It’s About Time for Chiropractic to Become the Profession to Choose
In my last post, we talked about getting back to the beginning and starting with why…why we became Chiropractors in the first place, why Chiropractic works, why we do what we do every day. Now, I want to take a look at the next generation of Chiropractors and whether or not we are doing enough as a profession to make Chiropractic an attractive choice for those students that are trying to decide what to do with the rest of their lives. Don’t you think that it’s about time we made Chiropractic a great career choice? Yes, it should be about the satisfaction of helping others but we also need to make Chiropractic an economically viable choice as well. Let’s face it…getting an education today is expensive and most students who come out of college are carrying student loan debts, probably in the tens of thousands of dollars. In fact, according to an analysis of government data, the average amount of student loan debt for a graduating college senior is a little over $35,000 and 71% of these graduates have loans to pay back. Add to that the statistics from a 2014 study published in the Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association estimating that 88% of Chiropractic students graduate with between $100,000 and $175,000 in student loans, a massive burden to any Doctor first out of school. In order for students graduating from college to decide to go to Chiropractic school, spending more time, and taking on more debt, they have to be able to see a future where Chiropractic not only allows them to pay off their student loans but also provides them and their families with a nice life. The problem the Chiropractic profession has experienced for many years is that so many of us struggle just to make a living, much less the nice income that we should be able to expect in return for the number of years we spend becoming Chiropractors, the risk we take opening and running our own business, and the hours we devote every week toward improving the lives of others. In fact, in 2010, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a median wage for Chiropractors at just over $67,000, not much in comparison the $140,000 to $300,000 incomes reported by Osteopathic Physicians. I think that it’s about time we made Chiropractic an economically viable profession choice for future students. This means that not only do we need to see more patients, we need to price our services to reflect their importance to the health of our patients. We also have to put systems in place to manage and improve the patient experience so that more people continue Chiropractic care not just through corrective care but also to maintain their health. We must also scrutinize our processes to ensure that every step we take each day is done in the most effective and efficient way. Our offices should function smoothly and at the end of the day when we go home, we should know with 100% certainty that everything has been done and done to the highest possible standards. Making the choice to become a Chiropractor has never been and never will be solely about money. I firmly believe that myself and my fellow Chiropractors have a calling to help others and improve the health and lives of our patients. Still, we can no longer ignore the economic realities and disparities of income experienced by Chiropractors in comparison to other healthcare professionals. We have a duty to future Chiropractors to increase the income of our profession as a whole and make Chiropractic an economically viable choice. It’s about time.
Starting with My Why
I recently read the book “Start with Why” by Simon Sinek . It really hit home with me that the reason behind why we do something is often so much more important than our actions themselves. This made me re-evaluate my life, my business, and the Chiropractic profession as a whole. In many ways, our profession has come so far but looking at it from this new perspective, I could see how we have often gotten away from our true values, what made us Chiropractors in the first place. It made me think of one phrase, again and again…”It’s about time.” There are so many things in Chiropractic that it’s about time for, don’t you think? It’s something you are going to be hearing from me over and over because it is time for progress. In that spirit, I think that it’s about time that you know my background and why I became a Chiropractor in the first place. It’s important because my why has made me who I am. It’s driven me to not only help patients but to help other Chiropractors improve the patient experience and build practices that get back to the root of the profession, making sure that every patient understands the importance of Chiropractic in their lives, in their health, and in creating their futures. I was always an athlete and into health and wellness. I always steered away from medications. I was also very into science and found that I was good at biology and math, so in my second year of undergraduate, I decided to become a biology major. The problem was that I didn’t have a direction, a passion. By the end of college, I still did not know what I was going to do until one day, my mother gave me a call. She told me that she worked with a woman who had a son who was a Chiropractor. He was going to be speaking and asked if I wanted to check it out. I wasn’t expecting much because I had a cousin who was a Chiropractor and I had actually seen one myself for an injury in high school but had never heard anything about the Chiropractic philosophy. Still, I went to the seminar and when he began speaking about what Chiropractic was really about and how it really worked, I knew with 100% certainty that I had found my life’s work. It was a moment of total congruency and surety that only happens a few times in your life. I drove back to school that night where I was just finishing up my biology degree and said, “Hey, I’m moving to Georgia and going to Chiropractic school.” The Chiropractic philosophy became “my why”. It is the reason that I knew with such certainty that Chiropractic held the path for my life, that it was my passion. It is still the reason that I get up each day and work toward improving the patient experience in all Chiropractic offices. The Chiropractic philosophy is the reason behind everything we do in our profession, so isn’t it about time that we all remember why we became Chiropractors in the first place?
MyRxX.com – Save Time, Help Lives
My name is Dr. Scott Levine and, like you, I am a chiropractor. Four years ago, I struggled to get my patients to do their exercises. I would hand a patient an exercise sheet and demonstrate the exercises. Eventually, however, after many follow-ups, I realized that many of my patients were getting poor results because they were not doing the exercises on their own, or not doing them properly. At the time, available exercise videos were limited and of poor quality, so I started to build a software product to help my clients and my profession. The result is MyRxX.com – an exercise video delivery service designed to help chiropractors and their patients. As a chiropractor practicing in a multi-disciplinary clinic, I had the benefit of using the site with my patients daily so I could receive feedback about how to make myRxX better by tweaking. It was then successfully tested in international clinics to ensure that it worked perfectly before we launched it. MyRxX.com is much more than a video-exercise delivery site. It also functions as a marketing, communications and lead generation site. Each exercise is based on functional strengthening. My background has been specializing in muscle testing and Kinesiology. I created a 12 hour CE course in CE4you.com to teach those interested in how to test all the muscles for weakness. Prescribing the appropriate exercise was an easy extension. Imagine ending your next health talk by offering a free video exercise program to help improve the musculoskeletal (MSK) complaints of the participants. I can assure you that the majority will sign up. This software can help you quickly and simply manage these leads by tracking activity and sending messages to the group. Instead of giving my business card to potential patients, I provide them with exercises through the site. As they follow their exercises online, they are also viewing my white-labeled clinic information so they know how to reach me for further chiropractic help. This patient portal becomes an extension to your brand, location and online presence. The patient portal has a separate patient site called VideoExercises.com which allows them to view their program on any mobile device. In a marketing and communications capacity, the site allows you to upload your own clinic videos. Think of the possibilities – videos like “Welcome to the Clinic,” “Why Orthotics,” or introducing yourself to potential clients. Better than YouTube, because of the virtual wall that keeps them focused on only your prescribed health videos. Additionally, the Doctor’s Portal gives quick optics on patient engagement which allows you to monitor your patient’s’ compliance with the recommended exercises or clinic health videos. I have found that my patients are even more motivated to do their exercises now because they know that I am tracking their progress and keeping them accountable. Imagine your patient comes in and tells you their back pain has returned, instead of feeling the sole responsibility to getting them better, you can now check their engagement and address if they have not been keeping up with their core routine. This transfer has changed the responsibility to an equal partnership. Doctor-patient communication has never been easier or more secure with our 2-way messaging system that connects you and your patients. It is much more responsive than email, and the saved communications can become part of the patient files. The biggest benefit of the website is its ability to provide high-quality, personalized and easily-accessible exercise programs which improve the quality of your patients’ lives by helping them manage and prevent the pain and disability associated with MSK weakness. Ongoing support and feedback, as well as the ability to access the exercises on their own time will empower your patients to stay active between visits and to have a more direct role in their own health. This year we are integrating with your Genesis patient management software. This will allow you to click prescribe exercises right from the patients SOAP notes. A seamless, quick method to further your patient care without slowing you down. For any questions about the MyRxX service, or for further information, please email me personally. I would be happy to connect with you and your team. Feature Benefit Benefit of Benefit 2 Click Prescription Fast Save Time White Labeled Exercises are with your branding Easy to contact, easy to refer Drop down searching No exercise Knowledge necessary Accurate Doctor prescriptions Views See how many times your patient is exercising. Able to motivate and create accountability with your patient. Leads Keeps potential patients separate from patient list. Allows for 1-click prescription to large groups of patients. (ie. Giving a running group stretches) We recommend giving exercises to everyone you meet. It becomes your electronic business card. Messaging 2-way communication between you and your patients Keeps you and you patient connected. Patient feels taken care of even when they are not in your office. Progressions (up to 7 levels) Help patients rehab and get stronger Easy to choose the next exercise by searching for the next level Customizable Allows you to create your own programs Create programs that work for your patient demographic, or simply name the exercise after your clinic. Patient Mobile Patient sees exercises on phone, tablet. Exercise anywhere. Doctor Mobile Send exercises from your phone Treat from anywhere. 1 License for a clinic of doctors & therapists Unified look for the clinic, split fee Low cost Daily Living Videos Self -searchable videos of ADL Help prevent injuries Motivational Email Patient is reminded of your recommendations Patient is more likely to exercise. Functional Exercises Rehab based that are real world Patient gets better with no injuries Transfer to Chiropractic Assistant Manager can Rx exercises on behalf of the doctors Now you pass a note and move on. All Workouts created by all doctors are shared and available to everyone Everyone contributes to the rapid organic growth of the workout library Learn from others with greater expertise. Dr. Scott Levine has been practicing Chiropractic for 18 years.
Dr. Dan Yachter Podcast – Success Principles
Dr. Dan Yachter Podcast about Success Principles View all of the available podcasts on our Chiropractic Leaders Podcasts page.
