H ave you ever noticed how two chiropractors can graduate from the same school, practice in the same town, use the same technique, and even have the same philosophy or systems, yet experience dramatically different levels of success? One chiropractor may a struggle to finance a child's college tuition while the other, also with children, has no financial concerns. Mam DCs think that charisma and confidence play the biggest role, while others believe that it's how much marketing and the amount of new patients a practice gets every month. Some believe it's the quality of the results delivered. While all those do play a role, there is an entirely different set of factors often not considered in today's chiropractic practice that is not taught in school, practice management, or CE classes. One of the most important factors is strategic patient communication. Most chiropractors arc great at patient education, but unfortunately, after the past 30 years, that's been shown to not make a big difference in retention and referrals. Something just hasn't been clicking because the utilization rate in chiropractic hasn't changed in the past three decades. As third-party reimbursement continues to decline dramatically, chiropractors need the latest tools to maintain and grow their practices most effectively. Tin going to share an important strategy called "The Three Essentials in Every Consult and Report You Give." This strategy explains how to create rapport with patients so they're far more likely to listen and act on your recommendations and education. We all want more patients getting the quality chiropractic care they need and sharing the benefits of your practice with others. As important as it is to incorporate the "three essentials" into your consult, it is equally important to recognize what isn't working with what you may already be doing. Think about this example: Do you begin a consult with a new patient by describing your specific technique or approach, your background, or a minilecturc on chiropractic? Mam DCs do this and think their patients arc listening, but they are not. If you begin a consult this way. patients will not be able to understand all the important tilings you tell them later— what their problem is and how you may be able to help them. You definitely don't want to jeopardize that part of their visit. If you don't begin a consultation by fully listening to what your prospective new patient has to say. you're dramatically reducing the chance of them (1) listening to what you have to say, (2) being a great patient by follow ing your recommendations, and (3) telling others about you for the rest of his or her life. There is something most DCs leave out of their patient communication, and it's the three essentials. So let's go back to the beginning of your new patient visit. Yes. you should begin speaking first. You should tell the person what to expect, even if your CA already has done so. You should let the patient know what's going to happen during the visit, the time length, and even the mam different rooms you may go into during the appointment. You never want to leave a new patient in any suspense. Remember, the patient is likely in pain and already anxious as to whether or not you can help. You also might quickly converse about the patient's referral source, or something else that provides common ground and builds rapport. All of that is expected. Now is the most important part, and it's something most DCs never do. This part is when you actually listen to your new patient and find out why the patient has come to sec you in the first place (in his or her words). An initial first question such as. "So. Man. why arc you looking to receive care?" sets the stage very well. Then you let the patient speak fully, without interrupting. Yes. I know some people can go on forever, but just have to let the patient do so (unless it gets completely off topic, but that's rare). Only after you fully listen to your new patient is it possible to use the three essentials. So what are these three essentials? Let"s begin with number one: the words your patient uses. Usually when people share their health concerns with you. they use descriptive adjectives. They may be describing their "excruciating headaches" or their "stabbing sciatica." As a practitioner, we have to remember the words our patients use. Why? Because you need to communicate with them using the same exact words. This is the first level of connection to truly building rapport with your new patients. The more rapport you build, then the more tmst is established, and the more likely your patients will follow your recommendations and refer to you for their entire lives. Thus, the words they use are extremely important. They're not accidental. They were either consciously used, or are subconsciously part of their vocabulan. but either is important. After people share why they are looking for your care. you"rc going to repeat it back to them to show them you truly listened. If you don't use the exact same key words they used, they won't get the sense that you understood them. Now. I don't mean that you repeat back to them verbatim what they told you. or that you do it robotically. It's a summary of what they told you. but you must incorporate the key words they used. If you say "sharp sciatica" after they said "stabbing sciatica." or you say "horrible headaches" when they said "excruciating headaches." even if it means the same in your mind, it doesn't in theirs. You'll leave the patient feeling as if you didn't listen, or don't truly understand what he or she is experiencing. The second essential is slightly more advanced. Here we move from words to emotions in order to best connect with our new patient. Most new patients, especially men. don't share how their health issues make them feel emotionally. Sometimes women will volunteer such information, oryou just have to ask. Either way. you have to find out how their health concerns make them feel, and not physically, as in "shooting or dull ache." but emotionally, as in "frustrated." "old." or "desperate." Your patients" emotional feelings arc wliat counts even more than their physical feelings. When you find this out and repeat back to them that you know how this condition makes them feel, you get to level two of three of building the best possible connection and rapport with a new patient. Understanding patients" emotional states is what makes them think. "This doctor actually cares about me and knows how I feel." You want every new patient to experience that. So if they don't voluntarily share it with you. you have to ask. Never assume or guess because you don't want to be incorrect. Incorrectly stating or describing how patients feel is worse than saying nothing. Now, we move to the last of the three essentials. This one is most important and will be the most significant factor in your new patients follow ing your recommendations and wanting to refer others to you. The third essential is finding out what your new patient is truly committed to doing. What docs this mean? People come into your office with back and neck pain, fibromyalgia. or a host of other issues you can help, but that's not really the issue they most want resolved. The patients really want back the part of their lives that's been affected by their health issues. Examples of a patient's loss could be an elderly man who can't play his usual 36 rounds of golf even' weekend because of back pain, or a woman who can't give her children all the time and attention she wants because of her migraines and low energy. For everyone, regardless of the condition for which they are seeking treatment, the loss is different. You have to find this out uniquely for every patient. It's not necessarily easy, and you'll usually have to dig for it. However, when you discover it and you frame your basis of care around it instead of around just your findings, you'll sec all the difference in the world in retention and referrals. This is when patients start telling others about you before they even get the results they're seeking. In fact, they may begin before you ever even adjust them. It's so rare today for patients to ever feel listened to by their doctors. Doctors are more rushed and stressed than ever, and that means shorter visits. If you truly listen to your patients and apply these three essentials, though, you'll actualh need fewer new patients and also no longer need the costly marketing you may have been doing. That's the type of practice every DC deserves. The three essentials are followed by The Six Questions You Must Ask in Every Consult You Give. For more information, visit Dr. Wagner's blog at www.per-fcctpaticntfunncl.com/blog Josh Wagner, DC, graduated from Life University and is now in private practice in New York, lie has authored e-books on fibromyalgia and nutrition, and most recently created The Perfect Patient I'unnel Svs- tern for DCs to strengthen their practices and minimize stress. He can be contacted through blog.perfectpatientfunnel.com.
