A Patient's Point of Viewtag:www.patientmedia.com,2008:/welcome//52008-05-12T14:10:45ZMovable Type 3.33Monday Morning Motivationtag:www.patientmedia.com,2008:/welcome//5.2262008-05-12T12:47:18Z2008-05-12T14:10:45ZDoes your name become you, or do you become your name? Naming a thing gives us dominion over it. Naming things creates the distinctions necessary to distinguish this from that. Horse. Zebra. Similar, but different. (Allopaths can’t even respond until...Bill
Does your name become you, or do you become your name?
Naming a thing gives us dominion over it. Naming things creates the distinctions necessary to distinguish this from that. Horse. Zebra. Similar, but different. (Allopaths can’t even respond until the set of symptoms has a name!)
Is your practice name authentic to your purpose? Does your practice name limit your practice? Is your practice name congruent with your intention when delivering care?
Family Chiropractic. Is it? Or just wishful thinking?
So and So Wellness Center. Why do patients drop out when they feel better?
Cityname Pain Relief. Are you guaranteeing a cure?
Then there’s simply: Chiropractor. In other words, you already know what chiropractors do. Right?
Nothing destroys your creditability faster than assuming a name that doesn’t ring true with a patient’s experience. Patients may contemplate, “I wonder what else they fib about?”
Undoing 20 Years of Bad Advicetag:www.patientmedia.com,2008:/welcome//5.2252008-05-10T16:25:27Z2008-05-16T20:30:28ZHave you mistreated patients for the last couple of decades, using manipulative techniques that were justified as “being for the patient’s own good.” Relying on fear tactics, using your limited social authority or imposing financial policies in an attempt to...Bill
Have you mistreated patients for the last couple of decades, using manipulative techniques that were justified as “being for the patient’s own good.”
Relying on fear tactics, using your limited social authority or imposing financial policies in an attempt to get patients to do the “right” thing (according to you) has prompted hundreds of inactive patients to avoid your office. They shun your practice when they experience their inevitable relapse. They fail to recommend you to their friends at work, saving them from your heavy-handed interpersonal skills.
What’s worse, you don’t see how parental and manipulative your tactics actually are!]]>
should do), many chiropractors are oblivious to the damage they’re doing in their efforts to save patients from themselves. Acting on the advice of highly-paid practice consultants, many chiropractors rely on artful bluffing, trickery and deliberate scare tactics.
Here are some of the most revealing, self-sabotaging examples that dry up reactivations and suppress referrals from what otherwise would have been delighted patients:
Three times a week. “…so we’ll be seeing you three times a week for the first four weeks, then twice a week for the following four weeks, yada, yada, yada.” It rolls off your tongue with practiced precision as if you had a crystal ball that can accurately predict the future! The intent is to impose a care plan that will prolong their care for as long as possible. Why three times a week? Why not three times a day? Why not once a day? To offer what is apparently a canned, one-size-fits-all set of recommendations is mindless, robotic and ignores the individuality of each patient and how much (or little) the patient will do to support their adjustments.
Instead, how about something like this? “…so in the beginning, to create enough momentum to overcome the established pattern in your spine, I recommend three visits a week for the first four weeks. And since you and I have no idea how your body will respond to chiropractic care, on the 12th visit you and I will get together and conduct some of the same tests we did yesterday. By then, we can objectively compare where you are, with where you were, and together chart a course for the future that makes sense for you and your health goals. Do you see anything standing in the way of making that commitment?”
Fix care or patch care. For some reason, many chiropractors need to know whether the patient is going to opt for “fix” care that intelligent, enlightened, attractive patients choose, or “patch” care that stupid, ugly patients choose. “Don’t tell me! I know the right answer to this question,” patients think to themselves. “Fix care please.” Asking this question at the beginning of the relationship before you’ve proven yourself for the problem that prompted them to consult your office in the first place is the height of hubris. Regardless of their choice, it won’t change your recommendations for the first month’s of care anyway! Asking this question on the first visit or two practically forces patients to lie—not exactly the best way to begin a new relationship. (Just so you know, when the symptoms subside they believe they’re fixed!)
Instead, how about something like this? At the consultation explain “…there are five ways patients use chiropractic care in our practice. Most start with the desire for Relief of their presenting ache or pain. Chiropractic can be quite effective for this. However, discontinuing care once the symptoms subside will often produce a relapse because underlying muscles and soft tissues haven’t been retrained to healthier patterns. That’s the purpose of Corrective Care. The third way to use chiropractic care is what we call Maintenance Care. Here the intention is to maintain the progress that’s already been made. Then, there’s Preventive Care, with the purpose detecting little problems early before they become serious. And finally there’s Wellness Care with the goal of optimizing your total health and well-being. You don’t have to tell me now, but be thinking about how far you want to take your care and we’ll discuss it on a future visit.” (Many chiropractors rely on the graphics of our How Far chart to make this explanation more powerful.)
Annual care plans. Annual care plans are great for patients who “get” the idea that chiropractic is a lifestyle decision, not merely a short-term diet for pain relief. That’s a distinction lost on patients who are having their first chiropractic encounter after a lifetime of symptom treating. Chiropractors who overlook this little detail go to extraordinary lengths to “sell” chiropractic as a long-term investment. Using your financial policy to seduce patients into making the “right” decisions about their health is manipulative and demonstrates a profound mistrust of a patient’s judgment. Most patients will need to start care and stop care several times before they see chiropractic as a lifestyle decision. And perhaps not even then. Luring patients with a lower-per-visit-fee is right out of “the-ends-justify-the-means” playbook.
Instead, how about something like this? Sure, have an annual care plan. Announce it on that first or second visit when you discuss the financial implications of your care recommendations. But let patients know that they aren’t eligible for it until after their first progress examination. If that sounds unattractive or you fear few patients would choose it after obtaining relief, it’s proof you’re offering an annual care plan for the wrong reason.
How to say goodbye. Virtually every patient who enters your practice has heard the old adage that “once you go to a chiropractor you have to go for the rest of your life.” Most chiropractors do little if anything to convince the patient otherwise. Rather than an error of commission, this is an error of omission. This oversight leaves a wake of guilt and shame when the patients try to extricate themselves when they’re feeling better. The fear of letting you down and having to explain their decision, pales in comparison with how they imagine you’ll react to sell them on care they don’t want. Instead, they force your staff to break the news by making appointments and then repeatedly canceling them. Ending in this way, what would have otherwise been a wonderful relationship, costs many chiropractors the steady stream of reactivations and referrals they deserve.
Instead, how about something like this? Acknowledge the myth! Recognize that failing to mention this unmentionable prompts the patient to keep their eye on the door. The fact that you intend to use chiropractic for the rest of your life, and that you recommend everyone do so, isn’t the point. By failing to explain how to leave; how to say goodbye, you force the patient to be evasive and distant at the very moment when they should be most delighted with their decision to consult your office! “…and when you had enough chiropractic care, be sure to let me know so we can celebrate your success.” By avoiding this simple conversation you needlessly doom the relationship and cause patients to select a different practitioner when they have their inevitable relapse. Making it difficult for patients to leave probably extracts an additional visit or two, but significantly reduces the chance of a long-term relationship.
I know. Many of these recommendations fly in the face of what you’ve paid good money to receive from practice consultants. Your instinct at the time was to reject this poor advice, but the desire to be “successful” blinded your better judgment. Turns out, they used the same techniques on you. Two-year contracts. Accusations of a “poverty consciousness.” And don’t forget the sure-fire observation that “…even Tiger Woods has a coach.”
How many of your peers have you referred to your most recent practice management consultant? Which consultants would you sign up with again? Unlikely, right? How come? Why is it so surprising that when a so-called practice coach is manipulative, seductive and over-bearing with you, that they would offer anything else but the same for use with your patients? ]]>
The Art of Chiropractictag:www.patientmedia.com,2008:/welcome//5.2242008-05-07T14:50:46Z2008-05-07T16:24:19ZLast week when I was in Spain, I became present to a subtle distinction that you might want to give some thought to. If my understanding is correct, it could significantly change what you do with every patient you adjust....Bill
Last week when I was in Spain, I became present to a subtle distinction that you might want to give some thought to. If my understanding is correct, it could significantly change what you do with every patient you adjust. Seems to me, becoming mindful of this observation could take the already excellent results you produce with most patients to an entirely new level. What could possibly be so revolutionary? A simple statement made by one of the speakers: “If you do the same thing, every time, with each patient there’s no art in your chiropractic.”
Profound.
We have conveniently divided the practice of chiropractic into its science, art and philosophy. The science and philosophy have often served as the battleground for the schism between the vitalists and the mechanists. However, the “art” of chiropractic seems to have been ignored, or at least relegated to the notion of “artfully” and masterfully delivering your particular adjusting technique. Yet, this too easily overlooks one of the most dangerous aspects of working with the nervous system: it learns.
]]>
Marco Polo. Wake up! Over here! It’s okay! Now this! Marco! Polo!
Naturally, this approach requires considerably more thought, a mindful presence and clear clinical intentions. (You thought being an artist was easy?) Take this on and you avoid one of the most common clinical snares among chiropractors: thinking your thrusts are fixing the patient. If there’s going to be any fixing (or healing), the patient’s body will do it. If your adjustments are going to “hold,” it will be up to the patient’s body to hold them. Mindlessly thrusting the same way on every visit is drug-like, dumbing down the power of an adjustment. It neglects the art of chiropractic.
Am I missing something here?]]>
Monday Morning Motivatontag:www.patientmedia.com,2008:/welcome//5.2232008-05-05T13:00:55Z2008-05-05T14:16:29Z“I couldn’t see myself doing that.” Do you have some reluctance about doing the things that you’ve paid coaches to suggest you do? If your resistance isn’t based on a conflict of values or ethics, you have a growth opportunity....Bill
being.
If you’re being uncertain as you attempt to do, your doing will suffer. If you’re not fully committed as you attempt to do, your doing will suffer. If you’re seeking approval as you attempt to do, your doing will suffer. If you’re defensive as you attempt to do, your doing will suffer. If you’re already prepared with plan B, your doing will suffer. Your body (who you’re being) speaks louder than what you say or do.
Start with being fully, authentically you and the doing to be done will come naturally. In fact, when you know who you are, you won’t need anyone suggesting what to do! ]]>
Monday Morning Motivationtag:www.patientmedia.com,2008:/welcome//5.2212008-04-28T13:00:14Z2008-04-28T13:08:22ZWhat do you stand for? Many complain about the cultural domination of the drug industry. Many are actively against vaccination. Others loudly fight cancer. Still others get worked up over this and that and are ready to fight to slay...Bill
for?
Many complain about the cultural domination of the drug industry. Many are actively against vaccination. Others loudly fight cancer. Still others get worked up over this and that and are ready to fight to slay some injustice or right a wrong.
But you can’t win by being against.
By attempting to overcome no shows, declaring war on sedentary lifestyles, confronting patients about their smoking or trying to talk patients out of quitting care, you actually create what you don’t want! Your attempts produce an equal and opposite reaction.
Instead, provide a more attractive solution. Stand for personal responsibility. Advance the truth. Encourage understanding. Trumpet the advantages of natural. Support a willingness to try. Incentivize follow through. Praise incremental improvements. Reward behaviors you want, rather than punishing those you’d like to eliminate.
Leadership is about creating a more promising future, not condemning what is. ]]>
Is This Payback Time?tag:www.patientmedia.com,2008:/welcome//5.2222008-04-27T21:43:15Z2008-04-27T21:49:15ZAfter a flurry of speaking gigs for several state associations it appears that many chiropractors are paying the price for years of patient coercion, manipulation and exploitation learned during the practice management era. At a time when insurance money was...Bill
After a flurry of speaking gigs for several state associations it appears that many chiropractors are paying the price for years of patient coercion, manipulation and exploitation learned during the practice management era. At a time when insurance money was generous, at least compared with today, many chiropractors were urged to employ management tactics that were so abusive as to constrain the natural flow of referrals and reactivations; the foundation of a healthy practice.
And why not, there were more $100 deductibles waiting in the wing!
Referrals and reactivations are under the volitional control of patients. Which is to say, if you mistreat patients for short-term gain, even if justified as being in the patient’s “best interest,” you cut yourself off from the fuel of delighted patients telling others and those who return when they suffer the inevitable relapse from having discontinued care once they felt better. Pinch off these two sources of patients and you sentence yourself to the increasingly burdensome task of new patient procurement. You have to become the marketer, promoter and advertiser because you have obstructed the only process by which all profitable, self-sustaining small businesses prosper: repeat business.]]>
Annual care plans. Sure, when chiropractic is used as a healthy habit, annual care plans make sense. But that’s not how it’s implemented. Instead, it’s used to seduce patients at what seems to be a discounted price. Imagine their anger when they want to opt out and are confronted by the fine print! Offer annual care plans, but not until after their first progress examination.
Asking for referrals. Promoted in front of the adoring crowds in hotel ballrooms, the “he-who-asks-gets” tactic falls flat in actual practice. Not only is putting patients on the spot largely self-serving, it corrupts the meaning of the word referral. A referral is a gift, given without being prompted for and is only awarded if you can be trusted. Which is why asking doesn’t produce referrals. It may produce people who can benefit from chiropractic care, but they’re not referrals. Further, why would I send my friend to you if I suspect that they’ll be similarly hounded?
Scare tactics. Subluxation kills. Early death. Needless suffering. Leaving your children home to develop what you have. You’ve undoubtedly heard these and other catch phrases and special scripting to manipulate patients. In some circles, getting the patient to break down in tears is the sign of an effective report! Ultimately, having to pander at this level acknowledges the real powerlessness chiropractors have.
Letting you down. The “I’d-rather-not-accept-you-as-a-patient-if-you’re-not-going-to-take-your-health-as-seriously-as-I-do” crowd attempts to shame patients into prioritizing their health. Not only is this approach ineffective and rarely long lasting, it uses up the modest amounts of social authority currency you have in an attempt to extort patient compliance. Humiliating patients into care is paternal and eventually makes you feel dark inside.
Never discussing the end of care. Virtually everyone has heard that once you go to a chiropractor you have to go for the rest of your life. Most chiropractors have been counseled to ignore this 800 lb. gorilla, yet doing so has not stemmed the tide of patients leaving. Claiming that discussing it would become a self-fulfilling prophecy is a flimsy excuse when you look at the trophy case of inactive patient folders in offices who shun this important topic.
Neglecting inactives. Most practitioners, if they didn’t abuse patients too badly, are sitting on a goldmine. Yet, there seems little interest in trying to resurrect dormant patient relationships other than unexpected, heavy-handed phone calls, as in, “Uh, yes, the doctor has found something on your X-rays and would like to set an appointment to discuss it with you…” Yuck!
Quantity over quality. The fascination with numbers in this profession is breathtaking. From management groups that exaggerate their membership and seminar attendance figures to individual chiropractors who pad their practice statistics, more is always better. Apparently, bigger is better. The “mine’s-bigger-than-yours” focus is the mantra of the low self-esteem crowd and must be abandoned for the profession to emerge from its adolescent stage and enter adulthood.
Tragically, many of these tactics are still being taught today.
The common denominator is a profound mistrust of patients. At their root, they advance the belief that patients are stupid, will do the wrong thing and have to be “managed” for their own good. This “do-gooder” mentality, saving patients from themselves, is fueled by the financial gain the practitioner is supposed to expect by implementing these manipulative techniques. This apparent win-win philosophy makes these procedures sufficiently palatable.
Today, after sowing the seeds of disdain and lack of patient respect for all those years, many chiropractors are reaping reduced patient volume. Turns out it’s not the economy, or the reduced reimbursement, the subprime meltdown or the higher prices for gasoline. While these provide a convenient excuse, perhaps it’s merely payback time. Unfortunate, after a career of producing spectacular results, but bludgeoning patients with high-pressure sales tactics that reflect a latent hostility and resentment for the free-will choices that patients make about their health.
But here’s the rub. Resolve to embrace a more patient-centered approach to practice, honoring their free will and avoiding the use of your limited social authority to induce patients to do the “right” thing, and your numbers drop.
Temporarily.
And while the drop is merely a short-term adjustment, with the practice rebounding even stronger than ever afterwards, it is often enough to cause many chiropractors to abandon their desire to show up as humble servants. Instead, they put their head down and push even more forcefully to get patients to do the “right” thing to get the numbers up.
This prompts me to wonder whether these chiropractors are more even worse victims than the patients they’ve been taught to victimize!
If you recognize this pattern in your own patient interactions, here are some action steps to consider:
Lighten up. There’s more to life than one’s health. Make sure you don’t turn health into an idol. For all you know, the money they “should” be spending on their health is being used to care for an aging parent, supporting an overseas missionary or some other worthy cause.
Think reactivation. Consider each patient relationship as eternal, punctuated by periods of dormancy when they aren’t under active care. Make sure you don’t do or say anything that would prevent their return or would preclude a heartfelt referral of a valued friend.
Show up as you. Instead of showing up as the “parent,” an “enforcer” or a nagging “coach,” how about showing up as you? Concerned. Interested. And willing to serve. You’re the servant. They’re the master. Keep that in mind the next time you’re feeling indigent or resentful.
Honor their choices. Their choices aren’t your choices. What they choose to do is not a reflection of you, your talent or your reputation. Just remember their Maker loves them enough to give each one free will. Even the free will to reject that there is a Maker. (Hint: It makes the choice of reconciliation (reactivation) all the more sweet!)
Apologize to inactives. If you screwed up in the past, don’t blame, apologize. Gather up their inactive file folders and apologize to their records. Apologize for acting like a jerk, making them feel small or hounding them into compliance. Promise to start anew if given the opportunity.
It’s not too late to turn things around. But you’ll unlikely experience the instant gratification you’d like. Patients are understandably cautious and want proof that this is the real you and not simply another “technique” you’ve learned. The test will come during that temporary dip in your numbers. Did I mention it’s just temporary? The dip is temporary but the results on the other side can last forever.]]>
Monday Morning Motivationtag:www.patientmedia.com,2008:/welcome//5.2202008-04-21T07:00:20Z2008-04-22T14:24:38ZDrugs hijack the intelligence of the body, speeding bodily processes up or slowing bodily processes down. Every chiropractor knows this. Yet, many who eschew the use of drugs because they treat symptoms and ignore the underlying cause, swing into symptom-treating...Bill
causes new patients? Here are just a few:
Being relevant to what patients want.
Adjusting while holding pure intentions.
Showing up as a humble servant.
Being completely present with patients.
Expressing certainty by being doubt-free.
Being thankful for those who show up.
Loving patients rather than merely caring.
If these are missing, intellectual, emotional and spiritual subluxations may be interfering with your patient volume. When corrected, symptoms resolve and practices blossom.]]>
Have You Adapted?tag:www.patientmedia.com,2008:/welcome//5.2192008-04-19T15:47:28Z2008-04-19T15:50:37ZSoon after beginning their professional training, student chiropractors lose touch with the patient’s point of view. The result, years later, is a highly-trained professional who has effectively lost touch with the people they desire to serve. And while this has...Bill
Soon after beginning their professional training, student chiropractors lose touch with the patient’s point of view. The result, years later, is a highly-trained professional who has effectively lost touch with the people they desire to serve. And while this has created a career path for me, this all-too-common phenomenon has produced a cadre of chiropractors who are finding practice more difficult than it was even just a few years ago.
Remove the “grease” provided by generous reimbursement and the true nature of your practice becomes glaringly obvious, especially if your practice was largely dependent upon insurance carriers.
This is partly because many chiropractors, weaned on a steady stream of patients with charitable policies, came to believe this was well, normal. And worse, that it would continue endlessly for the remainder of their career. Clearly, a miscalculation. If you find yourself in this position, here’s an observation that could help turn things around.]]>
Doctor-centric. These practitioners have selfishly made their practices about themselves, their ability to pay their bills and have their own needs, financially and emotionally, met by patients. (These chiropractors will often give an inordinate amount of attention to patients who don’t show, rather than lavishing attention on those who do.) or,
Relief-centric. These practitioners are usually burdened by the need to “fix” patients. At first glance, it appears as if Fixers are committed caregivers. But dig deeper and you discover that their main concern is patient compliance so results will be more certain and they will look good in the eyes of patients! Hoping to look good steals the spotlight from the patient. The adjustments, and the one delivering it, become the hero rather than the patient and their God-given ability to heal.
Patients often tolerated these two self-indulgent pathologies when they didn’t have to pick up the tab. But these days, this type of selfishness rarely produces appreciative patients who hang around after they feel better or spread the word about you and your practice.
Making chiropractic about the patient isn’t a new idea. Those who appear to have a “recession-proof” practice employ this strategy. Granted, the practice management boys rarely teach these principles and it may require some “unlearning,” but if you want your practice to flourish, consider some of the characteristics of patient-centric practitioners:
Servanthood. Check your ego at the door. Show up as a humble servant. A patient can’t ruin your reputation—only you can do that. Acknowledge that the only power you have in the relationship is if, when and where to adjust. Patients control virtually everything else. Attempting to “manage” patients (even if you try to justify it as being in the patient’s best interest) is manipulative and off-putting. Remember that being a servant is our highest calling.
Curiosity. It’s impossible to make chiropractic about patients if you lack a fundamental interest in what they believe, what they do, what they like, what they know, what they aspire to and why they want their health back. (Clue: it’s not so they can brag about a restored cervical curve!) Thousands of years of wisdom pass before you each day. Bludgeoning them with your chiropractic mumbo jumbo and filling the air with your philosophy simply because you have a captive audience, is rude. Ask more questions. Listen.
Relevancy. Only once you know what’s important to each patient, can you employ your creativity to make chiropractic truly meaningful. Relating chiropractic to their hobby, their hopes, their goals, their highest values or some other already existing need or want is the key. Foolishly, many chiropractors attempt to install a new value, such as better health, better posture or being subluxation-free. Hopefully by now you have ascertained that this doesn’t work. Instead, find out what need or want is already present to which you can link chiropractic.
Eternity. In the same way the body heals at its own pace, patients come to accept chiropractic principles (or not) on their own schedule. Impatient, wanting the patient to “get it” on your schedule is childish and naïve. Ignoring those who are inactive in favor of new conquests is like planting a garden and never watering it. Take an eternal view of each relationship, assuming there will be periods of dormancy when the patient isn’t under active care, but still see you as their chiropractor. Realize it may take a series of relapses spanning a decade or more before patients embrace your worldview.
The public’s need for chiropractic hasn’t changed. If anything, the demand should be greater today than at any time in history. If your practice isn’t as satisfying as it used to be, chances are you haven’t adapted to the changing marketplace. Please do so.]]>
Monday Morning Motivationtag:www.patientmedia.com,2008:/welcome//5.2182008-04-14T13:17:58Z2008-04-14T13:47:02ZHow important to you is it to be liked by others? For years, I led my life in the hopes of seeking approval. From everyone. If I could just arrange my life in such a way to avoid stepping on...Bill
How important to you is it to be liked by others?
For years, I led my life in the hopes of seeking approval. From everyone. If I could just arrange my life in such a way to avoid stepping on anyone’s toes or offending anyone, I assumed I would enhance my likeability. Believing this lie kept my influence to a minimum and made life an exhausting game of predicting others’ reactions.
Imagine my surprise when I learned that after all that effort there were still some who didn’t like me! This, after playing it small for so many years.
Live large. This is supposed to be an adventure. If you’re not making a few people angry or showing up in ways that confront or prick the conscience of others, you’re probably living too small. And the only payoff is “I should have” or “I could have” and the resentment of having squandered this incredible opportunity called life.
Monday Morning Motivationtag:www.patientmedia.com,2008:/welcome//5.2172008-04-07T13:00:17Z2008-04-07T18:05:58ZThe choices patients make are not your choices. All too many chiropractors, especially those who have the habit of caring too much, are afraid that the poor choices that patients make reflect poorly on them. It's not true. If you’ve...Bill
The choices patients make are not your choices.
All too many chiropractors, especially those who have the habit of caring too much, are afraid that the poor choices that patients make reflect poorly on them. It's not true.
If you’ve withheld the truth then you may be culpable. But that's rarely the case. In fact, it's quite the reverse, often over explaining the implications of dropping out of care too soon and other self-sabotaging patient tendencies.
No, you're working with a fellow human fully equipped with free will and the freedom to accept or reject what you've told them. And while you may assume you're responsible because they've consulted your office and not the office down the street, their health is theirs, not yours. They made the decision to seek care in your office and they're equally free to change their mind or to follow all, or only some of your recommendations.
Lighten up. It's not about you.
Dear Billtag:www.patientmedia.com,2008:/welcome//5.2162008-04-03T22:17:51Z2008-04-04T03:45:04ZPlease stop sending me E-mails. I do not need any motivation. After 20 years in the chiropractic profession it is quite evident to me that it is dying. The people in my state organization are likened to the band on...Bill
Please stop sending me E-mails. I do not need any motivation. After 20 years in the chiropractic profession it is quite evident to me that it is dying. The people in my state organization are likened to the band on the TITANIC; they go to parties and meetings, drinking their fine brandy, wearing their best attire while the chiropractic ship slips slowly into the ocean of obscurity. The only way to squeak by a living in my state is to be a personal injury or workers compensation attorney’s bag man.
I would appreciate you stop e-mailing Monday Morning Motivation to me. Nothing you can tell me will change the fact that the insurance companies are paying less than the price of a cup of Starbucks coffee and pastry, not to mention not letting me do my job. Thank you,
Dr. Had Enough
Dear Dr. Had Enough
I have unsubscribed you from Monday Morning Motivation.
There’s no question the chiropractic practice environment has significantly changed in the last decade or so. More telling is your response to these changes! Apparently, you have chosen to become a victim rather than a victor. It sounds like you’re preparing to withdraw your valuable skills from the marketplace. Too bad you seem so resigned at a time when we’re so close to the revolution that will make chiropractors indispensable.]]>
Drug scandals. It seems that a month doesn’t go by that a major drug manufacturer doesn’t have to pull the plug on one of its wares. The public is wising up to the side effects and incestuous relationship between the FDA and the pharmaceutical cartel. Today, more and more people are questioning knee jerk prescription writing and want better answers.
Organic foods. Virtually every major grocery store has an organic produce section now. Even Wal-mart is getting into the game. This trend is bound to continue. And there’s no third-party reimbursement in site! If you’ve limited your practice to back pain, you’re going to get left behind.
Emerging wellness. The Creating Wellness Centers that the Chiropractic Leadership Alliance is advancing is just the tip of the $1 trillion wellness industry. This is all cash. But it means showing up relevant and having the skills and services people want. You may cringe at the growing popularity of acupuncture, emotional work, smoking cessation programs, weight loss, massage and other “alternative” treatments. However they all work better when the patient has a better working nervous system—a fact that is obscured if you’ve been seduced by CPT codes the last 20 years.
Baby Boom generation. This is all being driven by those born between 1946 and 1964. These are the folks who drove VW vans with “Question Authority” stickers on the bumper. Now they find themselves in positions of authority! They haven’t forgotten their “If it feels good, do it” mantra and their preference for natural fibers. Chiropractic sings their song. But they may not know it. Yet.
Bankrupted nation. In fact, if the Baby Boom generation doesn’t turn things around, they will bankrupt our nation with their expensive symptom treating. In fact, the next president and congress will have tremendous pressure to do something about this growing problem. My guess is they’ll make it worse. That will be good news for chiropractors if they have the wisdom to stay out of any forced nationalization scheme.
Positive media coverage. Just within the last month or so we’ve had positive press from Montel Williams and Good Morning America. Not to mention the story about the fellow in Iowa who regained his sight and was picked up by the media around the world. The tide is turning. Rather, the tide has turned.
Tragically, if you attended a so-called chiropractic college that promoted a mechanistic, recipe book approach to treating back pain, I can see how you might feel unresourceful and a little angry at having to adapt to changing market forces. I’m sure buggy whip manufacturers resented the automobile and ice merchants resisted the refrigerator. Take it personally if you wish, but it’s not about you.
If your practice philosophy is based on serving insurance companies and your understanding of chiropractic is limited to local effects along the spine and your communication skills have atrophied or were never developed, you’re feeling the squeeze. And there are others with you, clinging to the last flotsam and jetsam of the Titanic.
Never mind the hundreds of chiropractors who went to jail so that you would have the right to practice. Could be that you became a chiropractor because it was seen as an easy way to become a doctor and make a lot of dough. No problem. However, this would be a great time to find out what are the common traits among those chiropractors with cash practices who are flourishing as the reimbursement model implodes around them.
Leave if you wish. But I’m staying.]]>
Monday Morning Motivationtag:www.patientmedia.com,2008:/welcome//5.2152008-03-31T12:34:06Z2008-03-31T17:07:29ZAre you playing a zone defense? If there's an aspect of your practice you're uncomfortable facing, whether it is your checkbook, collections, new patients or even missed appointments, it's tempting to turn over its responsibility to someone else. This is...Bill
Are you playing a zone defense?
If there's an aspect of your practice you're uncomfortable facing, whether it is your checkbook, collections, new patients or even missed appointments, it's tempting to turn over its responsibility to someone else. This is often justified as a way of freeing you up for duties that are "more important." These more important aspects are usually areas where you feel more competent and confident.
Compartmentalizing your practice by delegating issues to others so you don't have to face them, is how many practices get into trouble. It turns out you're the only person on the planet who sees these "peripheral" issues as being separate! Since it's your practice. You're responsible for EVERY aspect. Not just the ones you like or are especially resourceful in handling.
By all means, delegate. Supervise. Expect accountability. But be unafraid to look at anything and everything. Because it's all your responsibility. Even the unpleasant parts.
Pulling the Triggertag:www.patientmedia.com,2008:/welcome//5.2142008-03-30T21:30:06Z2008-03-30T21:33:01ZI recently completed my 7th Conversation weekend debrief in Denver (The next Conversation closes April 18th). It’s exhilarating to be present as someone “connects the dots” and sees how their mistaken beliefs have conspired to create the constraining circumstances in...Bill
I recently completed my 7th Conversation weekend debrief in Denver (The next Conversation closes April 18th). It’s exhilarating to be present as someone “connects the dots” and sees how their mistaken beliefs have conspired to create the constraining circumstances in their practices. I can only imagine how pleasing it must be for you to witness patients “getting it” and taking on greater responsibility for their well-being.
As I’ve been processing the direction this most recent Conversation took, I was struck by thought that most of us seem unwilling to change until the pain of the present eclipses the pain we imagine might happen if we make the change. In other words, most of us commit to change only when present circumstances become intolerable enough that it makes the unknown consequences of “pulling the trigger” attractive.]]>
I wonder how many of us are putting up with situations that diminish us simply because we’re afraid. I wonder what we’re afraid of?
I’ll tell you what I’m afraid of. I’m afraid of disappointing others. Upsetting the predictable (although less-than-desirable) present. Risking my prideful reputation. Not showing up big enough to “chew what I’ve bitten off.” And let’s not forget the shame of failure.
It makes a great riff at seminars to observe that we do most of our learning through failure. But just what is failure other than an unintended outcome? The medical profession sugarcoats failure with the term: side effects. How clever. And in doing so, convinces millions to ingest various concoctions even though there are many failures. In fact, deadly failures.
That’s little comfort if you’re wrestling with a major decision. This? Or that? Should I? Or shouldn’t I? Now? Or later? Weighing the pros and cons of a major decision isn’t made easier by the oppressive stench of fear. The result? Inaction. Not a clear picture. I need more information. Don’t make a mistake!
So, we wait.
At first glance, by delaying action it looks like you’re simply waiting for more information so you can make a wiser decision. In reality, it’s a decision to choose indecision. Which isn’t exactly empowering. It shows your lack of faith, prolongs the inevitable and produces an infectious uncertainty. Even if you made the wrong choice, at least you can claim authorship of your life. Waiting to pull the trigger abdicates your responsibility. It reveals a profound mistrust.
Showing up untrusting, indecisive and uncertain is not how you grow a practice!
In fact, the reverse occurs.
But you already knew that. That’s why you’re waiting.
Parker Student Assemblytag:www.patientmedia.com,2008:/welcome//5.2132008-03-27T01:46:58Z2008-03-27T01:54:33ZAfter his warm hug, when you spend time with Dr. Fabrizio Mancini, the president of Parker College, you can’t help but emerge more positive and optimistic about chiropractic and the future of the profession. That was my experience today as...Bill
After his warm hug, when you spend time with Dr. Fabrizio Mancini, the president of Parker College, you can’t help but emerge more positive and optimistic about chiropractic and the future of the profession. That was my experience today as I had the honor of being the featured speaker for this trimester’s all-school assembly.
After a tour of the school (it had been eight years since I was here last), Dr. Mancini and I had lunch. It was a stimulating conversation. I was immediately struck by the great questions he asked.
“So Bill, you’re not a chiropractor, but you’re deeply involved in this profession. What do you see as your purpose?”]]>
The Biggest Mistakes New Practitioners Make. (I've condensed this popular talk to a 30-minute Nano Seminar.) Based on the student response today, I may have inspired some student doctors, encouraged others and helped still others avoid some of the missteps that new practitioners have shared with me over the years.
Walking the campus with Dr. Mancini, something that has never happened at the 13 other chiropractic college campuses I’ve been privileged to visit and speak at, I was taken by the genuine optimism and positive energy among the students. No wonder enrollment at Parker College has been at full capacity for the last two years!]]>
Monday Morning Motivationtag:www.patientmedia.com,2008:/welcome//5.2122008-03-24T13:00:54Z2008-03-24T14:17:40ZDon’t compete, create! If you feel threatened by the new chiropractors moving to town or the changing economic climate, you’ve been misled into thinking you’re living in a zero-sum world. Competition leads to winners and losers. Creativity leads to new...Bill
Don’t compete, create!
If you feel threatened by the new chiropractors moving to town or the changing economic climate, you’ve been misled into thinking you’re living in a zero-sum world. Competition leads to winners and losers. Creativity leads to new possibilities and unlimited potential.
Create extraordinary patient experiences. Create deep and meaningful patient relationships. Create new ways of communicating chiropractic. Create a more efficient procedure. Create systematic ways of keeping in touch with inactives. Create a way to keep yourself more present with patients. Create a clear vision of the outcomes you desire. Create gratitude for those who show up. Create new, higher levels of health.
Create ease rather than battling symptoms.
Avoid the temptation of imagining that your particular challenges are due to what others do or have done. Instead, raise the bar, become more relevant and create a better mousetrap. And watch patients beat a path to your practice!