Practicing Chiropractic: Your Peers' Biggest Mistakes and Achievements

"By taking the time to stop and appreciate who you are and what you've achieved – and perhaps learned through a few mistakes, stumbles and losses – you actually can enhance everything about you. Self-acknowledgment and appreciation are what give you the insights and awareness to move forward toward higher goals and accomplishments." — Jack Canfield, author of Chicken Soup for the Soul and Success Principles

What mistakes have you made in your chiropractic practice? And what about your achievements? Have you risen above those mistakes, missteps and miscalculations to grow as a DC and improve your practice operations?

If you're still in practice (and not on the verge of giving up / changing careers), your achievements likely exceed your mistakes, if not in number, than at least in degree. That's good news, but it doesn't mean you can't keep learning, growing and evolving to the benefit of yourself, your patients and your practice. Here's where our focus group of your chiropractic peers comes in.

To help you enhance your practice and increase your bottom line, we ask practicing doctors of chiropractic like you for ideas and solutions that have been tested in real-world environments. Our latest question: "What's the biggest mistake – and biggest achievement – you've ever made in terms of operating your chiropractic practice?" Here's what your chiropractic colleagues had to say when asked for their candid input.

The Mistakes

If you've been in practice for any length of time and don't think you've ever made a mistake, you probably aren't keeping a close-enough eye on your operations and bottom line. After all, there's always room for improvement. Not getting enough new patients? Collections taking a hit? Social media marketing unresponsive? Any or all of these practice challenges (and more) could be due to mistakes you're making – but not recognizing as such.

Your peers understand they've made mistakes over the years – and learned from them. Here are some of their greatest missteps, shared with you in the hopes you won't endure the same fate:

Not listening to her "inner voice of reason" proved to be Dr. Jennifer Hartmann's biggest mistake in practice. "[I] ended up evaluating a patient that I should have just referred out. This particular incident ended up shaping how I treat today," said the Pennsylvania chiropractor.

Minnesota DC Dr. Mark Reps' biggest practice mistake was "not delegating soon enough. Delegating gives the doctor more time with his patients and takes his mind off the small stuff that he shouldn't be hassled with."

"The biggest mistake I've made in operating my practice comes in the form of hiring the wrong person to handle a big task – taxes," said Dr. Danielle Finden, who also practices in Minnesota. "I thought I [had] hired a quality accountant, but several years down the line, I realized that this person was making very costly mistakes for me and my practice." She added: "My advice to new (and seasoned) chiropractors related to my experiences: You pay for what you get when you hire someone to handle an important role in your business."

British Columbia DC Dr. Doug Brandvold's major mistake: "trying to get patients to come in when they felt they were 'fine' or unsure what course of treatment might be best for them. After giving myself 'permission' to stop doing this after the first year or so of practice (despite the 'pressure' from marketing gurus), I became a clinician that always had the best interests of my patients in mind."

Dr. Michael McIrvin from Kansas admits his biggest mistake was "starting out by paying to advertise on the coupon bin at the local grocery store. The price was exorbitant and [I] only received one very low-quality patient."

Dr. Thomas Duddey, a California chiropractor, commented: "During my 23 years in practice, I would have to say [one of] my biggest mistakes was not talking chiropractic philosophy in my early years of practice. As I began to feel comfortable in my chiropractic skin, I began to attract more of the kind of wellness-based patients that I wanted to treat. The other mistakes [were] not X-raying new patients enough and not giving a solid ROF with diagnosis."

Finally, marketing his services via the radio proved to be a big mistake for New Jersey chiropractor Dr. Gerald Lane. "Radio is a very bad medium for marketing chiropractic," he said emphatically. "Simple answer: Just don't do it."

The Accomplishments

If you're still in practice, you've obviously survived the inevitable bumps along the road and reached some level of achievement. Looking for more? Take heed of what your peers have to say about their greatest achievements in chiropractic practice.

"The best way we have found to have a successful DC clinic is to be honest," said Idaho DC Dr. Carl Glaettli. "We run a no-frills, no-gimmick, down-to-earth clinic. We have on the average more than 50 new patients monthly with no advertising."

Dr. Lane mentioned two achievements that enhanced his practice success: "a) getting the best location I could, which I did based on what I learned at UBCC: low overhead, great parking (across from a supermarket), and in a major city (Newark, N.J.); b) becoming a certified medical examiner (CME) – this brought in potential patients, increased cash flow, improved the image of chiropractors professionally, and allowed me to meet the kind of patients I like best: the self-employed manual laborers who pay cash."

Dr. Duddey's biggest accomplishment: "[having] great online reviews and based on this, being voted best chiropractor in Orange County."

"My greatest achievement has to be taking over an existing practice of 15 years that was 'in the red' and growing it almost 450% in the first year," said Dr. Hartmann. "Over the past four years, I took the practice from an under $50K a year revenue to over $400K a year in revenue. And we were able to keep almost 50% of the existing patient base from the original physician."

Dr. McIrvin listed certification to utilize a specific microcurrent device as his biggest achievement. Why? Because it has given him "the ability to treat any kind of pain, insomnia, anxiety, depression and stress. It has changed my entire practice."

Said Dr. Brandvold: "Success was this realization [that my patients always come first], and although it is true some patients 'left' after giving a comprehensive evidence-based ROF, a reputation of trust grew in the community because of my demonstrated and unbiased knowledge, ensuring referrals from other patients and health care providers."

"Like all DCs, the best thing we do is help those who can't otherwise be helped," said Dr. Reps. "We are often the last stop on the train line for patients and often the best stop. Healing what can't be healed is my and anyone who has practiced greatest achievement."

"One of my biggest accomplishments in the operations of running a practice was successfully moving office locations over a single weekend without skipping a beat in treating patients and not losing any patients as a result of the move," said Dr. Finden. "Even the insurance paperwork all got handled properly and timely. ... Planning accompanied by proper communication can help you streamline and stay organized, even in the midst of a relocation effort."

Mistakes and achievements often go hand in hand, with lessons learned from the former paving the road for the latter. Make your mistakes count by vowing not to repeat them and by continually evaluating your practice to ensure you are maximizing its growth potential.

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Editor's Note: Interested in joining our focus pool and sharing your perspectives on chiropractic practice with your peers? Send us an email at editorial@mpamedia.com.