The founder of chiropractic, D.D. Palmer, never intended for us to become idol worshipers of the therapeutic value of the chiropractic adjustment alone. As foundational as the appropriate chiropractic adjustment is, the 21st century chiropractor will offer patients more. "Hit 'em high, hit 'em low, and don't forget to collect the dough" style practices are coming to an end. The new breed will soon eclipse most of these one-dimensional clinics.
The unfolding vision of chiropractic requires us to rise up to a new level to meet the current challenge of the massive health care needs in our communities. A great number of people are going to turn to 'alternative practitioners' for answers in the near future. These people are coming to us with problems from acne and allergies to indigestion and insomnia to warts. This trend has already begun. Who among natural health care providers will prepare themselves to meet this challenge? I believe that many chiropractors will seize the day.
To fully capitalize on this new wave of patients, chiropractors must build on the foundation of the chiropractic adjustment. In order to be all we are called to be in this hour, we must broaden our scope of practice. That does not mean becoming a jack of all trades, spread too thin trying to meet everybody's needs. Everything we do we must do well. It does mean, however, that we must expand our vision. Those who think big today will be rewarded tomorrow.
The chiropractor of the 21st century will use a creative, synergistic combination of therapies to bring about healing. This dynamic physician will flow as a true restorer of wholeness and be sought out by people from surrounding communities. Patients will travel long distances and willingly pay cash for appointments and products recommended by the doctor who is able to respond to the needs of the people. A multi-disciplinary approach brings with it growing public awareness that the keys to health and healing are in this doctor's hands.
As a direct result of substantial increase in cash paying patients, insurance companies will no longer be able to force chiropractors to model their practice styles after insurance claims. That doesn't mean that many doctors won't choose to incorporate insurance patients. It does mean that doctors who have been unable to totally fulfill their vision because of a dependence on "the system" will have much more freedom. They will use this new freedom to rise to new levels of prominence throughout the world.
Tomorrow's most successful chiropractors will prepare now. If you want to be among these most sought out doctors in your area, there are several things you must begin to do now.
1. Develop therapeutic synergy. Using a multi-disciplinary approach is the number one key to success in the current patient climate. Some chiropractors have chosen to be almost as specialized as conventional practitioners. We can not afford to do this and still tell people that we are committed to restoration of the whole person. Think about it -- conventional medicine divides therapy into hundreds of different specialists for each part of the body. Today's patients do not like being bounced around. They are much less likely to be committed to your treatment regime if they have to go outside your clinic for various conditions -- even if the specialist you told them to go see is excellent. The new breed of chiropractors must see the whole person and treat the whole person to truly prosper.
Other chiropractors have only dabbled with complementary therapy. The healing benefits of integrating or expanding your practice with homeopathy and nutrition are incredible. To attract the new kind of cash paying customer, we must produce results with a wide variety of conditions. This can only be achieved through synergy. Otherwise this wave of new patients will pass us by, looking for a doctor who is better equipped to handle the diverse conditions plaguing our society.
2. Have no fear. As the new breed of chiropractor begins to apply a more effective combination of tools that get to the real roots of nerve interference, this will dispel some wrong perspective that has held us back. As the power of synergy increases in our practices, our reputations will likewise increase. We won't need to cooperate with conventional practitioners out of fear but out of total commitment to patient healing.
As I said before, if we develop a synergistic, multi-disciplinary approach, more and more patients are going to come to us with cash in hand. Insurance companies are not going to be the major player they used to be. Therefore, we can confidently build on the foundation of the chiropractic adjustment by expanding our practices to include complementary therapies like homeopathy. We can be confident that a well implemented multi-disciplinary approach will lead to success. Don't shrink back. Step forward.
3. Don't overuse technology. We live in an age of gizmos. Some work and some don't. In spite of our societal consumption of technology, sick patients respond best to a balanced combination of human input, healing art, and technology. Don't underestimate the healing power of your touch and intuition as a healer. Don't overestimate the value of the latest gadgetry. The human body is still the most sophisticated laboratory in the world. Implement procedures that allow you to let the body lead you to the true underlying causes of dis-ease.
4. Renew and intensify your commitment patient education. Educating patients is vital to every doctor who will flourish in the 21st century. If we continue to do things exactly the way we have always done them, we will experience a diminishing return. No matter how good our current system is, it should be improved to accommodate the needs of the patients that are coming our way. Be as committed to educating patients about preventative health care as to teaching them about dis-ease restoration. If we really teach patients how to live healthier, they will trust and respect us and remain loyal.
5. Make a plan and write it down. Working your practice on autopilot without a specific, goal oriented plan will assure you a place in obscurity and mediocrity. Take some time to objectively evaluate the results you are getting.
Are people remaining committed to your treatment regime all the way to wholeness? Is your patient base mostly loyal customers or go-betweens? Could you have better success with more people if you employed complementary therapy? It is roughly 5 times more expensive to get a new patient. Are you putting more energy toward getting new patients or building long term customers out of the ones you have? Ask yourself hard questions, assess the situation, make a plan, and write it down.
6. Work now, reap the benefits tomorrow. It is critical to get started immediately. Let's face it, fully tapping into the power of natural therapeutic synergy and perfecting the system will take work. Those doctors who develop their system now will be the only ones in position to attract and maintain the thousands of patients who will soon turn our way.
I have shared with you some of the powerful keys that helped me develop a multi-disciplinary, multi-doctor practice that has attracted patients throughout the country. Homeopathy, nutrition, and education are indispensable tools for building your practice with results. Now it's up to you to use them to become a primary health care provider. If you are serious about getting results with homeopathy, we have an educational system starter kit that can get you started tomorrow. For a complimentary consultation please call our office between 9AM and 5PM est. at 800 543- 3245.
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