As a chiropractor, your most important job is the treatment and care of your patients, but effectively providing this valuable service requires knowledge and adaptation amid constantly changing business and market environments.

Fortunately, innovative new educational resources are constantly evolving to assist you in establishing and maintaining a profitable and sustainable business model for your practice. Perhaps the best way to think of education is as being an investment.

Investing in your staff

Consider the following specific educational resources that can help you address the weak spots in your business model and increase your practice’s efficiency and profitability.

One of the most important factors in the success of your practice is a well-trained and motivated staff. Brandi MacDonald of True Concepts Inc. specializes in chiropractic-specific leadership and staff training.

“I follow the model that Starbucks follows,” MacDonald says. “Your best marketing investment is in your staff, which allows you to focus on what you are great at — educating and adjusting patients. All else in the practice is delegated to a well-trained, self-directed team. When staff members know their roles, and the team is empowered to run the office, the office grows in numbers and patients stay longer.”

MacDonald provides four types of training to help optimize staff performance. The first is provided by a series of CDs designed to train chiropractic assistants, ranging from the philosophy of chiropractic to the procedures and systems for running a cash-based, wellness-focused practice.

The second type of training is leadership coaching for doctors, with the goal of increasing retention of CAs. This can include looking at training issues, recruitment practices, job descriptions, performance reviews, bonus structures, and other factors. This individualized program is designed with input from the DC or owners.

For an even more customized training experience, MacDonald can visit a practice, observe the staff, and then run a team-training session based on her findings. Desired outcomes are individually designed after talking to the DCs. MacDonald also offers all-day “team boot camp” seminars.

How can leadership and staff training benefit your bottom line? An effective, self-directed team in your office can result in increased collections, as your staff is better able to keep patients on plans and collect money confidently. When your staff learns to internally and externally market your practice, you can gain more new patients and higher patient-visit averages.

MacDonald says, “We know that a well-trained staff is an overhead cost-cutting factor in itself, as constant turnover and recruitment is highly expensive not only in dollars, but also in time and energy away from the practice and patients. I am about spectacular customer service and increased exposure of chiropractic first — increased profit is a byproduct of this model. Investment in the team is key.”

Invest in marketing yourself

The need for effective marketing is obvious — you can’t build your patient base if people have never heard of your practice. MacDonald asserts that your staff is your best marketing resource, and marketing consultant Judy Munroe of Consistent Marketing Inc. (CMI) agrees.

“Too often,” Munroe says, “chiropractors simply leave marketing concerns to the front desk, which leaves the business in a vulnerable position. If a key employee leaves the practice, marketing can simply collapse.”

Well-run practices employ dozens of marketing techniques every day, and Munroe stresses that successful marketing is a complex system of tasks that includes planning, positioning, implementation, and tracking. Putting this system in place requires training and the involvement of your whole team, but once effectively implemented it is self-sustaining and can survive the challenge of staffing changes or disruptions.

CMI develops internal marketing systems for an individual practice in five steps. First is a visit to the office to develop an evaluation of current marketing and customer service efforts. The second step is to design a marketing plan and calendar, with critical due dates for marketing projects that will ensure a consistent marketing effort in line with goals.

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