Scripts help your effectiveness
By Susan Hoy

Missed appointments are expensive. They cost your practice a lot of money, and they cost your patients the opportunity to get and stay healthy.

How much do missed appointments cost you? To find out:

Multiply each day’s missed appointments by your office-visit fee, and then multiply that amount by the number of days you are open each year.

It’s a big number, isn’t it? Share that dollar amount with your staff. It will be an eye-opener.

An important function of the CA is to help patients follow through with the doctor’s recommended treatment plan. Follow through is important not only for the financial impact on the practice, but also for the health of the patients.

If we care about our patients, the money will come. If you render high-quality, technically competent, and loving service for the total benefit of your patient, you will receive the compensation you deserve. All lasting wealth comes from enriching others in some way.

Consequently, if concern for your patients is motive for having patients complete their protocols, you and your practice will ultimately benefit.

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE TREATMENT PLAN

Here are some scripts to help your patients understand the importance of the treatment plan:

• Series of adjustments. “When you begin your treatment, there will be a series of adjustments to help you with pain relief. It takes a few adjustments to see what particular technique is most effective for you. Each adjustment builds on the previous one and they must be given in close proximity for optimum pain relief.”

• Length of treatment. “It is extremely important you follow the doctor’s instructions at home and follow through with appointments. If you lose continuity, it will take longer to get well.”

• ‘Exercise’ program. “Chiropractic adjustments are like an exercise program. To become physically fit, you must exercise on a regular basis — at least three times a week. Otherwise it will take much longer to get into shape, if at all. Exercise is reconditioning muscles and must be done regularly.

“Adjustments retrain the vertebrae of the spine. One adjustment cannot heal you any more than one exercise session can make you physically fit.”

• Dental braces. “Adjustments do the same for your spine as braces do for your teeth. It takes a long time and many adjustments to realign the spine and keep it maintained.”

BENEFITS OF SPINAL ADJUSTMENT

You can also explain the benefits through scripting.

• Less pain. “You will be less inclined to have episodes of pain resulting from subluxation.”

• Improved functionality. “A subluxation does not always result in pain, since only a small percentage of the spine is pain sensitive. Subluxations do result in decreased flow of nerve energy (impulses sent from your brain) to the area that the nerve supplies, resulting in decreased function in that particular area. When subluxations are reduced, functionality improves.”

• More mobility. “A proper spinal alignment reduces the risk of osteoarthritis and spinal immobilization. In other words, the spine has more mobility and you stay active.”

• Improved defense. “Regular adjustments help your body defend against illness.”

MISSED APPOINTMENTS

Scripts are helpful when your CA calls patients concerning missed appointments. Here are some common excuses and scripts to deal with them.

• Too busy. “Mary, Dr. ________ will be concerned if you cancel one of your visits and don’t make it up. The adjustments are less effective if too much time passes. How about if we schedule for later on today or tomorrow? I can make arrangements for you to get in and out as quickly as possible.”

• Continued resistance. “Mary, I appreciate your call. It shows you are concerned about your treatment. Dr. ________ always gets concerned when a patient misses an appointment early in treatment because it takes longer to get better. I will let him know you called and the reason for your cancellation. I’ll also let him know you will be here for your appointment on Wednesday at 10 a.m.”

This script shows the patient that the doctor will be made aware of the noncompliance. Always make a notation in the patient’s chart.

• Missed appointment. (Always call the patient within 15 to 30 minutes after the missed appointment.)

 “Hi, Mary. This is Susan from Dr. ______ office. We had you scheduled for an appointment at 10 a.m. Dr. __________ was concerned when you did not show up and asked me to give you a call.”

Often the patient forgot the appointment or got busy. “We have an appointment available at 2 p.m. today. Can you come then?”

If the patient is reluctant to reschedule and just wants to come on the next scheduled appointment, use the script for “continued resistance.”

• Feels better. “It’s great you feel better; that’s the best part about chiropractic adjustments. Most patients start feeling better almost immediately. I’ll let Dr. ________ know you’re doing better.

“However, it is extremely important to continue with your treatment schedule so you don’t lose the forward progress. Can you make up your appointment tomorrow at 11 a.m.?”

It takes less effort to keep an existing patient than to recruit new patients. Although new patients are always necessary, our emphasis should be in keeping the existing ones.

Susan Hoy is an award-winning team trainer and consultant. She presents training seminars for teams throughout the country and is the author of two team training manuals. The newest is entitled Systemize, Organize, Simplify. Susan can be reached at 215-674-0130, suzzhoy@aol.com, or through her Web site at www.beefitup.net.