Snap Out Of It!

In the current economic and health care environment, there is an ever increasing need to create, and monitor, cash flow within our chiropractic practices. The insurance industries efforts towards reducing their payments to all health care providers has an immediate impact on chiropractic practices. The so-called economic recession can also be credited with reducing the number of patients we see and the amount of income we receive. In fact, if we were to spend the time, we most certainly could create an extensive list of reasons and justifications for the sorrowful position we find ourselves in, and the even more dismal outlook we perceive for the future.

But I say, "Snap out of it!"

Let us not forget why we are here. Life is dynamic, and so is the chiropractic profession. Anyone who studies the history of chiropractic should both be amazed and inspired. From our origins in 1895, we are still expanding in both numbers of chiropractors and patients served.

Our purpose is what has fueled our train to this point, and we must rekindle this fire for the next uphill run. In the late '70s and through the middle '80s, our train was cresting the hill of a cyclical curve. Chiropractic expansion was evident by the increasing utilization of our services, as well as the growing number of health care insurance dollars that we were collecting.

Most recently, the insurance companies have been tightening the valve on cash flow to all health care providers, especially chiropractors.

So, snap out of it!

We can't sit next to the ever shrinking puddle of insurance payments and moan about how we don't have enough flow. And, we can't reach up and try to pull more water from the tightened faucet.

We must realize that we do not have any direct control over the flow of those insurance dollars. Yes, we most certainly should document our treatment, write reports, and act in the most professional manner possible, when communicating with insurance companies and regulatory agencies. However, we must also realize that they have a big hand and their objective is to close that valve and turn off the cash flow to you and me.

 

So What is the Solution?

We can choose to meet force with force, and in that situation the most powerful will triumph. Or, as Sun Tzu teaches in the Chinese classic, The Art of War, we may choose to complete with their weakness rather than their strength.

Anyone who lived through the Vietnam era might learn from the experience of the underequipped, pathetic looking Viet Cong, who overcame the might of the greatest military force on the planet. Or, how one man with a vision, goal and purpose--Mahatma Gandhi--overcame all the power and forces of the British Empire, to free his nation.

Don't Compete with Their Strength, Compete with Their Weakness.

Be guided by your vision, goal and purpose and do not be moved, as your cause is just.

As chiropractors, we offer the most viable voice for freedom in health care. Our message is personal responsibility and the application of correct living. Our method is educating our patients, and mobilizing their vital healing forces.

Our strength lies in our just cause, and in our ability to work one on one with human beings who really want to be free of drugs and the hopeless path of crisis intervention, rather than health management.

So, if you have cash flow problems, don't focus on the problem. Create your own solution by using the tools that you control.

You can make a unique contribution to mankind. As a chiropractor, you have the opportunity to inspire others to be the best they can be.

Focus on your service with all your energy. Be the most ethical and competent doctor you can be. Love what you do, and who you do it for, and you will be drenched in cash flow.

Gerard Berardi, D.C., P.C.
Portland, Oregon