You learn a lot owning your own business and do not take things for granted like you may if you're an employee or clinic manager. Here are 5 Things I Learned to improve business and referrals.
1) Don't keep your patient waiting
- what's your average wait time at the MD's office? I have waited 1.5 hours at my former primary's with my baby, in the car, IN THE WINTER - notice I said former
- I try my best to get my patients within 5 minutes of their appointment time, and even when it's that long, I always tell them "Thank you so much for waiting"
2) Bring Your Personality A Game
- we all have off days and showing it can certainly affect your outcomes
- being enthusiastic and an active listening or a giving distant one word answers are two ends of the spectrum that really make or break an experience
- even on your worst day, fake it, get your optimal breathing pattern and follow the golden rule
3) Get the patient better faster
- This was hardest for me starting my practice 3 years ago, just as we had a newborn girl and my wife decided she could not return to work
- only 20% or less of my patients, some of them regulars came with me to my new practice 5 minutes down the road
- I stuck to my guns and did not "hold on" to them longer than I had to, when their pain was abolished and function improved, they were discharged
- after only 4-6 months of getting people better faster, I had a waiting list at least 1-2 weeks out, word gets around about good service
4) Market to the same patient for different areas
- Our local HMOs pay for our direct access
- after establishing rapport and results, I normally ask the patient if there is anything else they would like us to address
- they may say, "Sure! Please take a look at my knee, but I don't have a script..."
- I then inform them, "You don't need a script, we can just evaluate you at next visit!"
- BAM - new evaluation, happy patient = more referrals, plus they tell everyone you don't need a script
- many of the old school clinics in our area still ask for scripts
5) The little things really add up
- My opening question, "How are you today other than the reason why you are here?"
- my business partner offering to make every patient a coffee from our Keurig
- saying hello to every patient that walks in the door and good-bye to everyone who is leaving
- read this post on Lagniappe by Ann Wendel, a #BizPT pro
Any #BizPT tips from you practice owners out there?
Keeping it Eclectic...
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