Healthcare consumers, especially those of the baby boomer generation, are more willing than ever to spend their discretionary income on natural health and wellness.

Moreover, in a challenging economy, people are seeking the most economical ways to stay healthy. This gives those of you who integrate nutritional supplements and counseling into your patients’ plan of care a great opportunity.

While retail has experienced decreased or flat growth in supplement sales, sales by healthcare practitioners have exhibited steady growth year after year. In addition, nutritional supplements provide an opportunity to generate practice revenue independent of health-insurance reimbursement.

Are you capitalizing?

Here are a few tips you can follow when implementing nutrition into your practice.

1. Let your patients decide. When considering adding ancillary products or services, there are those who believe, “My patients can’t afford it.” Ask yourself, however, if you want to be known as the practice that has the lowest fees or the practice that offers the highest value to your patients.

Your patients will pay for what they value. Patients will pay for expertise, convenience and, most of all, good health. Offer your patients the best and let them decide what they can or cannot afford.

2. Develop a plan. Don’t waste time, energy, or money with nutritional products due to impulse buying. Don’t rush into purchasing an inventory of supplements without thinking through a basic strategy.

Analyze your practice and ask yourself, “What are my patient demographics?” Figure out how nutrition fits into your practice style.

Targeted nutrition, focused on specific conditions, can be costly, time consuming, and attention diverting. Supporting general health is key to vitamin consumption.

The most common reason people say they take nutritional supplements is to aid a healthy diet. Maintaining a large inventory of nutritional supplements is a brain-drain. Instead, carry a select line of products that provide clear consumer-oriented benefits.

Supplements for energy, brain health, weight loss, and women’s health are among the top trends. Pediatric supplements are also best sellers and most parents give their children vitamins and minerals regularly to supplement a healthy diet.

3. Educate yourself. When patients consider you as an expert, you are no longer perceived as a salesman.

Learn about the products you plan to recommend to your patients. A confident, scientific presentation of the products you provide is crucial to patient compliance. There are many seminars and courses available to help you achieve this goal.

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