January 2002

Mastering the Report of Findings
Use Analogies, Metaphors and Visuals to Your Advantage
By Bob Hoffman, DC

An effective report of findings is essential for a strong doctor-patient relationship. It sets the tone for what is expected from both the doctor and patient. It creates a “form of agreement” that allows the relationship to continue and grow.

It is during the report of findings that we have the opportunity to share our truth about chiropractic with the patient. It is at this time that we create expectancy and a long-term relationship… or lose the patient.

Here are some rules of delivering an effective report of findings (ROF):

• Immediately establish rapport with patients. They will not accept the message unless they accept the messenger. Remember the rule for rapport says: “People who are like each other tend to like each other.”

• It is during this vital visit that we must help patients understand that chiropractic care is not a luxury, it is a necessity. Create value and urgency.

• Remember that when two people are in communication, the one with the greatest certainty always wins. Be confident, strong and certain.

• Educate instead of sell, as education is an “inside-out” process. Practice the Socratic method by asking questions. The quality of our life is directed by the quality of the questions we ask.

• Use lots of visual aids, metaphors and analogies. These tools allow patients to “see what you are saying.”

• Remember that people make decisions based on the fact that they either move away from pain or toward pleasure. Determine which of these motivates a particular patient and focus your communication in that direction.

• Always answer the four key questions: “Can chiropractic help me? What's wrong with me? How long will it take? How much will it cost?”

• Make subluxations real and chiropractic care valuable. Go over the phases of subluxation degeneration. Focus on nerves, not bones, and focus on quality of life instead of treatment and pain.

• Be very specific about how many visits you are recommending and why. Discuss what you expect to accomplish and in what time frame. In other words, make sure you use “Expectation Management.”

• Get a form of agreement on office policies like re-exams, post X-ray, health-care class, making up missed visits, etc. Set the standards to build a strong foundation with your office procedure.

• Make it “personality-specific.” There are four basic personalities. They are driver, analytical, expressive and amiable. Learn and study these four traits and how people filter the world through their specific personalities. Then modify your report based on the personality of the patient with whom you’re communicating.

We need to connect to concepts and conditions that patients already understand and accept and compare chiropractic and the correction of vertebral subluxation to those conditions. You should educate your patients away from thinking that chiropractic is a luxury; to thinking that chiropractic is indeed a necessity.

Allow me to share with you an effective metaphor or analogy that could dramatically improve your patient education effectiveness. It is based on relating the concept of subluxation to the concept of diabetes. If your patient went to an internist for a check-up and was diagnosed with diabetes, do you think the patient would “go home to think about the treatment” or “not be interested at this time in care?”

Here’s a sample dialogue you could have with a patient, comparing diabetes and subluxations:

“Most people don’t know that they have diabetes/subluxations until they have specific tests that document the problem. When you find out that you are diabetic or subluxated, it is not a life sentence provided you take proper care of the problem and monitor and manage it for the rest for your life. By watching your diet and blood sugar or by getting adjusted regularly to remove nerve interference, you can live a normal, healthy and full life. If you ignore the problem, or pretend that one does not exist, you can probably get away with it for a short span of time – but it will always come back to haunt you.

It’s so much wiser to be proactive rather than reactive. It is so much smarter to monitor and manage this problem for the rest of your life rather than waiting until there’s a crisis.”

This is an example of a perfect metaphor or analogy to effectively explain the devastating effects of vertebral subluxations and why lifetime chiropractic care is essential. Everyone understands the urgency of diabetes, and this comparison can help you empower your patients with the urgency for chiropractic care. Raise your standards and raise your level of effectiveness. Be creative, confident and certain. Recognize that the most successful chiropractors are the best communicators. Follow the rules for an effective report of findings and watch your practice grow.

Dr. Hoffman is the president and chief operating officer of The Masters Circle, a chiropractic think tank that offers practice management and coaching services. He is past president of the International Chiropractors Association and the immediate past chairman for the board of the New York Chiropractic Council. Dr. Hoffman has appeared on numerous radio and television shows and has been in the national print press. He can be reached at 800-451-4514 or sign on to www.themasterscircle.com.