There are main- important questions facing recent and impending graduates of chiropractic school. How do I set up and/or operate my new practice? What equipment should I invest in? How can I be successful? Many very talented authors and practice management experts have weighed in on these questions for years. After 17 humbling years of private practice and teaching hundreds of chiropractors all over the world. I feel as if I have gained some wisdom on this subject and it is time for me to weigh in too. My advice is rooted in making sure that you stand out from the crowd of all the others out there. By identifying your unique skills, area of expertise, and passions, it will help you define who you are as a chiropractor as well as the types of patients you will attract. It is initially a very scan- prospect to think about opening up your own office or even taking over someone else's established office. Whether you have equipment, staff, and procedures in place already, or you arc starting from scratch with one room, the follow ing arc some practical ideas for you to keep in mind. This is my nuts-and-bolts approach of what to think about as you take the plunge from school into the real world. Your Chiropractic Mindset: The business of chiropractic is exciting, but it takes some patience and work. Let your desire and positive attitude drive you toward success. It is wonderful to dream of a multimillion-dollar practice with patients streaming in from far and wide. I suggest you program yourself to feel and understand an "abundance" mentality. The saying, "there is enough for everyone, including me." will help you acclimate yourself to any area in which you want to practice. To get the practice of your dreams, however, it helps to temper your dreams with a dose of realism. Just as it is in life, a good rule of thumb in practice is to live and spend within your means. By keeping a tight rein on your finances initially, you can afford to spend more as you grow. Staff: You don't need to have staff when you first open. You or your spouse, a family member, or a friend can fill this role until you get busier. You need to learn how to answer phones, schedule patients, call insurance companies forvcrifications. handle some billing, and tackle other clerical tasks. This teaches you how your office runs, gives you the know ledge to eventually train and mentor your future staff, and helps you understand how-to implement checks and balances in the office environment. Adjusting Tables: Unless it is a killer deal, you don't need to buy a fancy table right away. All of the great chiropractors have come from humble beginnings. Many field doctors started out with a portable table as their only adjusting table. Nice tables do not have to be terribly expensive. Mam quality chiropractic table companies have great tables at affordable prices. Make sure the table does what you need it to do. If you are a diversified practitioner, make sure the table is the appropriate height. If you arc an instrument-adjusting chiropractor, then a reasonably priced hi-lo table may be just what the doctor ordered. You can always upgrade to a fancier table once you are in a more favorable financial situation. I highly suggest a nice-looking, solid pelvic bench with drop pieces so that you have the added versatility of using the drop table for patients who are larger than you or just can"t handle the manual adjustment. Adjusting Instruments: Whether you choose the Activator. Impulse. ArthroStim. or another, these devices work. You need to have one because I promise it will be very useful. Even if you are not yet certified in a specific instrument, that can come later. Certification classes for these techniques arc often very affordable for first-year doctors. These instruments not only do a fantastic job adjusting all areas of the body, they help give you versatility when working with patients who arc not keen on traditional chiropractic adjustments. Patients love to see these types of tools in our practices. These tools will make you a more diverse, multiskillcd professional, and will help you look the part. too. Physiotherapy Equipment: The traditional ultrasound, electric muscle stimulation, and TENS units are tried and tnie methods that do yield good results. However. I would be remiss if I didn't tell you about how fantastic laser therapy is for patients. Cold laser, or infrared laser, is taking our profession to new levels. Light can be emitted at certain frequencies to specifically target swelling, edema, inflammation, muscle spasms, and pain. Healing time is faster than with many other therapies, and the results arc often quite dramatic for the patient. There arc many companies with excellent lasers at affordable prices. Lasers arc relatively new. but I have been using one for more than five years and patients seek me out because I use it. They will seek vou out too. Diagnostic Tools: Patients notice if you arc up on current technology. 3-D digital foot scanners, digital x-ray machines, and other equipment make your job as a doctor easier. The value of these tools is in the time it saves you in patient communication and education. For example, using the 3-D digital foot scanner in my office. I can show a patient color pictures and indicators of how fiat their arches arc. I can then show them how this relates to the other joints of the body, all the way up to the neck and head. The pictures and graphics help me educate and report my findings in ways that patients understand. Products of Convenience: You can offer orthotics. pillows, nutritional supplements, analgesic creams, back braces. TENS/stim units, rehab equipment (elastic tubing, therapy bands, exercise balls, foam rollers, wobble boards, weights), clastic sports tape, muscle sticks, etc. You are the expert and your patients will tmst the products you choose to carry. In the beginning, you may not want to stockpile a lot of inventory because it ties up your money. Patients do like that you have these products on hand, though, and it is easier to buy them from you rather than go to the dnigstore down the street. I personally love offering 3 Arch custom-molded foot or-thotics to patients because I only need to have the 3-D digital scanner in the office along with orthotic samples. I scan the patient, send out the order, and the product is delivered—no fuss, no muss. I earn limited supplies of the other products I listed earlier so that I don"t have to devote too much office space to inventory. You have been in school for years and have trained to get to this point. Congratulations on that accomplishment. The next step is to open or take over a chiropractic practice. Now you can show everyone your skills and how much you love to take care of people. Keep things simple until you can afford to make them more complex. I know you have worked hard and have the basics down. However, now that school is behind you. the real learning begins. Here's wishing you much success! Dr. Kevin Wong is an expert on foot analysis, walking and standing postures and orthotics. Teaching patients and chiropractors is a passion for him. and he travels the country speaking about spinal and extremity adjusting. Dr. Wong practices full-lime in Orinda, California. Contact Dr. Wong at 925-254-4040 or drkevimvong'.ugmail.com.
