BACK TALK SYSTEMS, INC. 14998 W. 6th Avenue, Suite E-500 Golden, CO 80904-5025 800/937-3113 800/696-1165 (fax) www.backtalksystems.com GET YOUR CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITS ON-LINE Save TIME and MONEY at http://www.ChiroCredit.com. Team Tip #35 INSANITY: Doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting a different result. I don't know if it happens in your practice, but it kept happening over and over again in ours. Just when we thought we were going to break through the top and consistently hit the next level, the same thing happened. Suddenly the practice leveled off and we were back where we were, struggling to break through again. According to the above definition of insanity, we needed a good practice psychologist. Notice, I am using past tense. Finally, we have made the breakthrough! We have consistently been seeing ten more patients on a daily basis for several months now. I have always known what our problem was, but I just couldn't solve it. It kept presenting itself over and over again. As soon as we hit the top, we kept our patients waiting. I don't know about your patients, but our patients are spoiled. They are almost all professionals who have very busy schedules. Too much time waiting for their adjustments spelled disaster for us. By some other practitioner standards, we didn't keep our patients waiting long at all, but when we expected patients to have adjustments two or three times a week, we had better keep to a schedule. The problem is our doctor only has so much time in a day. He can't do everything and still see more patients. So, we began taking shortcuts. Patient education was falling short. Sales of supplies were floundering, and patient care was suffering. Our staff was also busier, our usual patient calls and recalls were being overlooked. After all, we were very busy, so why do all those things that stimulate business. We didn't have time for all those little amenities that create a good "patient experience". Suddenly, our statistics were declining. Patient referrals began to suffer and patients began dropping out of care. Before we knew it, we were right back where we were and wondering why. Our doctor would blame the staff and the staff would blame the doctor. We were all frustrated! Does this sound at all familiar? I always tell CA's when I am teaching a seminar that all the answers are in the schedule book. The schedule tells all! I decided to take my own advice. I began by looking at the schedule and identifying the areas where we were running behind. Then at the end of the day we would discuss the reasons why. Invariably the problems occurred when our doctor had to spend more time with a patient then the time we had allotted. The question was, what was he doing that a well-trained CA could do instead? We realized that he was handling many tasks that could be completed by a staff member. Take for example, orthotics. Our doctor is always recommending them. They significantly helped the patient, and our bottom line too. However, once the patient agreed to buy them, it took time to mold them correctly, give the patient foot exercises to prepare for them, and gather pertinent information from the patient. That process could have taken another five or ten minutes. That was precious time when we were trying to see ten more patients a day. The solution was to make that responsibility the therapy CA's job. Also, when the orthotics arrived, it became her job to go over their directions for use and answer any patient questions. She has become our orthotics specialist. Our doctor just keeps on treating patients. There are many other tasks a well-trained CA can help with. I recently was asked to do a consultation at a chiropractic office. The chiropractor was blocking off one hour of his time to see a new patient. If a chiropractor can sufficiently see 8- 10 patients in an hour, spending a whole hour with a new patient is not very cost-effective. He admitted that new patients really bogged him down and he resented it. This is definitely not a good thing! For one thing, the momentum was lost, and if there is resentment new patients will feel it. With the proper form to fill out, and knowing the correct questions to ask, a well trained CA can perform a medical history and complete preliminary exam tasks, thus freeing up the doctor to continue treating and helping as many patients as possible. Putting aside certain times in the schedule for new patients and Reports of Findings is another way to maximize time. Here again, the schedule book is the answer, There is one other benefit to giving staff members more patient responsibility. They will feel more vital! Becoming an integral part of patient care will create job satisfaction. I honestly believe that a more involved staff will tend to have more longevity. Patient care should be a team effort. So, if you are having the same problem we were having, and you want to make a break through and take some of the insanity out of your practice, I urge you to make some changes and get those staff members trained to take on some of your responsibilities. I will end with a quote I once heard . . . If you always do what you always did, then you'll always have what you always had. You may order our new TEAM TRAINING AND PRACTICE MANAGEMENT MANUAL package, from which this article is taken, by calling 800/937-3113 today. *** NOTE FROM DUSTY *** Please mark last week's Team Tip #34 as I overlooked making that correction. Also, many of you e-mailed me to find out where to get the vibrating timers. Back Talk Systems has them for sale. The price is $59.50 each plus $8.00 shipping. You may call 800/937-3113 to order.