You've all heard someone say. "Once you go to a chiropractor, you have to go for the rest of your life." And its not usually said as a compliment. When chiropractors hear this, they immediately get defensive and attempt to educate the person as to why people need to continue chiropractic care. We've invented all kinds of clever analogies to get the patient to understand. We say things such as, "You know, it's like going to the gym. It takes time to make a change." There's also, "It's like getting braces on your teeth. It takes time." Another that I often hear is, "It's like a broken bone. It takes time to heal." There are many ways to talk about it and attempt to educate someone about why chiropractic takes time. Even with all of these great analogies, we often feel disgusted that we have to somehow even deal with this negative comment. Since chiropractors like to get to the cause of things, I'd like to talk about why people even have this thought. Where does it come from? What actually causes people to think. "Once you go to a chiropractor, you have to go for the rest of your life"? Some of you probably assume it comes from doctors who tell patients they need care for the rest of their lives. Sure, there arc doctors who tell their patients that. HowcYcr. these patients don't usually think of it in a ncgath c sense: it's usually a pretty positiYC one. These doctors usually take the time to educate patients OYcra long period about why they need ongoing care. So where docs this negative sentiment come from? I believe the cause of the negative tone is a result of patients not being told by their chiropractors that there's going to be an end to their care plan. Think about it. If a doctor says to a patient at a report of findings. "Let's take care of you for a month, then I will rccvaluatc you and let you know how you're doing." then it seems acceptable to the patient. I refer to this as an open-ended treatment plan. The patient starts care without know ing how long it will take and a few weeks pass. It's time for the chiropractor to do the first rccxam. At its conclusion, what docs the doctor say the patient needs? "Mrs. Jones, you still need more care." At this point, some patients drop out because they're out of pain. Let's assume that Mrs. Jones continues with care, though. Another month passes and the chiropractor docs a second rccxani. What is Mrs. Jones told again? "More care is needed." By the way. it doesn"t matter how many visits arc provided between the reexams and further recommendation for more care. It"s the fact that at each progress exam the doctor tells the patient tliat he or she needs more care. What do patients start to do? They form their own opinions! I know, that seems crazy, but they actually start to think. "This is going on forever. Even- time I am evaluated, the doctor just tells me I need more care. Damn, they were right. It's tme: this chiropractor just wants to keep me coming back." This also happens if the doctor fails to do reexams at all. Patients need to know if they're making progress toward a goal. Even if you tell them in the report of findings how long care will take, if you don't do reexams or fail to effectively communicate the progress being made, the same thing happens. Understand that the patient can start forming this negative opinion very quickly. It's not that the patient lias had months and months of care. It's the fact that the doctor never told the patient that the care plan would end. and in order to do that, the doctor needs to tell the patient how long the treatment plan will take. I refer to this as the closed-ended treatment plan. Once the treatment plan ends, the patient transitions to a wellncss plan. The cause of the negative statement. "Once you go to a chiropractor, you have to go for the rest of your life." comes from chiropractors who use open-ended treatment plans. It comes from the doctor's failure to let the patient know how long he or she anticipates it will take to get well. As stated earlier, the failure to effectively communicate progress throughout care can result in this too. Now. some of you arc thinking. "But how do I know how long it will take?" If you" vc been in practice for more than just a few years and don"t have a good idea of how long it takes for the care you provide to create an objective outcome, then seek some help with your technique. By all means, make sure you know the goal you're trying to accomplish with your patients. Since we are on a journey together to find the cause of this negative statement, we need to dig a little deeper now. If the negative comment is made because of a doctor using an open-ended treatment plan, then why does the doctor fail to tell a patient how long care will take? From this point forth. I will assume you have an idea of how long you truly believe it will take for your patient to reach a maximum level of improvement. So if you know, then why aren't you telling your patient? Do you think you should only recommend care that insurance covers? Are vou scared to tell the patient? Arc you only treating them until they get out of pain? Do you not believe in chiropractic? Take a long, hard look in the mirror and ask yourself these questions. I"vc spoken with thousands of doctors and there seems to be a common theme for most of the doctors who do this. Most chiropractors say they want to recommend the care the patient needs, and not just what insurance covers. Most tell me they arc not just doing pain-rclicf care—they want to do more than just get patients out of pain. The most common reason is not surprising at all. A fear of rejection is the underlying reason most chiropractors fail to tell patients about the care they really need. I often hear doctors say things such as. "I"d rather have them get some care than no care." It often manifests itself with chiropractors making excuses such as. "I don't have a crystal ball. I cant predict what the patient will need." Really, you have no idea how long it will take for a patient to get well? My fellow chiropractors, the failure to tell patients how long your care will take not only hurts the patient, but it hurts the profession as a whole. It harms chiropractic because it continues to create negative brand equity. In addition, patients arc harmed because you"rc making it difficult for them to follow through with care. They lose, you lose, and the profession loses. Get over your fear of rejection and start telling patients what they need right from the start of care. Dr. Miles Bodzin, founder and CEO of Cash Practice * Systems, is a chiropractor who became known as "the king of patient retention. " He 's appeared in the Hall Street Journal and on The Brian Tracy Show, written a book with Steve Forbes, and spoken internationally on the topic of client retention. His company offers web-based software for chiropractors to implement his 4-Step Process™ resulting in increased patient retention. The ll'ellness Score® System, Cash Plan Calculator® System, Auto-Debit System®, and Drip-Education® Email Marketing System all work together to help free a doctor from the shackles of insurance dependence. Learn more at www. CashPractice.com or call 877-343-8950. To book Dr. Bodzin for interviews and speaking engagements, call 877-343-8950, exl. 201
