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By now, you’ve no doubt read all the literature and heard all the seminars that tout the superiority of instrument-assisted adjustments over manual ones.
There’s no question of the benefits of instrument adjusting in a variety of areas, ranging from basic physics, to your bottom line, to your patients. All of this accumulated data adds up to a compelling case in favor of performing instrument-assisted adjustments whenever possible.1-3
However, once you have gotten patients in your office door and shown them that instrument-assisted adjustments can actually help them feel better, then what? How do you convince them to be not just an intermittent patient only when their pain flares up, but a regular patient who understands the benefits of chiropractic and incorporates it into their daily wellness routine, alongside regular exercise and a healthy diet?
This is when you will discover that patient retention is yet another benefit to the use of instrument-assisted adjustments, both for you and your patients. What are some of the specific ways in which adjusting instruments can help you increase patient retention?
Instant results
One of the great advantages to using a computer-assisted adjusting instrument is that it can provide immediate feedback about the force of the adjustment and store this data over time. This not only lets you, but your patients, see instantaneous results and be able to map the effects of treatment over time.
Because many patients are initially skeptical about the benefits of chiropractic, having a concrete visual aid to show them the effects of adjustments almost immediately can be just the proof they need to convince them to keep coming back. Before you know it, that skeptical patient who initially came to you as a doctor of last resort now views you as a regular part of their healthcare treatment team.
Making progress
One of the biggest roadblocks to retaining patients is often that they do not feel they are making any progress in their treatment. If this goes on for too long, patients will become frustrated and soon give up not just on seeing you, but on the entire concept of chiropractic.
Because instrument-assisted adjustments are more precise over a smaller area than are manual adjustments, it is much easier to track progress.1 This allows your patients to see how much they are benefiting over time. Once they actually understand that they are making good progress, they will be much more likely to continue treatment.
More than just retention
Of course, retention is not enough. You want to go beyond that and actually grow your practice. In fact, those patients you retain by switching to instrument-assisted adjustments can actually be the bridge to help you grow your practice through referrals.
A quick glance at well-known ratings websites such as Yelp confirms the fact that if people are happy with the goods or service they receive, they will often not hesitate to spread the good word. This can work for you as well.
Let’s go back to the example of our patient, who started out skeptical, saw and felt first-hand the benefits of chiropractic care due to the use of adjusting instruments, and has now told all their family and friends about their positive experience. This may very well net you some good referrals who, in turn, may become happy converts to the chiropractic lifestyle.
And to think that all of this can come from one simple adjusting instrument! You may have little to lose, and much to gain from making instrument-assisted adjustments your norm for treatment.
References
- Beychok, T. Instrument adjusting vs. manual adjusting, part 1: The physics. Chiropractic Economics. Accessed 9/13/2016.
- Beychok, T. Instrument adjusting vs. manual adjusting, part 2: Bottom-line benefits. Chiropractic Economics. Accessed 9/13/2016.
- Beychok, T. Instrument adjusting vs. manual adjusting, part 3: Patient benefits. Chiropractic Economics. Accessed 9/13/2016.
