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“We Mean Business” is a new TV show, sponsored by Dell Computers, on the A&E network.  The latest show features the “makeover” of a chiropractic office called Spinal Fit in Redondo Beach, California.   The makeover team came in with guns blazing to save the office from its primary problem: lack of patients.

Their solutions:

1. A new networked computer system (provided by Dell, of course) and QuickBooks.  And new appointment software (not sure what this was(.

2.  New front door and reception room decor, with a big computer screen (provided by Dell, of course)  to show off the services the office provides.

3.  New  seminar room with a computer and digital video projector (provided by you-know-who) so the doctor could show videos for patient lectures.

Of course, the team left, and now what?  Is this stuff supposed to fix all the doctor’s problems?

1.  Sure, they showed the staff how to use QuickBooks and the appointment scheduling software.  But did they teach them how to cluster book or to re-schedule patients or do recalls, to get lapsed patients back in?  I’m betting not.

2.  The  lovely new waiting room probably will make patients feel more comfortable while waiting.  But why did they have that many patients waiting?  The number one complaint by patients in all health care practices is … waiting time.  It would have been better if the rescue team spent more time teaching the doctor how to move patients through the office more efficiently.

3.  The new seminar room will give the doctor a space for lay lectures, new patient lectures.  But does he know how to give a presentation with  lots of good emotional and factual punches, and a “call to action”?  Did he really learn how to get people to sign up?  And stay?  Probably not.

My problem with extreme makeover shows and especially shows like this for businesses is that they over-simplify the problem.  The decor, the computer system, and the lack of a space to hold lectures in the office is NOT this doctor’s problem.  I would like to go back to this office in a year and see how he’s doing.  If he’s doing well, that’s great.  But if he hasn’t solved the more essential problem of getting and keeping patients, don’t be surprised.  What do you think?

1.  Don’t get involved in patient billing or collections.  That is the job of the billing person (what?! You don’t have a billing person?  Get one, now!).  You don’t see medical doctors or dentists talking to their patients about “why didn’t you pay your bill last month?” or “Medicare won’t pay, so you have to.”  Discussing financial issues with patients damage the doctor-patient relationship, which should focus on health care.  If you talk about financial issues with a patient, it sends a mixed message:  “I want to provide you with excellent care, but I’m really more interested in making sure I get paid.”

2.  Don’t discuss appointments, missed appointments, late  appointments, walk-ins with patients.  Let your front desk person do it.  Figure out your policies, communicate them to the front desk person, then stay out of the way.  If you get involved in discussions about “I am too busy to see you now, but come back at the end of the day,” you destroy the credibility of the front desk person (no one will pay any attention to him/her because they know you’ll break the rules).  And don’t contradict the front desk person in front of a patient:  “It’s ok, Jennifer. I’ll see Mrs. Smith, just this once.”  Bad idea.

3.  Finally, don’t get involved in patient/employee, employee/employee disagreements.  In these cases, you will always lose.  Let people work things out on their own.  If the communication breaks down completely:

a.  In the case of a patient vs. an employee, you must support the employee.  If you don’t, you won’t have any employees left.  Set policies, stick to them (see #2 above), and support your employees as they deal with these policies.  If the policy is bad, change it, but don’t do it in front of a patient.

b.  In the case of employee/employee, you will never win trying to arbitrate.  If they feel you’re taking sides, both will resent you.  If they aren’t speaking to one another, tell them you’ll fire them both unless they agree to get along.  You’d be surprised how fast they can “make up.”

In all three of these situations, the presence of a policy/procedure before there is need for one (i.e., before the crisis happens) is vital.  Sit down before you start your practice and set out a policy manual, an employee benefits/office rules manual, and procedures for dealing with patient.  I have an ebook clled “The Practice Manual” on my website  that you can download, along with a template to fill in.

How would you handle these types of situations?

Fear of speaking is the #1 fear in the U.S.; more people are afraid of speaking in public than of dying. I figure it’s because you don’t want people to laugh at you, and you don’t care about that if you’re dead.  As a health care professional, you’ll need to be out in public talking about chiropractic.  It’s the best way to get new patients and get yourself respected and noticed in the community.

The best way to overcome your fear of speaking is to join TOASTMASTERS.  I have been a part of the Toastmasters Club at Palmer for several years, and I’ve seen dramatic improvements by students in ability to feel comfortable in front of an audience.  Form a club on your campus or find a local club right away.  Any city of any size will certainly have a Toastmasters Club. 

To overcome learn more about shyness and how to overcome it, here is a great article with tips from Think Simple Now.  The faster you overcome this fear, the sooner you’ll be able to relate to people and get them through Know-Like-Trust - absolutely essential for building a chiropractic practice.