Keeping Patients

Sounds Like You Need Help With Retention?

What is the Most Important Patient Visit?
Most doctors would most likely answer this question with the first visit; that is, “first impressions”. But, if you really think about it, you may agree that the visit at the end of the initial care plan is the most important. This single visit will determine how long the patient will continue to be part of your practice, which leads to better long term health for both them and your practice. How do you convey the importance of continued care, even after their initial ‘problems’ are dealt with? If patients are going out the back door of your clinic as fast as they enter the front door, you have failed to convey the importance of what you do, and you have a practice focusing on pain rather than health. Your patients deserve to live in alignment for the long term!

First Three Visits - Click to read tip

The most crucial part of a successful consultation, examination, and report of findings is that it is authentic and congruent for you, the clinician.

Observe yourself during your next new patient encounter and confirm that you truly believe everything you are telling the patient. Secondly, be sure that you are telling them only the essential bits of information. A major error is explaining too much to the patient on the first visit and completely overwhelming them; it all might seem simple to you, but please let your potential patients learn their numbers first before you try and teach them calculus.
The next step is to ensure that when you are asked a question by a patient and you develop a satisfactory answer, adapt your next consultation to include answering that question in advance of it being asked. This process should continue to develop for as long as you are in practice; last year’s CER should never be good enough for you this year.
Lastly, by the end of your new patient appointment, be sure to get the answer yes to the question, “Does that make sense to you?” and a no to the question, “Do you have any more questions for me?” After receiving these two answers and feeling that you can help the patient, ask “Is this something you’d like to try?” and wait for a yes before moving to your next step.

treatment plan - Click to read tip

One of the biggest challenges that clinicians face is the proper expression of a clinical treatment plan. Each sentence you read has punctuation that allows you to pause or gives guidance on how to read the writing. Your treatment plans need punctuation as well. Commas, periods, and paragraphs look like milestones, re-assessments, and phases of care. Without this critical punctuation, the ability for your patient to understand what you have planned for them is seriously compromised. Every visit to your office should involve a reiteration of that plan; not only by the patient being reminded it, but by them agreeing that this plan is still working for them.

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