatable, or morph yourself into something you think will get patients to like you. Both are common strategies that produce unhelpful and counterproductive results.

Perverting chiropractic or contorting your personality in the hopes of being more attractive, acceptable or influential is the ultimate sellout. Eventually it makes you feel dark inside. It requires massive amounts of energy to sustain and turns practice into a joyless routine of fixing spines and biting your tongue.

If you find yourself in one or both of these circumstances, you may find the following observations helpful.

Continue reading "Are You a Patient Pleaser?" »