How to Prevent Your Chiropractic and Healthcare Practice from Eroding
- Ed Petty
- 4 hours ago
- 2 min read
How Procedural Atrophy Reduces Quality
In a business, it is common for procedures and processes to become abbreviated, overlooked, and dropped out. When this happens, the quality of the outcomes or products deteriorates. When quality decreases, the business begins a seemingly inexplicable downward spiral.
I call this Procedure Atrophy and cover it in my book, The Goal Driven Business. (page 164)
When this happens, doctors seek new solutions. They change up what they have been doing.
Sometimes, this works. For a while. Then, the same phenomena sets in. This results in the Practice Roller Coaster. This is a symptom of a Personality Driven practice rather than a Goal Driven and systematized business.
For example, when you were starting out as a chiropractic doctor and growing your practice, maybe you called the new patient after the first chiropractic adjustment. Maybe you had morning “huddles” with your team. You might have even had a care class for patients, performed progress exams, and celebrated case completions. Maybe you handed out cards to local businesses.
Routinely, when I visit an office and the numbers are down, I ask what they did when the numbers were up. Well, I say, “let’s do it again!”
It is almost that simple.
What did you do when you were in better shape? Oh, you worked out more! Well, then, maybe you should work out more.
SOLUTION #1 – SET THE STANDARD: QUALITY
Our world is becoming noisier with imitations.
Be the real deal. Deliver the goods. Set high standards for quality and be disciplined about meeting them.
Define your complete patient outcome. For example:
A fast definition: A patient who Pays, Stays, and Refers
A thorough definition: A patient who is relieved of pain, healthier, and educated so that they will continue with their care, and be very happy with their results and their service.
Then, work backward and list the key procedures that everyone needs to achieve this.
Use checklists. These form the systems. Keep them very brief and list only the key procedures. For example:
Day 1, Day 2, Day 12, Active patient.
Collections.
Marketing: Internal. External.
Team. Coordination, communication, improvement.
Leadership and management.
SOLUTION #2 ACCOUNTABILITY REVIEWS IN YOUR CHIROPRACTIC BUSINESS
You can set up accountability checks to help you stay on track.
Use monthly statistics and chart them so you can see if you are improving by trend.
Review them with a coach and your team each month to help you stay on track.
We all need this -- or some version of feedback and coaching. In all areas of our lives! (Right?)
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What you and your practice provide for your patients and community, your team, and family is truly valuable.
Don’t let your practice erode!
Keep doing what works -- and keep improving.
And stay Goal Driven.
Ed
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If you have any questions about creating a Goal Driven Business, just schedule a call or reply to this email.
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PS: Get on our waiting list for our next MBA program if you are interested. I will be sending you special information about practice management, leadership, and marketing.
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