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November 2002 Seen & Heard Take a quick look at Dr. Mark Strom’s practice numbers, and the first thing you might notice is a gradual decline in patient visits. While most chiropractors might see this as a sign of attrition, for Strom it is nothing but a clear-cut illustration of the success of his methods. During the same time period, he has also seen an increase in adjusted gross billings and collections. Strom is the founder and head of a two-doctor chiropractic practice, known as Arizona MultiCare Ltd. that works with a two-doctor medical practice, Arizona Sports Medicine Consultants. Strom’s practice has seen an increase in adjusted gross billings - from $366,431 in 1999, to a projected $380,000 in 2002. Over the same span, his patient visits have dropped 22%, from 497 to 388 per month. This financial growth has been accompanied by a 62% increase in new patients per month, from 26 to 42. Strom says his practice has thrived because he markets himself constantly through his patients and contact with the public. He also strives to get patients better as quickly as possible. “If you’re getting the patients better quicker, you’re going to get referrals,” Strom says. He estimates 40% of his new patients come from patient referrals.Strom says he purposely does not follow a set protocol that tells him a certain injury or condition requires a certain course of treatment. He says every patient and every condition is different and he treats them as such. “If you’re always looking at protocols, you’ll forget about the patient and you won’t be able to give care,” Strom says.Over the history of the practice, which Strom started in 1996, patient visits have steadily declined while new patients have increased in similar fashion. Back when his practice first got under way, average patient retention was 23 visits per patient. Now it’s around 10 visits. It’s a decline he sees as a major positive and a product of one thing: being committed to treating and healing patients and sending them on their way. “Every modern-day chiropractic physician should have one goal in mind: Get the patient out of pain and resolve their condition as soon as possible,” Strom says. “If our profession would strive to efficiently treat their patients, we would make suspicious-minded insurance companies and lawmakers understand that we have the most cost-efficient and clinically effective profession under the current healthcare marketplace. I educate my patients on the importance of spinal hygiene and the need for periodic chiropractic check-ups to keep their body functioning as a whole.” When Strom bought the practice, it was 23 years old. He opened his doors with one thing in mind: Getting patients better would make them happier and more likely to refer him. That’s why he’s not the least bit concerned that he saw one-third fewer patients last year than he saw in 1997. “At first blush, somebody would say that’s terrible business,” he says. “I see patients a lot less now. They’re more educated. They’re armed to treat themselves now. I actually end up making more money. I get more referrals. You actually make more money off your first visit than any visit. I see them less, get more referrals and get more new patients. In the long run, I work a lot less hours (27 hours per week) and have a lot less stressful lifestyle.” New Patient Recruitment Strategies Strom also believes in internal marketing. Patient education, which he does primarily with literature and materials supplied by Foot Levelers, Inc., is a way to further promote the profession. On top of that, he suggests specifying a target market. Being in an upscale neighborhood, Strom doesn’t look for a lot of workers’ comp or personal injury cases. “In the blue-collar side of town you would probably go in and say ‘I can treat such and such at a lower cost than someone else,’ ” he says. “Everyone has their niche, and you have to take advantage of that.” Part of Strom’s niche is the incorporation of orthotics. He estimates he recommends orthotics to 80% of his patients, which he uses as just one more means of internal marketing. “If you’re always marketing yourself and why you’re different – without bashing – patients understand why they should send other people to you,” he says. “My emphasis is always to say, ‘Why weren’t you in orthotics with the last chiropractor?’ Reinforcing that I actually want to fix their problem, instead of just giving them passive care, makes them understand things better. We would like to be more curative. What our goal is, is we want to try to educate the patient on what’s causing their pain. Ninety-eight percent of the new patients enter the system for a pain syndrome. We try not to use pain as a guide and try to teach them prevention to stop it from coming back.” Strom makes sure he is seen and heard by as many people as possible. That means anything from doing patients talks at schools or churches to networking his patients and speaking at their places of business. “I try to do things that are free,” Strom says. He recommends getting out in the public as often as possible. That includes doing anything from maintaining a website, to sending e-mails or a newsletter, or getting out in front of people and speaking to them one-on-one. “Just get out in the public as much as you can,” Strom says. “It’s free and it’s very effective. You can’t do enough public talking. It’s paramount for the modern doctor to survive.” Strom has used the local media to his advantage as well. He has more than once been featured on a local news channel, each time talking about the importance of orthotics. He said the experience gave him “at least a month’s worth of business.” Strom’s marketing advice falls along those lines: Choose a target audience and stick to it. “Give talks to groups of people you would want as patients,” he says. “Set your practice apart from others.” Creating Synergies Strom says the MDs are there to make it easier for patients to get whatever type of care they may need for a particular health condition. “The medical doctors do pain management and sports medicine,” Strom says. “That fits well in with my practice model.” Low-Stress, High Success The practice is only open 27 hours a week. This keeps overwhelming amounts of hours from piling up and allows everyone to enjoy their freedom outside of the office. “We try not to work too many hours,” Strom says. “We’re bucking the trend. We try as much as we can to have a life outside of our office. If I’m working 40 to 60 hours a week, I’m no good for my family. If I’m working 40 to 60 hours a week, I’m no good for my patients. When we’re working here, we’re happy. The patients love it. They know we’re ready to treat. Our energy level is always way high.” Strom intends to keep it there. With as many as four out of 10 Arizona residents seeking chiropractic care, there will always be new patients. He believes keeping the current ones happy – and healthy – will lead to more new ones faster than anything else he can do. “I owe my increase in new patients to referrals from my active patients,” he says. Vital Statistics Dr. Mark Strom Website: www.azmulticare.com Team Players: Hours of practice: Adjusted gross billings*: Gross collections: 2003 Projections: |
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