As baby boomers age, their interest in wellness seems to increase — at least as measured by the number of clinics that bear the label.

Approximately 20 percent of chiropractors call their clinics “wellness centers,” according to Chiropractic Economics 10th Annual Salary & Expense Survey, conducted in February 2007. That percentage was up from the previous year (17.6 percent).

Getting into “wellness” is more than renaming your clinic, however. We asked a number of doctors who have successful wellness clinics how they brand themselves and what advice they would give to others wishing to focus on wellness instead of pain management.

CHIROPRACTIC WELLNESS CENTER

• Clinic description: Miles Bodzin, DC, owns Chiropractic Wellness Center (www.bodzin.com; drmiles@bodzin.com) in San Diego. A solo practitioner, he says when he registered his business name in 1994, his clinic was the first to use “wellness” in its title.

Today, most of his patients are on long-term treatment plans and then transition to wellness care. Many of his patients have been coming in once a week or at least once a month for 10 or more years.

In addition to chiropractic, his clinic offers massage and nutrition, and he recommends exercises. He grosses approximately $450,000 — 80 percent cash.

• How wellness is branded: Bodzin says he sends a consistent message — “You get adjusted to stay healthy.”

• His advice: “Make sure you have a grasp on what your product is. You cannot be everything to everyone. If you want to sell wellness, focus on wellness. Don’t set up a traditional pain clinic and then expect people to transition to wellness. You can’t bait and switch.

“Wellness requires two things: You have to educate your patients consistently. And, you have to have appropriate financial programs for your patients to purchase your care.

Give your patients payment options that include monthly payments, a down-payment with monthly auto-debit payments, and prepay. Doing this allows patients to select what works best for them.”

BRUCE CHIROPRACTIC & COMPREHENSIVE CARE

• Clinic description: M. Paul Bruce, DC, operates Bruce Chiropractic & Comprehensive Care (www.brucechiro.com; gatorchiro@aol.com) in Ocala, Fla., as a solo practice that offers massage and physical therapy, along with sports, pediatric, geriatric, and family care. He focuses on moving patients from pain to wellness.

He sees approximately 12 new patients a week, has a patient visit average (PVA) of 20, and grosses about $500,000 a year.

• How wellness is branded: Bruce brands his clinic with the consistent use of the clinic’s logo, colors, and motto, “A healthier you for a better tomorrow.”

He says, “We communicate our wellness approach by using pictures of well, happy people in print; using the success stories of current patients as testimonials to follow through with total care; and partnering with local businesses that promote wellness.”

• His advice: “Start with one or two aspects of wellness in your practice. As you develop your patient base and learn your community, add more to meet needs.”

A AND C WELLNESS

• Clinic description: A and C Wellness (www.andcwellness.com; jfin@hotmail.com) in Honolulu, provides a multidiscipline approach to health. James Finley, DC, is a solo practitioner who works in conjunction with practitioners of acupuncture, naturopathy, clinical hypnotherapy, massage therapy, and shiatsu — all in one location.

“Most of our patients receive great health benefits by receiving care from all our practitioners every visit. We are unique in our town,” says Finley. “We are a complete wellness center because our practitioners work together as a team to help each patient achieve his or her health goals.”

• How wellness is branded: The use of the name and the clinic’s uniqueness are advertised consistently in the yellow pages, the local newspaper, local magazines, and on the Internet

• His advice: “Partner with a group of like-minded practitioners who have the same goals and with whom you can work together. Make contacts and friends with practitioners in other healing arts.”

RIVERSIDE WELLNESS CENTER

• Clinic description: Drs. Sue Ann and Chuck Sidell operate the Riverside Wellness Center (www.riversidewellness.org; pairodox@ne.rr.com) in Gorham, N.H. The clinic experiences a PVA of 24 and grosses $300,000 annually.

According to Sue Ann, “Chiropractic deals very well with trauma, but does not address thoughts

and toxins, the other two causes of subluxations. We offer emotional and chemical detoxification, using kinesiology and nutritional supplements geared for the individual.

“We do computerized foot scans and recommend custom orthotics to help support the kinetic chain and minimize resubluxation. And we offer allergy elimination to help relieve suffering as well as low-level laser therapy to promote healing of all kinds of injuries and dysfunctions.”

• How wellness is branded: “The word wellness in our clinic’s name sets us apart from the local competition,” says Sue Ann. “We practice in a small town, and word-of-mouth takes care of the rest.”

• Her advice: “Study with the best teachers in the business and don’t be afraid to try new things. Get familiar with kinesiology and help identify the best treatment for each individual patient.”

LC WELLNESS

• Clinic description: LC Wellness (www.langchiropractic.com;
doc-lang@msn.com) in Abinton, Pa., is a two-DC clinic owned by Janet Lang, DC. Lang and her colleague, Marcianne Vira, DC, see approximately three new patients each week and enjoy a PVA of 74. The practice grosses approximately $500,000 annually, and is growing at an average rate of 10 percent to 20 percent each year.

“We have cutting-edge holistic healthcare for all by offering chiropractic, Pilates, shiatsu, massage therapy, nutritional counseling, yoga, personal training, and infrared therapy,” says Lang, who adds that certified personnel provide the services. “We believe in convenience, quality, caring services, and a modern upscale facility.”

Lang emphasizes that although the chiropractic philosophy is the foundation of their welless center, “we offer the other services to make it complete. We were frustrated with referring to other facilities that didn’t offer the same work ethic, quality service, and upscale friendly atmosphere.”

• How wellness is branded: Lang hired a designer for the logo, Web site, signs for outside the new building, and staff apparel. “We chose soothing, calming colors for our office that were all custom ‘faux’ painted to create the quality atmosphere we wanted to project,” said Lang.

• Her advice: “Start slow; add services and people as needed. Don’t spend more than you make. And hire quality people like you.”

100% — A CHIROPRACTIC WELLNESS CENTER

• Clinic description: Located in Colorado Springs, Co., 100% — A Chiropractic Wellness Center (www.100percentchiropractic.com; JVandT@hotmail.com) is a group practice with three DCs and a total of nine employees.

Drs. Jason and Vanessa Helfrich own it and Vanessa’s mother, Deborah Riekeman, DC, practices with them.

The wellness center grosses about $800,000 annually and has an annual PVA of 35. According to Jason, the clinic’s goal is “to provide optimal family health and well-being to patients.” The doctors emphasize preventative care and total body health.  

• How wellness is branded: A key part of the clinic’s branding is its logo and color scheme, which are used in all advertising as well as in the office’s décor.

The key phrase in the practice’s branding is “100%,” and the staff emphasizes the total healthcare by answering the phone in one of three ways: “Life is great at 100%,” “Your family deserves 100%,” or “100% commitment, 100% integrity, 100% chiropractic.”

• His advice: “Stay true to prevention, not treatment. Chiropractic is wellness. Educate your patients on what wellness is — and what it is not.”

INTEGRATED HEALING ARTS

• Clinic description: Jeff Morrison, DC, operates Integrated Healing Arts (www.integratedhealing arts.net; dr.morrison@verizon.net) in Bradenton, Fla.

Describing the clinic, he says, “We are an integrated healthcare facility that focuses on getting our patients as healthy as they can be through a wide variety of means — and then keeping them at their best.”

Assisting him in achieving the mission of the practice are a medical doctor, two additional chiropractors, a nurse practitioner, two acupuncture physicians, and a licensed practical nurse.

• How wellness is branded: The clinic consistently uses yellow in its marketing materials, and its ads focus on the improvement in quality of life.

• His advice: “Get a lot of legal, accounting, and consultant advice, and go for it. Integrated healthcare is the future.”

Linda Segall is editor-in-chief of Chiropractic Economics. She can be contacted at 904-567-1537 or by e-mail at lsegall@chiroeco.com.