The Loss that Led Me to Focus on Patient Experience in Chiropractic
In chiropractic school, we are taught to examine, identify problems, create care plans, and to adjust patients. A lucky, or more prepared, few of us may have taken outside seminars to learn about strategies to bring more patients into our office, billing tactics to increase revenue, or practice management techniques. Yet, for all that we learn, the hours and years we put in to become Doctors of Chiropractic, we are never taught the most important part of having a truly successful business. We’re never taught to focus on the patient experience. Just out of chiropractic school, I was no different. I was running what I believed was a successful practice. I was helping a lot of patients and making a lot of money.. At the same time, I was trying to wear too many hats – business owner, staff manager, doctor. Things were falling through the cracks without me knowing until it was too late. I will never forget the day one of my patients came in and told me he was thinking of killing himself. No doctor is every really prepared to hear something like this, much less, a young doctor, still learning. My patient’s name was Chris and he had come to see me for low back pain, something chiropractors see every day. He had received his report of findings, had proceeded with care, and was getting great results and relief from the pain. At his words, I felt shock. I asked what had happened. The story he told me was incredible. After coming to the class that I held for new patients, he had decided to turn his life around. Hearing the chiropractic message and learning how his health affected every aspect of his life as well as his family’s life, he had made a life-changing decision. He quit drinking. He quit drugs. He was going to get healthy for his wife and children and he was going to do it cold-turkey. But now, he felt like taking his own life. After listening to Chris’ story, I was amazed that he had been affected so deeply by the chiropractic message and thankful that he had truly understood it to the point that he was determined to change his health to improve the future for himself and his family. And, I’ll admit, I was proud that my class, my words, had been good enough to change a man’s life. Yet, how could someone who had understood the message on such a deep level now think of killing himself? Chris and I spoke about what he was feeling and how, after the years of punishment his body had been through, it was natural to have difficulty trying to achieve homeostasis again. I explained how the chemicals in his system had been affecting his whole life, including his thoughts and how things were now trying to balance out as his body fought to move toward health. He understood. He got it, just like he did the chiropractic message, and we continued care. Then came the day when I realized that Chris had not been in for a visit in a while. Chris had understood the chiropractic message so completely that he should have been a patient for life. I pulled his chart to find out what had happened. That is when it became clear that once again, something important had fallen through the cracks. Chris had missed appointments, yet we had not followed up with him. His care plan had expired and his billing was not in order. These things that are so vital to patient retention had been missed. I immediately called Chris to find out how he was and to set up an appointment for a follow-up. That is when I found out that Chris was dead. He had taken his own life, just like he had talked to me about. That is when I knew with complete certainty that the systems we had in place were not enough. We tried to call patients who missed appointments, follow-up on care plans, pre-arrange billing with patients, and so many other tasks every single day. Yet, sometimes, my staff became overwhelmed or simply forgot. Other times, they would give up calling a patient who had not responded. And, so many of our systems relied on memory, leaving my staff and I to juggle all of the responsibilities, hoping no one dropped the ball. We only knew to follow-up with patients when I or one of my staff realized someone had not been in to see us for a while. We only knew to check on insurance claims when someone remembered we had not been paid. I knew that other industries used different technologies and software to manage the customer experience. Yet, the Chiropractic profession had no software to manage the Chiropractic patient experience effectively. There were many chiropractic software companies and practice management softwares available. However, not a single one broke down the patient experience into manageable tasks. And, not one offered one simple daily report to let the doctor know whether the necessary tasks had been performed. Instead, they all forced the doctor to wade through piles of reports, to check each individual aspect of the practice, an ineffective and time-consuming chore, at best. To find a solution, I had to go outside of the chiropractic profession, to find out what big businesses use to manage the customer experience. Since that time, I have dedicated myself to finding a better technology to break down and manage every aspect of the patient experience and making it available to chiropractors. And, so that I would never forget the man who first opened my eyes to the necessity of managing the Chiropractic patient experience, I named my son Christian in his honor.
Chiropractic Software Patient Education Promotes Compliance
Getting Past No Can Dr. Ben get past the negativity and work out a solution for his patient education needs? Carmen was helping Jonathan with his homework when Ben arrived home from work. He hadn’t expected kindergarten to have homework — but he also hadn’t expected the meeting at his practice to go so badly. Ben gave a feeble smile over Jonathan’s head as the little boy excitedly told him all about his day, and Carmen responded with a concerned look. Ben was able to set aside the workday as Jonathan described the wonders of kindergarten to him, and the whole family finished up the homework and put it carefully into Jonathan’s backpack. “He’s really enjoying school,” Ben observed as Jonathan ran outside to play. “I know! It’s such a relief — I was worried that he wouldn’t like it,” said his wife. “And of course he’d have to go anyway.” Ben nodded gravely. “Looks like you didn’t really enjoy work today,” Carmen prodded. “And I had to go anyway!” Ben chuckled. “Actually, it was great up until the meeting at the end of the day. I hate meetings.” “You were so well prepared! How come it didn’t go well?” “Actually, the partners had some good points,” Ben admitted. “I guess that’s why I’m so frustrated by it. Somehow when we get together, we just end up in one big negative group mood, listing all the reasons ideas won’t work. I left pretty convinced that my idea won’t wor “So you went in and told them that patient education would increase compliance, and that you need some kind of tool that’s more versatile than a skeleton. Then what?” Ben leaned in. “They said that the body is a very complex system, and we all went to school for years to know what we know. Our patients can’t expect to understand it more fully than they do, and no special tools are going to make it completely clear.” Carmen frowned. “There’s a difference between being a doctor and being an informed patient. Just because patients don’t always fully understand the explanations they’re getting right now, that doesn’t mean that they couldn’t understand enough to help them see the value of adhering to their treatment plan. Especially with some kind of visual or hands-on support. I know those things make a difference when I’m training new workers.” “That’s a good point,” said Ben. “I guess just deciding that it’s hopeless doesn’t make a lot of sense.” “What else did they say?” Ben sighed. “At one point someone said that our patients should just trust us, and that it was all the fault of the internet.” Carmen laughed. “I know it sounds funny, but at the time, we were all getting into that discussion. Some of us are more committed to patient education than others, but even I joined that complaint fest. It does seem as though noncompliance is getting worse.” “So patients with a little information are deciding that they don’t have to do what their doctors say?” Carmen scoffed. “Even if that’s true, the solution surely would be more education, and more accurate information. You can’t stop people from finding information online, but you can be the most trusted source of information.” “You’re making a lot of sense here,” Ben said. He was feeling more cheerful. “I think I can go back with these points, once everyone has had a chance to think about it. I guess a lot of the negative reaction was just about change.” “Change is stressful,” Carmen agreed. “Even if it’s going to be better, it’s more trouble to change than to keep doing what you’re doing.” “What we’re doing isn’t working as well as it should,” Ben said. “I guess I went in with an idea and no real solution, and when everybody went into the usual naysaying, I got swept up in it.” “That’s probably why you hate meetings,” Carmen suggested. “But sometimes people just automatically shoot down an idea even though, with more thought, they’d see the value. I think you should go ahead and identify the tools you need. Make sure they’ll fit into the practice’s regular routine, and bring it up again.”
Chiropractic Software Easy Patient Education
What Do You Really Want? Is knowing what he wants a good enough starting point for Dr. Ben’s patient education program? “I know you’re all about systems,” Ben began, pouring a cup of coffee for his wife. “You know it,” she said, breathing in the heady aroma. “So I’m going to lay this out in a completely systematic way. First, patient noncompliance is a big problem, not just for us but for medical professionals all over the country. I hear that noncompliance costs the U.S. $290 billion a year.” Carmen raised her eyebrows. “Beyond that, patients who follow through on their treatment plans and show up for their appointments and make the lifestyle changes we recommend–” “Compliant patients, in other words,” Carmen said. “Those patients see better results, are happier, and are less likely to go elsewhere for future treatment. In fact, having patients who adhere to their treatment plans leads to a more efficient and cost-effective healthcare delivery system. It also means less patient churn and more professional satisfaction for us.” Carmen nodded. “Very clear so far. Patients who do what you tell them are a good thing.” “Point two is that patients who really understand what’s going on are more likely to cooperate with us and follow through on the things they’re supposed to do.” “Ergo, patients need to be educated.” “Ergo makes it sound especially important. Do you mind if I use that when I pitch this to my partners?” Ben smiled and Carmen returned his smile. “So I think we need a clear, systematic way to educate our patients,” Ben continued. “It needs to be something all of us can use everywhere in the office, and ideally our patients should be able to share it at home, because we know that home support makes a lot of difference.” “Then you need to be able to email it to them, whatever it is,” Carmen suggested. “That’s the easiest way to share things.” “Right. And people respond best to visual information, so it can’t just be a letter or something like that.” “Hmmm.” Carmen pursed her lips thoughtfully. “I’m sold on the idea that you need to educate your patients to increase compliance, and that you need some kind of tools to accomplish this.” “Good,” said Ben, sipping his coffee. “Now what? Is it time for the big sales pitch where you show me a set of encyclopedias?” “I don’t think encyclopedias will do it. In fact, I don’t know what will do it.” “At least you know what you’re looking for,” Carmen said. “That’s what I figured. I have a clear idea and I can go out and find a solution.” “If you explain it that systematically,” his wife suggested, “your partners might even help you.” “Especially if I say ‘ergo,’” Ben finished with a wink. Is knowing what he wants a good enough starting point for Dr. Ben’s patient education program? Disclaimer: For HIPAA compliance, all characters appearing in this post are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons or actual events is purely coincidental.
Chiropractic EHR | “The Cancer Killers” by Dr. Charles Majors
Have you ever wanted to help someone with cancer, but you didn’t know what to tell them? It’s a very sensitive subject. What can you do to help your patients get the education they need when it comes to fighting cancer? Genesis Chiropractic Software brings you Dr. Charles Majors, author of The Cancer Killers; The Cause is the Cure. Hear Dr. Majors tell his personal story, and how he won his fight through natural, principled cancer treatments! Dr. Charles Majors is the co-author of two books – Maximized Living Makeover and Cruise Ship or Nursing Home. He graduated from the University of Illinois with a bachelors of science and went on to receive his doctorate degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic. He is a highly sought-after speaker and has given hundreds of live lecture events in the past 10 years, during which time he opened five clinics. In September 2010, Dr. Majors was diagnosed with an incurable bone marrow cancer that metastasized to his brain. He chose to leave conventional medicine and applied the same principles he had been teaching for years to reverse his own cancer and not only survive but thrive. Dr. Majors lives in Plainfield, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, with his beautiful wife Andrea and their four children. …And now Dr. Majors is sharing his entire his entire story with you!