AN ENGINEER'S MODEL TO BRIDGE BUILDING
5 steps to build a patient-expansion bridge
By Frank Liberti, DC

Assisting others to improve their health, alleviate pain, become more active, and have more energy is synonymous with practice-purpose fulfillment, and nothing should get in your way of accomplishing it.

But, because patients often limit their healthcare to what their insurance covers, a gap exists between their coverage and the fulfillment of your practice purpose.

Gaps can be spanned. In this case, you can span the gap by building a patient-expansion bridge, following a five-step engineering model.

Step 1: Accept change. And acquire the desire to change your business to get what you want. If you want to bridge the gap, you can do it. But, you have to acquire a desire to change and believe you can do it.

Accept that you can overcome anything that can cause a decline in income, a decrease in new patients, or a reduction in future income.

You are commissioned to assist your community; you have the authority to perform the function of healing. If you believe you can bridge the gap, then you must also be willing to make changes in how you exercise your commission.

Whether you currently focus on general practice, decompression, instrument adjusting, sports, accidents, workers compensation, nutrition, or other specialization services, the important thing is that in today's environment, all healthcare providers must continually add services and products and create a new way to do business.

Step 2: Plan your bridge. Plan your bridge for length and strength.

Your bridge needs to extend far enough to fill any gaps that prevent new patients from coming to you. Your bridge is measured by your advertising offers. Your response vehicles measure its span. It must be enough to span between you and what your consumers really need.

Your bridge must also be strong enough to overcome the pressures of practicing in a hostile healthcare environment, as well as the pressures placed upon you by demanding patients to get them out of pain. You must invest in and learn how to provide new and improved products and services.

Your practice is your bridge. It can span the gap between your consumers and what they want. For your bridge to be long enough and strong enough to carry that load, it must be built of strong materials. These "materials" must address concerns as:

• What are the greatest health needs of your consumers?
• What additional health concerns could you address if you added new products?
• What can you do to increase your visibility and momentum within your community?
• How can you gain increased respect within your community and erect a bridge that people will want to cross?

To build a bridge to new patients (that is, to change your practice) start construction by adding new services and new products and establish a new way to do business. Then get excited about the new way to do business.

Step 3: Build a bridge to attract patients you don't serve now. Are you aware that about 77 million people suffer from chronic and severe back pain?

The public perceives chiropractors as "back doctors." Regardless of what discipline patients seek for chronic back pain, less than 10 million of the 77 million will get help for their chronic back conditions with conventional methods.

It doesn't matter which new service(s) you add as long as you create a new way to do business and are excited about it. It comes down to being confident about your new idea.

If you are willing to help those in need by making a renewed commitment to a fresh commission, people will see, say, sense, and feel your desire to help them.

What new services or new products can you add to attract new patients? If you currently offer manipulation and provide the ability to remove nerve interference, consider adding rehab procedures, more modalities, more therapies, decompression, or instrument adjusting.

Patients want to know you care. You show it by adding new services. Be sure to deliver consistently, superior services all the time. Also, make sure your new services remove the pressure off the patient's concerns.

Find out what's needed by potential new patients when building your bridge and give your community what it needs.

Step 4: Use the right expansion tools in building your bridge. These tools include:

• Developing new ways of doing business;
• Adding new services;
• Adding new products;
• Using innovative marketing;
• Taking calculated risks;
• Not punishing yourself if a risk doesn't pan out;
• Looking at yourself through your patients' eyes;
• Putting yourself in your patients' shoes;
• Making your patients' concerns your primary concerns; and
• Committing to deliver consistent, quality, and superior services to all.

Step 5: Open the bridge for use. A bridge must be used — not just viewed and admired. Your current practice is actually one bridge. Adding new products and services and "re-inventing" your practice is a major bridge expansion. Let the public know about your new commission and open your bridge to them.

Bridge building begins with those who have the desire. In the long run, it's your passion and your heart for the potential patients in your community that build the bridge. It is a risk to go out and build a bridge, but you are commissioned to do it.

Make a commitment to go to the next level of bridge building and achieve great fulfillment in reaching more potential patients in your community who need you. Give yourself a new way to gap the bridge between you and those who need you — expand your services and create a new way to do business that is fun.

Frank Liberti, DC, owns a practice in Tampa, Fla., and can be reached at 727-723-0040 or by e-mail at f_liberti@msn.com. He is also the president and founder of Spinal Aid Decompression Centers of America, www.spinalaid.com, and Spine Rite Instrument Adjusting Centers.