Archive for the ‘New patient ideas’ Category

Rock solid webinar!

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

webinarimage

Last week, as you may have heard, we hosted our first webinar-How to give a rock solid report of findings.

It was great, and I can’t wait to host the next one!

The webinar lasted a full hour, so I did not have ample time to answer many of the questions that were asked. I will include the questions and answers below.

Feel free to add comments as you see fit. I’ll update this as more questions come in.

On another note, since this webinar was such a success, I was wondering what kinds of things you would like to learn about in future webinars that can help your practice to grow? Anything from health fairs, to screenings, to whatever you can think of.

Let me know, and I’ll do my coaching-best to deliver good information.

Below are questions from the webinar, followed by answers:

1) Q: How do you deal with an acute situation where the person needs to be treated that first day?

A: I think you are referring to the first visit. If a patient comes in for an acute problem, I will treat them on the first visit. If they are in obvious pain, I want them to find some sort of relief. I will let them know that I normally do not treat on the first visit because it is mostly reserved for gathering as much information as possible to uncover the underlying cause(s) of their problem(s), but since they are in an acute state it is important that they get some relief. I’ll also let them know that acupuncture is not a magic bullet, although it may help alleviate some problems, it may take a series of treatments to get to the root of the problem to avoid these flair ups.

I think it’s important to help patients get out of pain, and it’s also important to let them know that if they do not see immediate changes, it doesn’t mean that acupuncture doesn’t work.

2) Q: Does the patient fill out the Report of Findings first?

A: Some practitioners have their patients fill out the symptoms/signs portion of the ROF form themselves. I don’t. This is what I tell my patients: “Hello patient x, today we are going to do a comprehensive exam {I’ll list out what I will do in the exam} and a simple acupuncture treatment. It’s important to know that today’s treatment will serve two purposes, 1) it will introduce you to the type of acupuncture that I do, and 2) it will allow me to see how your body does or does not react to acupuncture. It’s not a magic bullet, so I don’t expect any major changes, and neither should you. But if there are changes, great! If not, that’s okay too.”

“What I am going to do is put together a report of findings for you that will tell you what I found, what areas are out of balance and possibly contributing to your problem(s), and what acupuncture can and cannot do. If I find that acupuncture is something that can help you I’ll outline a course of care, if not, I will help you find someone who can help you.”

So, I ask them to come back later that week or next week to receive their comprehensive report of findings. They usually last just 15 minutes, I don’t treat during them and have them schedule out ALL suggested care.

3) Q: Should the ROF be in addition to or in place of medical history intake?

A: The Report of Findings should always be in addition to your normal patient health history intake.

4) Q: What if you set up an initial care plan but need to add more herbs or visits than you first thought?

A: Easy. After I set up an initial treatment plan, if I feel it necessary to add more herbs or visits, I will do so. If they have a “flair up” I will have them come in as needed. The care plan is not set in stone and if you feel the need to change and add to the frequency of herbs, self-care, nutrition, etc…then by all means do so.

Just keep in mind that you will be conducting a re-evaluation at a prescribed time and this can allow you another opportunity to adjust your care plan.

5) Q: Are your second visits with ROF as long as your first visit? How long does an ROF take? Do you charge follow up prices for this second visit, or a different price from first visit and follow up visit?

A: My second visit is when I give the ROF to the patient. They are no more than 15-20 minutes and I don’t treat at that visit, or charge. The ROF is included in the first visit price.

6) Q: Do we get a copy of these scripts?

A: There are two scripts that are included in the QuickTime movie that is going to be mailed out to you. They were and are the last two slides from the webinar.

7) Q: What ashi points do you use to get these findings?

A: I use the main front Mu points on the torso, LU 1, CV 3, 4, 5, 12, 14 & 17, LV 13 & 14, ST 25, GB 24, GB 25

If there were any questions I missed, feel free to ask them!

Thanks for joining our webinar!

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Posted in Marketing, New patient ideas, News, Products and Services | 5 Comments »

Don’t let them get away!

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009

The other day I almost threw my back out from lifting and moving my old patient files around. I was not only doing some really, really, late spring-cleaning, but was also looking to tap into my clinic gold mine.

Most of us can agree that we probably have more inactive patients, than active ones. I’ve been working with people for over 11 years and if every single one of them were still active, I would be treating out of 15-20 treatments rooms, seeing over 250 people per week. That’s more work than I want to do right now.

I invest a lot of time and energy into getting and keeping my patients. I believe it is in our best interest keep familiarized with those who already know us, than to constantly try to get new patients. Don’t get me wrong, we need a steady supply of new patients, but this is about keeping my patient base alive and as active as possible.

Sometimes I get memories of certain patients that I have worked with in the past. I wonder where they went or if they’re still around. Many of them just slipped through the cracks for whatever reason. Maybe they got better and thought that acupuncture was no longer needed to facilitate their wellness. Who knows what could have happened.

But those patients that have somehow fallen through the cracks are a gold mine. One of the best things about them is that they have already taken the initial step of coming to see me and have acquainted themselves with the acupuncture experience.

I have spent time getting to know them and building a relationship. It would be a waste of time, energy, and money to just let them slip away into a dusty inactive file.

I can’t stress enough how important it is to keep in regular contact with all past and present patients. The more your patients receive information from you or your clinic, the more likely they are to reschedule and remember you when a new health issue comes up.

Here are a few things I have done, that you can easily do to reactivate your gold mine!

If they don’t reschedule right away, they may at least call and say thanks for thinking about them. Last time I went through my old file, I found out that one of my old patients went to acupuncture school (cool!!), four of them had babies, a few got married, and another moved to Washington DC to work for the new administration (really cool!!)! Try one or two of the ideas below, you’ll see.

  • Send a newsletter – A seasonal newsletter is a great way to reactivate the inactive patients. Four times a year, you have an opportunity to disseminate information about you, your practice, acupuncture, or anything else your heart desires. Use seasonal newsletters as a soapbox for your practice.
  • Seasonal reminders – Four, or five times a year (depending upon how you look at it, Indian Summer or not), you have an opportunity to remind your inactive patients that it’s time to come in for a seasonal tune-up. One great way to do this is with our seasonal bookmarks.
  • Give them a call – Each week, pick up the phone and give 5 inactive patients a phone call. I have found that it’s okay to leave a message. The patients who really like you, but have been caught up in a busy life will truly appreciate a personal phone call. 
  • Send a letter – Go through your inactive file each week and pick 5 patients that you have not seen in a while and send them a letter. It is always nice to receive a handwritten letter. This practice is not common in this day and age with access to high speed wireless internet. It only takes 5 minutes at most to write, address and stamp a personalized letter.

Sending out reminders regularly will give you the chance to successfully reactivate seemingly lost patients. They’ll thank you for remembering them and for wanting to keep them in tip-top shape and you’ll thank them for the continued business—a classic win-win.

Your past clients are a gold mine! Don’t let the gold rush drift away.

Tell me what you think! What do you do to keep your practice alive! :)

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Posted in Industry, Marketing, New patient ideas | No Comments »

I love health screenings!

Wednesday, March 11th, 2009

I don’t mean to sound all mushy or anything, but I just love doing acupuncture health screenings.

There are so many people out there that need our help. There are way too many people on way too many drugs. Check out the video below. I think that we have a wonderful way to help transform the world, one person, and one needle at a time.

All we have to do is get out there and meet and greet as many people as we can, in a professional way. For me, acupuncture health screenings are my way to do this. Today alone, I got 6 new patients, last week 15 and the week before that I think 3 or 4. What I am trying to convey, is that by being out there, in the public eye, and being an ambassador of acupuncture, I can help people to get well and stay healthy, in a healthy and balanced way! And for this, I am grateful!

Posted in Industry, Marketing, New patient ideas | 10 Comments »

Acupuncturists should not be in a recession.

Tuesday, February 17th, 2009

I was reading a marketing column today about the recession and realized that we, as alternative healthcare providers, should potentially be recession proof. It’s true that the economy may not be doing particularly well, but in the scheme of things, it’s not all that bad. It’s sustaining itself, and so should we be.

In the times of a “bad economy,” our patients, their family members, and friends, may not be doing particularly well, and I am not just talking about financially. I am referring to physically and emotionally. That’s why it’s a great time to be a practitioner of Chinese medicine.

Why? Simple. We are in the business of making people feel better! We are trained to address physical and emotional problems, and today there is a high level of emotional stress that translates into physical aches and pains. The overall emotional breakdown with people in the country and around the world, is expressing new and exacerbated ailments that we have a solution for!

So why aren’t people breaking down your door and lining up at your clinic? Good question!

First of all, people’s perception of acupuncture mostly is that it treats pain, they may not be aware that acupuncture can help them be calm and relaxed. Most people are not familiar with the powerful emotional support that acupuncture can offer. That’s why it’s important to shift that paradigm, and I know of no better way to do that than through the powerful benefits of Ear Shen Men, Point Zero and Yin Tang!

That is why I started holding an Happy Hour. I started doing it for a couple of reasons, 1) it’s a great way to quickly show people how quickly acupuncture can reduce stress and anxiety; 2) it’s a great way to break the “I’ve never had acupuncture and am afraid of needles” ice.

On the first day we had it, six people showed up and three of them opted for further treatments. The next time I did it, 10 people showed up and four of them opted for more care.

So, in two days, by just putting our flyers (and not doing much more than that), I got seven new patients. Not bad for a few hours of business canvassing with flyers.

It was sweet and simple. Not only that, but it helped everyone to drop their stress levels down a few notches, and what a wonderful thing to offer people in at this time.

Here’s what I did:

  • I created a flyer
  • I went to local businesses within walking distance and told them about the event and invited them over
  • I asked local businesses if I could place a few flyers near their cash register where they would be easily seen
  • I had a local massage therapist stop by to give chair massages
  • I had the Acupuncture and Stress PowerPoint playing in the treatment rooms

Through education, marketing and holding an Happy Hour you will be able to help shift the paradigm and provide a calmer, more peaceful world, one patient at a time!

In health, prosperity and practice growth!

Jeffrey

Posted in Happy hour, Industry, Marketing, New patient ideas | 23 Comments »

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