Educating Patients: How Your Peers Do It

To help you enhance your practice and increase your bottom line, we ask practicing DCs like you for ideas and solutions that have been tested in real-world environments. In this issue, we asked: "Educating new patients: what works?" Here's what some of your peers had to say.

Educate, Don't Indoctrinate

Daniel Wills, DC, of Johnstown, Ohio, said that "what must be avoided is any attempt at 'indoctrination.' There is a difference. Education focuses on the potential benefits of your recommended course of care with appropriate facts to back up your assertions. Indoctrination involves focusing on the perceived negatives of not following through with your recommended care.

"Both could potentially 'land' you that coveted new patient, but educated patients are the ones who continue to visit you for years, refer friends and family, and tell their other doctors about you in glowing terms. We, as a profession, need to abandon indoctrination in favor of factual education," Wills said.

Providing details also matters, said Chad Mathey, DC, of Longmont, Colo. "I explain subluxation in my exam. I tell them this is what I'm looking for and what I treat. During the ROF, I give details about the X-ray I've taken and make it very serious. After all, if it weren't serious, they wouldn't be in my office."

"During the office visit, I keep it to chiropractic and [avoid] small talk," Mathey continued. "I always reassure them they are doing the right thing and they are getting better. I always have something to say at each visit. Whether it's about their condition, the consequences of an uncorrected subluxation, comparative treatments, or comparative costs, I always make it a point to say something about the care and never downplay it. 'You gotta keep 'em focused or you'll lose 'em' - D.D. Palmer."

Mathey added: "I also do a patient orientation class that's mandatory for each patient if they're going to be a patient in our office."

Stay on Message

Several doctors raised the point that patients aren't really helped, much less educated, when the doctor and the environment don't consistently reinforce a chiropractic and health-oriented message.

"My clinic is about 90 percent referral and I no longer pay to advertise anywhere aside from a basic Web site," said Michael Holloway, DC, of San Antonio. "I believe strongly in patient education and spend a bit more time talking with new patients during their first two visits. Subsequent visits find me reinforcing various health matters as I adjust their spines.

"Additionally, there is nothing on my walls that doesn't have to do with chiropractic or other health subjects (e.g., nutrition). This is the same with magazines or any paraphernalia that may be lying about my waiting room. You will not find People, Sports Illustrated or other such magazines. Patients can read that garbage anywhere. I expect them to always leave smarter than when they came in!"

Joseph La Barbera, DC, of Utica, N.Y., agreed: "Get back to specific, corrective, traditional chiropractic principles and the application of the adjustment and you do not need any gimmicks or advertising. Patients will see the results and will not need to be persuaded or scared into care. As a result, they refer and stay."

A personal bond with patients helps keep you in their mind when they need care, said G.L. Brettmann, DC, of Texas. "Our way of reactivating has always been good: a personal phone call from the doctor or an e-mail. Patients love it when their doctor takes a personal interest in them to call and check on their health status, and invite them back for a re-evaluation of systems, to get their health back on track," he said. "They don't feel like a number on the assembly line or just know there is genuine concern for their health. When the Dr. takes time to personalize communications, the doctor-patient relationship becomes a tighter bond."

Advance Work

Technology and a consistent process for working with patients can help retain them. Kelly Reed, DC, of Lewisville, Texas, said he schedules new patients separately from established patients. He also uses video to explain what subluxation is and always has a written ROF. During treatment, he explains the "progression from relief care through corrective care to maintenance."

Steven Brooks, DC, of San Angelo, Texas, finds that "online information helps patients before their first visit ... and after. Having the ability to see info on their condition, understand some of the treatment and get an idea of time and number of visits really eliminates a lot of the 'work' I have to do in the patient education department. I use spine health for my info, posting videos on my Facebook, using their newsletter for print and e-mail. They take all the work out of it and do a really great job!"

Where Do They Hurt?

Technology helps, say your colleagues, but face-to-face conversation continues to be the best way to educate.

"The year was 1968. I was assigned to write an article about chiropractic in our high school paper because my father was a chiropractor. Some students then had no idea what a 'choir-practor'" was," said Stephen Stone, DC, of Akron, Ohio. "One day, I followed my father as he treated his patients. In his exam room, I remember seeing the patient sitting in a big green chair. My father sat in front of the patient, face to face, and said, 'Tell me where you hurt.' The patient talked; my father listened.

"All during the exam and treatment, my father talked to his patient in a quiet voice, explaining why they hurt, how chiropractic care will help them and what they can do at home to help themselves. He did this with every patient, every time.

"My father taught me that the word doctor means teacher. The doctor is to take the time to teach their patients, talk to them, reassure them and remove fear. Then when a patient has pain, questions and fears, they come to their doctor.

"Ten years later, I established my own chiropractic practice. ... The majority of my patients have been with me for over 20 years. Many of my new patients are the children of my first patients. Every time, I sit in front of my patient and say, 'Tell me where you hurt.' Thanks, Dad."