Frustrated With Health Care

Even if we are doing “everything right” in practice to stay the course by keeping a positive attitude, thinking abundance, doing outside talks, and asking for referrals, you’d have to be some sort of “superchiro” not to be feeling the affects of the down economy.  And of course we still have health care insurance companies “beating us up”; it would appear that us New Yorkers aren’t the only ones affected.  So really now, how much of this can we take?!  It would seem that us chiropractors are the new second class citizen.  

The truth is that from my perspective our current healthcare situation doesn’t make me a happy camper.  You see, I have always had aspirations of being wealthy; yes, even in my decision to pursue chiropractic.  Not withstanding this, you know that I did, and still do, have a strong attraction to the science, art and philosophy of chiropractic.  However, when I decided to become a chiropractor, this was just icing on the cake, since I felt that I could make a good living as a chiropractor, which I thought would be parlayed into “fame and fortune”.  Let’s face it, as a self-employed chiropractor we are taking risks, which we are supposed to be rewarded; the question is, are we?

Early in my chiropractic career I dreamed that the money would begin to roll in, which would give rise to investment opportunities.  Then of course, at the end of the trail, I’d have a great practice that a young and aspiring chiropractor would purchase from me for at least $250K . . . my how times have changed?!

Again, not withstanding this, I still dream . . . you see, I happen to be one of those crazy people that believes that while money may not bring me happiness, it is a whole lot easier to be happy with money than without.  In fact, for the most part, I don’t believe you will find too many rich people saying that money doesn’t bring you happiness.  Think about it for a minute, if money was not a consideration, how would you live your life; how would your life be different?  Wouldn’t you be happier doing the things you enjoy doing?  Well . . . I’m sorry to say, but to live the life of your dreams it takes money.  In fact, wouldn’t you agree that as a rich person you would be a much bigger asset to society, to your community?  You bet you would; I know I would!  Not only would I contribute greatly to the local economy, but I would have more time and resources to give back to my community.  I happen to be an active member of our local Lion’s Club; they would benefits dramatically.  Historically, I have given unselfishly to our church; they would also reap the rewards of my good fortune.  Think of the civic organizations you can help; how about your church?  This is something I have thought about for quite a while, and I still do.

While I love serving my community with quality chiropractic care, I no longer have the delusion that it will fulfill my financial dreams.  This is why I have diversified.  This is why I have pursued network marketing over the years, and this is why I have turned to the internet to study Internet Marketing!

Since I no longer feel the need to continue venting, which just perpetuates negative energy, I feel the need to transition this blog to a more positive direction of solutions to the healthcare frustration.  In this vain, it would be my pleasure to share internet marketing ideas that I have learned that would benefit you in any product you would like to market, including chiropractic.

What are your ideas?  Are you more into venting or solutions?  Certainly I can continue with the occasional bitch session, but I think this blog would be better served with constructive solutions.

Just when I think I’ve gotten it all out of my system and I’m ready to start talking about some positive, constructive stuff another article comes across my desk that I feel compelled to discuss.  This is yet another article that adds to my frustration, and yet, supports my moving forward plans.

The newest article was in this past weekend’s Parade; “Don’t Let the Economy Endanger Your Health”.  This hard-hitting story reports some sobering facts about how people are reacting to the economy relative to their health.  In fact, based upon conversations I’ve had with many other doctors these figures come as no surprise. 

Startling results of a survey from the American Heart Association reveal that 57% of those surveyed report that the economy has affected their ability to take care of their health.  The impact is obviously greater amount those with lower incomes, although 33% of those earning $75,000 or more say that they also feel the squeeze.  People are forgoing lifesaving care; 10% have reportedly stopped or reduced their medication for chronic diseases such as high cholesterol and asthma.  13% have elected to not get a flu shot, while 18% have avoided getting needed exams like mammograms. 

However, in reality the state of our economy may not be completely to blame for this; health care has just gotten to be so freakin’ expensive.  In 1970, Americans spent approximately 7% of their budget on health care.  At 17% for 2008, this represents a 2.4 trillion dollar outlay, which exceeded our spending on housing or food.  The truth is that the U.S. leads the world in advanced specialty care; as such, we spend more money on health care than any other nation in the world, and what do we have to show for it?  In spite of our huge price tag, the World Health Organization reports that the U.S. is ranked 31st in over all health as compared to all other industrialized nations; a very sad commentary!

So, what does the author, George Anders, recommend us to do?  He suggests that prevention must be our priority and that we should find creative efforts to encourage wellness; sound familiar?  To me, this sounds like it is right out of a chiropractor’s mouth, after all, isn’t this what chiropractic is?  All we need to do is demonstrate that our care is wellness orientated and that we are a great health care option; that’s all it should take, right?  Well, actually, I believe that because of the economy another part of this puzzle is to demonstrate affordability and possibly re-think our fees in these tight economic times.

Like most chiropractors my desire has always been to help as many people as possible.  In fact, in my career there have been times where it was not uncommon for me to see upwards of 90-100 patients a day in my practice.  Today, I’m lucky if I see 30-40 a day; clearly a significant drop.  So what happen?  Did these patient’s condition get better?  Do they all-of-a-sudden no longer require my services?  Obviously not!  The solution?  We just have to find newer more modern ways to communicate with our patients to bring them back in.  Lightening bolts in the Yellow Pages doesn’t work.

While this is not a post about frustration in practice, showing appreciation is a solution to the frustration of patient drop out and low referrals.  Showing appreciation in practice, as with ANY business, is a sound business philosophy that serves to bolster relations, thus promoting patient/customer loyalty and stimulating referrals.

So, how do you show appreciation?  With a smile and a handshake?  With a sincere “thank you”?  Do you provide free information and go the extra mile when talking about lifestyle stress?  No doubt, these are all great ways to show appreciation for the trust and confidence your patients have in you. 

In addition to doing all of the above, from the very beginning in practice I have also utilized the postal service to show appreciation.  We started with the obligatory “Welcome to Our Practice” letter and the “Thank you for Your Referral” letter.  We also send the occasional “We Miss You” letter, but what we have found to be the most important is the letter of appreciation.  We call these “Love Notes”.  Quite literally we pick out 8-12 patients each week and send them a “Thank you for your Trust and Confidence” note; just a couple of lines is all it takes to let patients know that you appreciate them.  We’ve done this for years.

Of course in recent years we have taken it to the 21st Century by using email, but email has become so impersonal; we have found that it doesn’t take the place of a handwritten note delivered in the mail.

In October of last year I was introduced to SendOutCards, an online, efficient, economical, extraordinary way to send appreciation through the mail.  Here’s what you do:

1. Go online and select from over 14,000 greeting cards in over 40 different categories.

2. Personalize your card in your own handwriting; you can even put your own pictures in the card.

3. You then click “SEND”; SendOutCards then prints your card, stuffs it in an envelop, puts a first-class stamp on it, and places it in the mail; all for as little as $1.04, which includes postage!

You can send one card or 1000, all at the same time.  Create a card that you use over and over again for your new patients.  Create a card that you send to every patient in your database for the Holidays.  You can even send a gift with your card; like gourmet food, a book, or a gift card.

SendOutCards has been the best new thing we’ve added to the practice that allows us to economically send “Love Notes” with a very efficient procedure that runs seamless in the office.

Try sending a card or two on me . . . Go to www.RelationsBuilder.com and click on the banner that says, “Click to Send a Free Card”.  Be sure your speakers are turned on and follow along as the CEO, Cody Bateman, walks you through sending a card.  Oh, and be sure you have the name and address of the person you’d like to connect with.

Do not hesitate to call me if you have any questions or problems with the process, (845)820-1265.

www.FrustratedwithHealthcare.com; Where Frustration Leads to Solutions.

Thanks for your time looking at our blog.

Peter

Have I mentioned lately that I love being a chiropractor?  If I love it so much than, really, is the exchange of time for money a bad thing?  After all we’ve been doing this for time and memorial.  It has been the American way! 

Unfortunately, creating a secondary residual stream of income is now more important than ever for a number of reasons. 

1. The state of our economy, which has been a concern for years, although has no doubt become worse.

2. The less than stellar time for money exchange for chiropractic services.  Granted this varies greatly from State to State, and even from County to County, but overall the exchange could be better for most.

3. Intimately tied to the first two reasons has to do with our nest-egg.  Let’s face it, our ability to retire, to rest and enjoy the fruits of our labor, comes with having a large enough nest-egg.  For chiropractors this has traditionally been linked to the value of our practice and our investments; both of which are for the most part not in the best shape.  To the best of my knowledge practices are just not selling for the same dollar amount that they did just a short ten years ago and I dare say that many of us have seen better days with our investments.

So, yes, the time is right to consider a supplemental income that has a residual component, which will allow us to retire before we expire.

The truth is that there are a myriad of reasons that we as chiropractors would want to supplement our income.  If this is something that has crossed your mind than I do have a number of solutions that we can explore together.  This post is actually My Solution #1 to the time for money dilemma that was discussed in my previous post. 

As previously stated, aside from chiropractic, one of my passions is Network/Internet Marketing.  From the time I was introduced to Amway some 35+ years ago I have been looking for a business/product I could get excited about.  Over the years I came close a couple of times and in fact, I still recommend SHAKLEE to my family, friends and patients.

The first company that held my interest long enough for me to profit from is Isagenix.  The reason for this is the combination of product quality, company integrity, and the business plan.

First, the quality of the product is unsurpassed.  Isagenix is a wholebody nutritional cleanse that works at the cellular level.  To give you an idea of the quality, the meal replacement whey protein shake is made from cows that graze in Australian and New Zealand.  They are raised without pesticides, hormones, or anti-biotics.  The protein goes through a cold-process, which maintains long protein links.

The company heads are a husband and wife team who both come from the networking marketing industry.  They were both retired when they met Dr. John Anderson, a bio-chemist who had invented a wholebody cleanse.  The three combined forces to create Isagenix; their mission is to improve the health and wealth of the world.

The business plan is second to none.  If you would like information about it please do not hesitate to contact me at Dr@HolstChiropractic.com. 

Isagenix works by removing toxins that build up in our liver and fat cells.  Depending on your health goals and how toxic you may be, there are a few different Isagenix programs that can be followed.  Over the past few years I have enjoyed coaching patients and friends through their cleansing experience.  The result is increased energy with the added side-benefit of rapid-safe weight loss.

What has been most rewarding has been telling others about Isagenixwho go on to establish their own businesses, thereby helping even more people to become healthy and vital by cleansing toxins from their bodies.  This program works synergistically with the chiropractic lifestyle.

For more information about Isagenix products or the company please go to my web site at www.HolstChiro.Isagenix.com.   Should you have any desire of using Isagenix in your practice, it would be my pleasure to assist you; we have a turn-key solution to reducing the bio-chemical and physical stress on your patients.  Please feel free to contact me with any questions you might have regarding Chiropractic and Isagenix; Dr@HolstChiropractic.com. 

While at a chiropractic convention I was first introduced to Solution #2, which I feel equally passionate about . . .