Pick the right products Keep your athlete-patients (and your practice) healthy and fit


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Image of a woman stretching on a yoga ball Pick the right products
Keep your athlete-patients (and your practice) healthy and fit
By Andre M. Chevalier, DC, QME, CSCS

In this Internet era of discounted medical supplies, free shipping, and, in some cases, no sales tax, is it worthwhile to increase your monthly overhead expenditures to carry product inventory?

As a sports chiropractor for more than 16 years in the San Francisco Bay Area, where most of my athlete-patients buy everything from discounted running shoes to racing triathlon bikes on the Internet, I realized I would never be able to compete in a price war with cheap supply chains.

Instead, I decided to target active, well-educated patients and give them value-added, comprehensive services, provided in one conveniently located facility. Consider how to give value-added services along with such items as therapy balls, personalized products, and orthopedic supplies.

THERAPY BALLS

It takes minutes for one of your staff members to inflate three different sizes of balls, store them on top of a filing cabinet in clear view of the reception area, and place a catchy sign that reads: “Want a firm mid-section and improve your performance for only $40? Ask us today!”

Your patients could probably buy a ball elsewhere for 20 percent less than you can afford to sell it. But, who will inflate it for them, recommend safe and effective exercises for their specific lower back condition, and then give them an easy-to-follow 12-week personalized printed progression program developed from a software program geared to improve their overall performance?

These services add value to the cost of the product.

Not only do these services increase the perceived value for existing patients to come back for their next checkup and exercise progression, but they may also generate new patients by targeting intrigued visitors in your reception area.

Promote your supplements

Of all the supplies sold in-house, none seems to create more interest, demand, and incentives than nutritional supplements. From multilevel marketing supplements to pharmaceutical-grade vitamins and sports-enhancement products, the natural supplements industry is a multibillion dollar growing industry.

When properly and ethically integrated into a practice, nutritional supplements can support a natural approach to living healthy, and profits can be very appealing. They also can become a great seasonal marketing platform throughout the year.

For example: Schedule a “time to cleanse” program during the first quarter of the year. In the spring, schedule and promote a “time to shed a few pounds” weight-loss program.

These promotions give your inactive patients a reason to come back to your office and generate referrals of patients who otherwise would never consider seeing a chiropractor.

The reality is it’s tough to keep your staff excited throughout the year, year after year, based on the subluxation complex. Promotions keep a fresh buzz around the office, which keeps your staff stimulated and energized with the change of seasons.

PERSONALIZED PRODUCTS

One of the greatest advantages of offering supplies is the ability to personalize the products with the practice’s name, address, and phone number. From business cards sealed inside clear ice packs to clinic logos stitched on knee braces, you can’t buy a better advertisement!

Those supplies become mini-billboards carried by your patients to the gym, practices and games, and workplaces. Friends, family, and colleagues ask your patients about their conditions and the quality of your services to that patient.

Combine a great gift program every time one of your existing patients refers a teammate, friend, family member, or co-worker, and patient loyalty increases, as they are proud to display your name.

ORTHOPEDIC SUPPLIES

Orthopedic supplies can separate a sports chiropractic practice from other local medical or therapy clinics that do not carry a variety of products. Injured athletes want immediate care and are eager to buy anything that can allow them to protect themselves or simply speed up the healing process and return to play.

Some of the “must have” items to carry for athletes include:

Ice packs to reduce pain and inflammation during the acute phase;
Braces to protect and stabilize injured areas;
Foam rolls and microwaveable heat packs to decrease muscle tension;
Resistive bands to increase strength safely;
Therapy balls to improve core stability;
Custom orthotics to enhance stability and proper mechanics; and
Quality nutritional supplementation to assist in the natural healing process or to access the natural edge of performance enhancement products.

Don’t carry products unless they enhance overall services and patient education. Use these products as a marketing tool for new patients and referrals, as well as to improve your retention strategies. Products can help diversify your portfolio of revenue and better your patient-generating strategies.

Andre M. Chevalier, DC, QME, CSCS, is founder and clinic director of T.E.A.M. CLINIC in Santa Clara, Calif. Board-certified by the American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians for more than 16 years, he has served as event doctor and/or medical T.E.A.M. coordinator at local and international triathlons. A frequent speaker on sports chiropractic, he can be reached by phone at 408-241-8326, by e-mail at drc@teamclinic.com, or through the Web site, www.teamclinic.com.

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