Issue 3 - March 2004

Team Tips by Susan Hoy
Patient retention begins with a good foundation

Patient retention begins with your the first contact with a potential new patient. Retaining a patient is a journey that never ends — there is no magic bullet.

Good patient retention is built on a on a foundation of good new-patient procedures and a solid first report of findings. Here are some suggested scripts for you and your staff members. When you use these scripts, you build that essential foundation:

Doctor: It is our goal to educate you on the benefits of chiropractic care. Those benefits involve diet, nutrition and exercise instruction, along with spinal manipulation. This office will never pressure you into care you do not want. We want to educate you so that you can make an informed judgment as to the level of care you desire from us.

A series of adjustments will teach your spine what its healthy position is, strengthening the nerve flow in your body. The adjustments must be tightly scheduled for best results, so we’ll start to develop an adjustment pattern. We’ll stretch out the adjustments as improvement is noted

The front desk CA: Dr. ________ has suggested a series of appointments to address your specific condition. For optimum results, please follow this treatment plan as closely as possible. If you find that you must cancel an appointment, we ask that you reschedule within the next day or so.

CA, immediately after the appointment: Because our office is busy, you are encouraged to make your appointments in advance. That way you will get times convenient for your schedule. These appointments are not set in stone. If you need to reschedule an appointment, _________ at the front desk will be happy to work with you.

We realize that your time is valuable and we will do our best to get you in to see the doctor as close to your appointment time as possible. Service to our patients is our top priority. We ask that you arrive promptly for your appointments so that we can serve all or our patients as expediently as possible.

Billing department: For your convenience, we offer many payment options. Most of our patients take advantage of our advance payment plans, which saves money and time.

I will be happy to explain them. Otherwise, payment for services is required at the time of visit unless otherwise arranged. We don’t want finances to interfere with the care you need and we will be happy to work with you, if necessary.

Once your patients know your office policies and understand that they are established for their benefit, you have set up the foundation for retention. There is much more to retention, but a solid beginning during those first few visits will start your patients on the road to choosing wellness care.

Susan Hoy is an award-winning team trainer and consultant. She can be reached at 215-674-0130; suzzhoy@aol.com; or through her Web site at www.beefitup.net