By Dr. Fred DiDomenico

 

 

There are many great management groups that are helping docs grow their practices and achieve success, yet it seems many management group have similar challenges with their clients.  As a client of a handful of management groups while in practice as a purpose driven, spinal corrective doctor using CBP and some Pettibon techniques, I found myself faced with similar challenges in each system that I found frustrating.

#1.  They talked about pain as a motivator for spinal correction:  It’s true that patients want to get out of pain very fast.  Many management groups also know people buy with emotions and justify with fact.  This is why some groups get an emotional response from the patient by associating how their pain is affecting their life.  You quiz them on ADL’s and what they can no longer do or feel because of their pain.

These management groups believe this will elicit a strong emotional response, which is commonly taught.  Although this is a great motivator, you spend time talking about something that will be gone in 3 visits or 2 weeks.  This is TERRIBLE for a spinal corrective doc, since you can get them out of pain VERY quickly.  In 2 weeks they say, “Thanks doc!  Now I can do ALL the things I couldn’t do when my back hurt.  You’re the best,” as they walk out your door.  You have a satisfied patient who will be back EVERY time their back hurts.  As a principled, spinal corrective doctor, these types of patients are frustrating.

Solution:  ADDRESS their pain, but don’t FOCUS on it.  People are paying more money every year to be healthy.  The principle of chiropractic is a subluxated spine causes disease.  FOCUS on organ problems and their overall health.  Ask about their pain and then say, “Postural weakness from shifts in whole curves of the spine can ALSO weaken the nerves in your back to your….. digestive tract, reproductive organs, bladder and cause…..bladder infections, constipation/diarrhea, menstrual cramps, etc.”

Focus on their organs and you will discover MANY of your patients are experiencing at least 10 organ problems that are MORE of an emotional hook than their pain.  NOW ask them how their organs are affecting their life.  Now curve correction is about improving their overall health, which takes a LIFETIME to maintain.  Your PVA will now double.  Guess what?  Your success, especially with a spinal corrective practice, is DEPENDENT on your PVA.  Pain care leads to low PVA’s and frustration.

#2.  Building your practice by getting more new patients:  For some reason, many management groups think the size of your practice is related to the amount of new patients you bring in.  This is an absolute fallacy.  In fact, having your practice becoming dependent on tons of new patients to maintain or grow your practice means you are STRESSED and spending your profits!  This indicates your systems for retention and patient referrals may be weak. 

You should get new patients, hopefully because you are getting consistent referrals from patients who stay and are excited about their care.  As a spinal corrective doctor, your systems should communicate curve changes, posture and its relation to their specific emotional health problem.  They should recognize progressive postural correction with progressive restoration of organ and overall health.  Every re-exam their posture and structure are stronger as you monitor their body’s recovery toward better health.  You will have an excited patient that will stay AND pay for the remainder of their program.  It is ALOT easier to keep an existing patient than be dependent on the next new patient vehicle that may or may not resonate with you to keep your practice going.

Solution:  Get their organ problems on Day #1 and monitor their progressive postural and organ improvement every 30 days.  Your consultation, NP Exam, ROF, Daily visit and Re-Exam ALL geared toward organ problems should ALL stimulate more referrals AND improve your retention. 

#3.  Focusing on Arthritis:  Using the Phases of Degeneration chart is good, but NOT the key to long term retention or a pre-pay for their care.  Many management groups are great at communicating “progression.”  Few are great at URGENCY.  The minute you say, “What will happen if you allow your condition to progress in the next 5 years, 10 years, etc?”   You just told them you have 5 – 10 years to think about it!  This is why they won’t add to their credit card balance when they just paid them off, get their kids braces, go on a family vacation, etc. instead of paying and commiting to your recommendations.  They have time. This is VERY common in many management groups’ ROF.

 

Solution:  Say, “What is happening to your health RIGHT NOW, AS YOU STAND THERE, EVERY MINUTE YOU ALLOW YOUR CONDITION TO PROGRESS…”  They have to say their health is declining every minute their weakened posture is continuing to collapse putting more and more stress on their nervous system AND organs.  RIGHT NOW is the key.  Talk in present time and you will see their priority change.

#4.  Their systems and communication doesn’t match true spinal correction and rehabilitation:  You pay thousands of dollars and you are told to memorize scripts that don’t tell the truth about spinal subluxation and correction.  Therefore, it won’t resonate with you completely.  Then if you don’t follow their system EXACTLY they tell you that your problem is you are not following their script.  It is difficult to do something that is against your core values. 

In truth, the spine subluxates regionally, whole curves AND segmentally, most of the time within a regional, curve subluxation.  The strictly segmental approach is not the complete truth and also doesn’t match your treatment when you are correcting curves with traction, Mirror Image Exercises®, body weighting and more.  The reality is we know more than just a segmental subluxation and this is now the well known truth of spinal subluxation and correction.  The truth is posture more than segment.

Solution:  The truth of postural distortion is when one region of the spine subluxates, the rest of the spine adapts and the other curves in the spine will subluxate.  Therefore, many problems in one area of the spine began in other weakened areas of the spine.  In fact, most of the time, their primary complaint began somewhere other than where it hurts.  If patients don’t understand this fact, how can they commit to FULL spine correction? 

Next, talk about their organs and you will find they had organ problems in the original subluxated area LONG BEFORE their back hurt. Their history of organ problems is a sign when their original subluxated curves began and what spinal area are the cause of their condition.  When your scripts match the truth of spinal subluxation and your technique, you will FEEL far more comfortable with your communication. 

Next, incorporate coaching communication into your scripts aligned with true spinal correction and you will learn how to inspire your patients on a MUCH higher level to correct their spine for better overall health.
I believe it is time to update many management group’s teachings.  We need to go beyond;

 

1. Here’s your problem
2. Here’s how long
3. Here’s how much, with strictly a segmental approach.

Let’s definitely match the truth of Chiropractic, spinal subluxation, spinal rehabilitative correction, focus on organ problems and create high priority for better overall health and maybe we can also change the perception of the general public, beginning with US!

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