cimburscmcnt woes arc often at the forefront of chiropractic practices that rely heavily on patient insurance for payment. Mam chiropractors find their cash How dependent on the whims af insurance companies and their ever-changing reimbursement policies that bounce up and down like nibber balls. Trouble is - insurance companies seem to be "dropping the ball" more often lately when it comes to chiropractic care and main chiropractors are being hit hard by state legislation that negatively affects reimbursement. So. how do you stay proacth c. rather than rcactiYC. in the face of all these income-impacting odds tliat arc out of your control? Arc there ways to maintain an "upper hand" in the face of the never-ending barrage of changes in managed care and third-party reimbursement? Some chiropractic coaches and consultants may advise you to switch to a "cash-only" practice before its too late, and while this idea docs have its merits, it certainly isn't something that you can put into place tomorrow, next month, or even by the middle of next year. However, there arc ways to transition your practice to cash that arc relatively pain-free and that allow you to avoid the sting of constantly clianging insurance regulations tliat take bigger and biggerbites from your reimbursement pic. Remember the adage "Don't put all your eggs in one basket?" Well that's what you do when you count on insurance reimbursement to sustain your practice. You never seem to get ahead, even when you add new patients, because you are taking in with one hand and giving away with the other. And if it seems as though you can never catch up. you're right, you can't. That is...unless you make some changes. Most patients" policies allow for the reimbursement of critical care. Get them better and get them out. Better docs not necessarily equate, however, to healthy and most chiropractors work with the goal of moving a patient from dis-casc and dys-function to health, wcllncss and optimal body function. In order to stay ahead of regulator}- and insurance changes, you need to transition your practice from a state of dis-casc (You do worn a lot. dont vou?) to a state of health and wcllncss. Take a Look at Your Inactive Files Come on. we all have them, and most of us have more than we care to share. What are you waiting for? Why didn"t those patients convert to wellness care? In 2011. sales of wellness products and services reached $88 billion. Doctors of Chiropractic arc better poised than any other class of professionals to direct the Wellness Revolution. Itsbecn reported that it costs a business 7-9 times more to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing one. The simple act of educating patients about the importance of wcllncss care and returning for care when needed can increase retention and create that wcllncss profit center that may be missing. An increase in your patient visit average brought about by wcllncss care can translate into thousands of dollars every month, outside the third-party reimbursement arena. Increase Internal Cash Profit Centers There arc plenty of ways to increase profit centers within your practice and it's a fact that practices that offer products and add-on sen ices have higher gross revenues. Patients expect us to be whole body practitioners and. when necessary, this expectation creates cash profit centers that benefit the practice and sen ices that help your patients stay healthy. Here are some products and services that, when offered in your practice, can create buckets of incoming cash that are not dependent on the whims of third-party payers: Nutrition-Provide nutritional counseling and supplements to enhance patient health. Even if you" re not a nutritional expert, you can find an easy-to-use line of products to recommend. The combination of office visits with a nutritional focus and the sale of nutritional supplements and refills can provide a big boost to your bottom line. Pillows, belts, and car scats - Everyone needs a pillow. Why send them to Wal-Mart to buy one? If you subscribe to the phi losophy that even neck patient in your practice would benefit from a cervical pillow, make it a part of your recommendations. The same goes for car seats for patients with low back pain. Stabilizing Orthotics—We know that 90% of the popula tion would benefit from Stabilizing Orthotics to enhance their treatment. Together with the ancillary sen ices that arc often covered by insurance, an average practice dispensing Stabiliz ing Orthotics to only 50% of new patients, can sec increases of up to $50k in a year. Massage Therapy - Did you know that Massage Envy, a massage therapy franchise, earned over $13 million in 2006. their first year in business, and many times that amount last year? Patients will pay cash for massage therapy. Make that available for your patients in your office, and tap into that profit center. • Pain Relief- Even at only $12-$ 15 per tube, items like Bio-Freeze or similar analgesics can really add up. Using the product correctly, a practice can increase revenue by as much as $8K per year. Take Dr. X in Alaska, a doctor who recently contracted for onsitc analysis and training. In one day. three patients were instructed to sec "Sally" at the front desk to take a car scat, pillow, and belt. They left without receiving them because the communication between Sally and Dr. X was nil. Make these sen ices part of the Report of Findings and patient treatment plan, and if the patient understands why they need the sen ice. they arc usualh willing and able to follow your recommendations. Have your team members assist you with "eyes" at the front desk to ensure patient follow through. Demonstrate the connection between these products and sen ices and the patients condition and care plan, and then you will be well on your way to increasing your revenues through profit centers that arc valuable to your patient. Kalhv Mills Chang is a Certified Medical Compliance Specialist (MCS-P) and, since 1983, has been providing chiropractors with reimbursement and compliance training, advice and tools to improve the financial performance of their practices. Kalhv w known as one of our profession s foremost experts on Medicare andean be reached at (855) TEAMKMC or info@kmcuniversily. com
