Practice Development

You’ve heard it said that if every person knew what chiropractic really was and how it worked, chiropractic offices would be swamped with patients. That concept is timelier than ever, considering the perfect storm developing in conventional health care””a looming shortage of doctors, an aging population, epidemic obesity, skyrocketing health insurance premiums and deductibles, limitations on coverage, and an increasing awareness of the relatively high risks of medications and surgeries.

As your practice gets busier, staying on track and handling the unexpected will become an increasingly important aspect of the way you practice. The following strategies are time-proven methods of regaining your focus and efficiency. Your front desk person represents your passion and purpose, and implements your office policies in good times and bad. He or she handles problem phone calls by responding in a way that satisfies the caller.

hiropractic students’ biggest concern is getting through the rigorous education requirements and passing the federal and state board exams. However, once you are licensed, other fears begin to surface””like business practice. There is a disconnect between the heavy chiropractic curriculum, chiropractic colleges, and students. It is because business-practice thinking does not begin until late in the academic phase. This puts tremendous pressure on students to find a job or start a practice, mostly because they have sizable student debts to address.

In Part 1 we looked at how color, furniture, and texture combine to build an atmosphere in a practice. Thought is required to ensure that the atmosphere and the impression it creates are positive. Let’s look at more ways the image you project can reassure and welcome your patients.

Referrals are by far the most simple, quick, and least expensive way to build your practice. Most doctors get 50 to 90 percent of new patients through in-house referrals, more than from any other marketing program in place in their practice. Referrals mean your existing patients believe in you and your results so much that they want to tell others about you, because your success is as important to them as their own. Take note of who your best patients are and continue to stimulate referrals through them. In most cases they refer people just like themselves.

When you read the words “growth hacking,” you might roll your eyes. That’s understandable; you are a chiropractor, not a 20-something tech superstar living out your wildest fantasies in Silicon Valley. But, growth hacks are no longer just for the programming wizards working for Airbnb in San Francisco. You can apply the same principles they use to grow and develop your chiropractic practice.

Having been down this road personally, I can say that getting traction in the market is not always easy for the new practitioner. Usually, new doctors have to shoulder the weight of student loans, relocation, transitions into new offices, and, if they don’t go the associate route, opening up a practice from scratch. The challenge for any new doctor is getting patients in the door fast. To accomplish that, you need to let your community know you’re there and what you provide. The problem is that getting the word out can cost money, and there is a steep learning curve to it.

There are few things more nerve-wracking than leaving the comfortable bubble of college and setting out on your own. This is true for any new grad, but especially true for new DCs. The pressure is on to start making some- thing of oneself””and start paying off those loans. Don’t worry, you’ve got this. Setting a course for success can be as gratifying as it is challenging, but it’s well worth the time and effort.

  Many students and new grads struggle when trying to find a location to start their practice or join an existing one. One aspect that is rarely discussed is the relationship between the type of patients who use chiropractic and the places and services they frequent”” then using that information to determine a viable practice […]

It’s almost a given that the students who have big practices in their college clinic will also become successful doctors with thriving practices after they graduate. The students who struggle through college clinic without referrals from their patients, upperclassmen, or from people in the community, will ultimately struggle after graduation. Touch and tell While you’re still […]