Several months ago, a football player gave an interview after his last game before retiring.

In it, he said that football isn’t difficult, but in order to be good you have to practice your position and then practice as a team. You have to learn to trust each other and be accountable.

The same goes for your office. Make sure you know the responsibilities of your position and practice, and then practice with your staff so you not only know what you’re doing, but what they are doing as well.

The more you practice together, the more you will trust each other.

For example: A quarterback doesn’t pass the ball and run to catch it himself. Instead, he trusts that the player he passes it to will catch it and the rest of the team will back him up.

Similarly, when you “hand off” a patient to a team member you trust the patient will be treated professionally and with care.

You must also be accountable. How often have you witnessed a quarterback throw an incomplete pass and then blame himself? Being able to accept blame is the first step in becoming accomplished in your position.

Good patient experiences do not happen by accident — they are planned, practiced, and fine-tuned. Every team member should know exactly what to say, have confidence, and be trained to react professionally in every situation.

For example: The front desk CA should:

• Answer the phone warmly and confidently.

• Know how to instill confidence in patients.

• Greet patients warmly and professionally.

• Know what to say to patients who get discouraged with their chiropractic treatment. [ITAL] For example: [/ITAL] Your CA could say, “Chiropractic adjustments serve to retrain the spine. The process takes time, especially when you’ve had a long-term problem. Just have patience and follow through with your care plan. You’ll be amazed with the results.”

• Know patients and their situations. For example: Your CA could say,

“The doctor has indicated that you need to be adjusted two times next week. Let’s schedule now so you get the appointments most convenient for you.”

• Collect payments professionally and confidently.

Huddle up

Team training begins in team meetings, which must include every staff member. If you want a successful team, everyone needs to participate.

Here are some important topics to consider when creating a successful practice.

Practice growth: Each team member should be responsible for a particular area of the practice and be assigned certain responsibilities toward its growth. Each member should have graphs and statistics and be able to report on his or her area during meetings.  

Team education: During each team meeting, set aside time for team education. Areas of education can include chiropractic philosophy, techniques, terminology, diagnosis, basic reading of x-rays for team, exercise, nutrition, diagnostic equipment, chiropractic exams and tests, coding, and insurance regulations.

Team training: How can you be great if you don’t practice? During each meeting act out different scenarios that might occur in the office. For example: New patient telephone scripts, new patient greeting and intake, patient flow, scripts for missed appointments and cancellations, collection scripts, scripts of encouragement, and report-of-findings scripts.

Remember, how you present your care is directly related to how your patient will follow through.

Patient care: Each team member should be responsible for participating in patient care — it is not just your responsibility. During the patient care section of your meeting, go over new patients, discuss particular problems or needs, and share patient success stories.

When each team member understands and believes in the chiropractic process and is trained in all aspects of the practice, you will be amazed at how many patients you can help efficiently and effortlessly.

Team training takes time, but it’s essential for creating an extraordinary practice.

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 called Systemize, Organize, Simplify. She can be reached at 215-674-0130, suzzhoy@aol.com, or through www.beefitup.net.