Evaluations

Every visit is an evaluation. It's a two-way street on evaluations. You will be evaluating the patient for change in condition and progress according to the original care plan. Meanwhile, the patient will be evaluating their decision to continue care. Patients will determine this in two ways. First, are they getting better? Second, do they feel valued and appreciated as a customer and a human being? Many businesses get so caught up in trying to attract new customers, they forget to value and respect the ones they currently have who already believe in their services. This is a big mistake. So, let's take a deeper look into the two ways patients evaluate you and offer some suggestions to improve these interactions.

Are they getting better? Patients have a preconceived notion of a timeline that is acceptable for them to get well, regardless of how long they have been suffering. You must constantly re-enforce to them the steps necessary for the healing process. Reassure them at every visit they are getting closer to their goal. If they are not getting better, then you must assess their condition and the course of action taken. Change what you are doing: add therapies, change the order of therapies, visit frequency, etc. Show respect and validation for their feedback. Accept the fact that you might have to refer them to another health care provider. Don't worry about losing them as a patient if you refer them out. They will respect your honesty and refer many others to you for the character and integrity you demonstrate.

Value and Appreciation

Am I valued and appreciated? This is where the little things are big things. There are many simple gestures that will make all the difference in how someone feels. These gestures may not seem like much, but they are very powerful. Here are four effective ways of showing value and appreciation:

Say thank you. Thank them for choosing you as their doctor. Remember, they could have walked into any chiropractor for help, yet they chose you. If you think they base that decision on what insurance you take, you would be wrong. Sure, that might be the initial reason some call you, but it will have nothing to do with their motivation to continue seeing you. Thank them for any referrals. Make sure they know that referring friends and loved ones is the highest compliment that you could get as a doctor. Send them a hand-written thank you note as follow up gesture.

Compliment them. Everyone loves a compliment. Let me clarify that; everyone loves a genuine compliment. Tell them you are proud of them for staying dedicated to their care plan and working towards becoming a healthier person. Congratulate them on the effort, commitment, time and sacrifice they have given to investing in themselves. Literally place your hand on their shoulder and say, "I am proud of you for doing such a great job in staying dedicated to your goal of getting healthy."

Value their time. Show respect by valuing their time. Do not keep them waiting. Learn to control your schedule book with cluster visits, without sacrificing service. Overbooking will become a problem if patients feel their time is not respected. Remember, two to three visits per week out of their lives to see you for care, is a big commitment. They have responsibilities and obligations outside of your office and that must be respected. Make your office a well-oiled machine where the system is never bogged down.

Show genuine interest. Are they more to you than a patient? Express interest in their life. Ask about hobbies, families, lifestyles and talk about other things besides their condition. Turns out, all of these factors are critical to understanding their mindset and what outside forces may be positively or negatively affecting their health.

For example, knowing that patient XYZ loves to run and work out is important to understanding their motivation toward getting well. Appeal to their emotional triggers and desires for getting well by linking chiropractic care to running. Tell XYZ they will get back to running without pain, but also run better and faster since they are correcting underlying problems that negatively affect performance.

The most important thing to remember is that we really can't motivate others. Real motivation comes from within. People motivate themselves. You must set the stage to help this self-motivation process by creating the right environment and conditions for it to blossom. Ultimately, your practice environment is determined by you.

However, your staff is always on the frontlines interacting with every client. So be sure to honor, respect, and motivate your staff. Devote whatever resources you need to keep them well-trained, friendly, and enthusiastic. Why? Patients form an opinion of you based on how they are treated by your staff. Bad experiences with an unmotivated staff will foster negative patient compliance. This is what I like to call an a-ha moment, where you realize just how important relationships are to success. So how can you motivate your staff? Apply all the principles you learned above. Your staff craves the same magical connections as your patients.

Rule number one: You are in the people business. You just happen to also be a doctor. Always remember this rule and you will be ahead of the majority. Get back to the fundamentals of building and establishing quality relationships. If you are currently having a problem keeping patients motivated, stop searching for outside fixes and take a deep look inside yourself for answers. Change who you are so you can get better results. You just might be surprised at what you discover.

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Click here for more information about Perry Nickelston, DC, FMS, SFMA.