It’s a bottom-line question assessing your practice survival.
Chiropractic is classically defined as being a science, a philosophy, and an art. This episode will dive into the “art” portion of that definition.
As chiropractors, just like all primary care physicians, we all struggle with getting patient’s to make behavior changes. They generally come to us with issues that are caused or intensified by poor life choices. Unfortunately, changing that behavior can be difficult.
If we can’t change the patient’s behavior, then it becomes very difficult to deliver positive results. If we can’t deliver results, then patients won’t be saying very nice things about us. Therefore, our ability to generate behavior change can be a measurable correlate to our ability to improve patient retention and referrals.
Some of us come by this naturally and some of us see this as a constant struggle. Regardless, the following concepts will either help you sustain your success or improve your outcomes:
- Listen – actually shut up and listen
- Understand – don’t be thinking about your fantasy line-up… make notes
- Clarify – talk to the patient to ensure you understand their problem correctly
- Verify – allow the patient to verify that your understanding is correct
- Guide – use the opportunity to start behavior change from a point of trust and connection
Following this flow will allow you to make the behavior changes necessary for your patients to rave about you to their family, friends, and co-workers.
Good Luck and #keepmoving
Dr.J