As I travel around the country, I have noticed a general change in the way many doctors view their practice and their future. While it's encouraging to see many maintaining a positive upbeat outlook during difficult times, it's disheartening to see so many with a dispirited and defeatist attitude. An attitude of, "I give up, there's no hope, what's the use in even trying?" Whatever happened to the fighting spirit this profession was built on, the "I will fight to serve my patients no matter what" spirit?
It was before my time, but not that long ago, when doctors of chiropractic were put in jail for practicing chiropractic. They were dedicated and committed to this profession and the patients they served. Anyone that thinks times are tough today certainly would not have enjoyed practice in those days, and yet it was the fighting spirit of those pioneers that built this profession.
Everyone knows that being in practice today is different than it was in the past. Managed care has impacted us all. Many practices are down in both patient volume and income. So times are tough, so what? I'm sure most of you could give me a list of "so what's" as long as my arm. The one I am most interested in is, "So, what are you going to do about it?"
The attitude you have about your life, your practice and your future is vital to your happiness and your success. Only you can change your attitude, for better or worse. If you're down and depressed, change it. Only you can.
Step 1: Take responsibility for your life and your actions. If you're going to wait around for someone to make life better for you, you may have a very long wait.
Step 2: If your attitude needs changing, change it.
Step 3: Identify what needs to be changed to make things better and then look for solutions. Learn to ask the right questions. Get in the habit of always looking for solutions by asking, "How or what can I do to make this better?"
The wrong question is usually, "Why me?" The difference between those two questions is like day and night. The first question is an important step in making a positive change. The second question leads to compounding the "poor me" attitude that drives you deeper into depression.
Step 4: Focus, focus, focus! When you focus your attention on a task or goal and develop a plan of action, you concentrate your energy and create power like a laser beam. When you get involved in too many different projects, you defuse your energy until it becomes so dissipated and weak it has little or no power. Over the years I have noticed that when I focus my attention on my practice it goes up, and when I get involved in too many side issues it goes down. There is power in focusing one's thoughts!
Step 5: Take action. As important as focusing is, unless you make a plan and take action, little will change. The plan you make and the action you take is vitally important to your success. That's why it's important to study and research what is the best way to accomplish your goals. Just taking any ol' action won't cut it. If you're in California and want to go to New York and drive west, you'll get wet, but you won't get to New York unless you change your direction. Your action needs to be target-specific and well planned. Once you have made a plan, work your plan, but don't be so rigid that you refuse to change your course of action if it's not working. Also, don't be so wishy-washy that you change your plan every other day.
Self-confidence and self-discipline are important keys in making it all work, perhaps the most important. Entire books have been written on these subjects. Self-confidence comes from a combination of knowledge and a belief in yourself. Self-discipline is something that we must all continually work to improve, but it helps if you have goals that excite you.
Stick to the basics. When companies and athletes begin to have problems, most of the time they go back to the basics, doing what made them successful in the first place. In today's environment, maintaining a successful practice is like a train moving down the tracks. These tracks are the basic foundation of success.
There are two tracks. If the train comes off either track it will derail. In the chiropractic profession, one track is your practice. You must run your practice in an efficient, effective manner. That means excellent communication with your patients, from the staff to the doctor; from the first contact the patient has with the office; to a good report of findings to good communication between the doctor, patient, and staff during the time the patient is under the care of the office. It means providing quality care in an effective manner. Spend the time needed with the patient to give quality care, but don't waste time by making unnecessary steps or doing busy work; don't spend extra time with the patient just because you think you need to justify your fee. Patients can see through that. If you have confidence in yourself and believe your fee is fair, patients will also pick up on that.
The bottom line is, do the basics in your office well. If you don't know the basics of insurance billing, writing reports, recordkeeping, telephone protocol, effective patient communication and management, learn! There is nothing more fundamental and basic to running a practice.
The second track is the teamwork of state and national associations. It is not possible for this profession to advance, let alone exist, without state and national chiropractic associations. That means you have no profession to practice if there are no state and national associations! If there was ever a reason to support your associations, that is it.
No one person can do all of the things that the associations do to keep you in practice. ACA has a staff of 40 individuals (the AMA has a staff of 1,000 and the PTs a staff of 139) working hard to serve the profession in legislative, legal, insurance, membership services and many other areas that no one doctor could possibly do. If you don't belong, you are letting someone else carry your load, and you are weakening the entire profession by draining the strength the associations would have with your support.
The more strength and clout ACA has, the more we can do to help you. Your membership is important to your better future. To those of you that are members, thank you for being part of the solution. To those of you that are not, help yourself and your profession by joining.
I know times are difficult, but this profession will grow and thrive in spite of the changing times if we work together as a team and work to mold and shape the future. The attitude you approach the present and the future with is key to your success. The ball's in your court. What are you going to do with it?
In closing, I leave you with this thought from John D. Rockefeller: "I do not think there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything."
Michael D. Pedigo, DC
San Leandro, California
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