February 23, 2025 • 23 mins
Welcome to the KC CHIROpulse Podcast.
This week’s topic: Are you tapping into the true potential of your Chiropractic Practice?
The KC CHIROpulse Podcast is designed for Chiropractic professionals ready to elevate their practice to new heights, and is hosted by Kats Consultants coaches Dr Michael Perusich and Dr Troy Fos. Michael and Troy are both seasoned experts in Chiropractic business development. This podcast provides invaluable insights and actionable strategies to help you create a flourishing and sustainable Chiropractic business.
In this episode, we discuss:
- What is the potential of most Chiropractic practices?
- Why doctors sometimes are not tapping into their practice potential
- What are the common ways to tap into your potential?
- How we can recognize those opportunities to increase our profitability
- …and so much more…
In each episode of KC CHIROpulse, we delve into crucial aspects of building a successful Chiropractic practice, covering topics such as establishing a strong foundation, adopting a patient-centric approach, mastering marketing techniques, achieving financial fitness, fostering effective team building and leadership, integrating technology and innovation, and navigating common challenges in the field.
Whether you're a seasoned chiropractor or just starting your practice, the KC CHIROpulse Podcast offers a wealth of knowledge and personalized practical advice to help you navigate the intricate world of Chiropractic business. Join us on this journey as we explore proven strategies, share success stories, and connect with industry experts to empower you in your pursuit of building a thriving Chiropractic practice.
Don't miss out on the latest insights and expert guidance. Subscribe now and unlock the secrets to taking your Chiropractic practice to the next level. Your success is our priority at Kats Chiropractic Business Advisors.
DISCLAIMER: The information presented in this broadcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended to offer legal, investment, accounting, or medical advice, and represents the opinions of the speakers. Seek the consultation of a professional for advice in those areas. And remember…your results using this information may be different than described.
Be sure to SUBSCRIBE to the Kats Consultants CHIROPulse Podcast
When you are ready we can help.
- Free Resource: Download What's Your Practice Worth?
- Let's Chat -30-minute chat about your practice
- Attend a Virtual Seminar
- Join the new subscription program Path to Prosper
KC CHIROpulse Podcast. Helping Chiropractors keep their pulse on success. Thanks for listening.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Dr. Michael Perusich (00:09):
Doctors, are you tapping into the
unrealized potential in yourpractice?
Hi, everybody.
Welcome to the KC Chiro Pulsepodcast brought to you by Kats
Consultants and Chiro HealthUSA.
I am Dr.
Michael Perusich, your hostjoined with my co host, Dr.
Troy Fox.
Troy, you and I were talkingabout this, the fact that
there's so much.
Potential in our practices andfar too often, we're just not
(00:31):
tapping into it like we shouldbe or could be.
Dr. Troy Fox (00:34):
Yeah, I think a hundred percent.
And the thing is if you saythat's not me, I really have,
I'm doing a great job with mypatients, bring a new piece of
equipment in and start talkingto your patients about it.
The reason we're having thisdiscussion today is because I'm
even suspect at times becauseI've done everything that I can
for my patients.
I bring a new piece of equipmentin and I'm hearing about
(00:54):
shoulders and knees.
That I haven't heard about in awhile and all of a sudden it's
oh, There are things that thesepatients really had needs for
that.
I wasn't addressing and now I'mlooking at it.
So what unrealized or untappedpotential do you have in your
practice?
The, have you just been saying,Hey, Sally, Sue, lay down on the
(01:16):
table.
Boom boom.
How things been doing?
How's the family?
How are the kids?
Hey, we'll see you next month.
We do all get in that kind ofroutine sometimes, especially
with our maintenance practicesand we're missing golden
opportunities because some ofour patients, you've been
treating them like this foryears.
Things have changed for them.
And every once in a while youget a little warning shot over
(01:36):
the bowel because somebody willsay, Oh hey, so and so is not
here today with me.
She's off getting an MRI of herback or her shoulder or knee or
whatever.
And you're thinking, what?
I thought I was treating her allthis time.
You were, but you were treating
Dr. Michael Perusich (01:49):
her low back in her mind, in your mind.
Dr. Troy Fox (01:52):
Yeah.
They needed something else andwe get
Dr. Michael Perusich (01:54):
stuck on that stuff.
We do.
And so we've got to, we've gotto always be bringing that
present time consciousness tothe forefront of every potential
opportunity a patient couldpresent with.
Now, it doesn't mean we ask themquestions about head to toe
every time they come in.
Dr. Troy Fox (02:12):
No,
Dr. Michael Perusich (02:12):
but if we're so close-minded that we're
treating what?
What'd you call her?
Sally?
Sue.
Sally, yeah.
If we've been treating SallySue's low back condition for the
last five years, if we're solocked into that, we're gonna
miss the fact that she startedhaving shoulder pain a couple of
months ago, and now she'sgetting an MRI.
She's talking to an orthopedist.
She's going to physical therapy,and we missed a prime
(02:35):
opportunity because.
We didn't interject chiropracticinto Sally Sue's thought process
that it could be an option for
Dr. Troy Fox (02:45):
at a bare minimum, you should be doing
reevaluations once a year whereyou have patients fill out
paperwork again, they hatefilling out paperwork.
I get it.
But if you actually engage themwhen they do fill out the
paperwork, they're thankful thatthey filled it out and they're
glad to get a conversation withthem once a year is a bare
minimum.
It's really not a bad idea.
(03:06):
Yeah.
Especially with your monthlymaintenance patients that you
put a notice even at the frontof your office that says, Hey,
if you've had a change incondition or anything new, you'd
like to talk to the doctorabout, please let us know.
And so that way it sparks theirattention every time they walk
through the door, because quitefrankly, I already know docs.
We get in the grind and we getour heads down and we got people
(03:27):
in the room.
You're not going to askeverybody, Hey, so how are your
shoulders doing?
Have you had anything new?
I saw you walk in and if you seehim limp and a little bit, you
might ask him that, but quitefrankly, we're probably not
going to do anything that wedidn't notice.
And sometimes even if we noticeit and we're busy, we ignore it.
Yep.
So patient won't ignore acondition if they feel like, Oh,
(03:51):
doctors wanting to know ifthere's anything else I can do.
So those are a couple ofcaveats, that yearly exam to
make sure that you're at leastgetting a yearly.
I liked, I liked the every sixvisit exam when we're in active
care, but I definitely like ayearly exam for sure with those
maintenance patients.
Yep.
Asking them the question.
(04:12):
Now, obviously if I'm not doinga perfect job at it.
And you're not doing a perfectjob at it.
We can probably both do betterat those two things.
That's an easy one.
Dr. Michael Perusich (04:23):
That's an easy one.
Dr. Troy Fox (04:24):
Yeah.
Dr. Michael Perusich (04:25):
We got to hear, we got to hear a word from
our sponsors.
So we're going to take a quickbreak here, but we come back.
I want to talk about some otheravenues that kind of push us
into that blinders on mentalityand we miss those opportunities.
So quick word from our sponsors.
We'll be right back.
Chiro Health USA (04:40):
In today's economy, every dollar counts.
Families are facing toughchoices, having to reconsider
what was once essential to them,but because of healthcare, no
one should have to compromise ontheir well being because of
financial constraints.
That's where PowerHealth USAsteps in, the solution for your
practice.
We understand the financialpressures families are under,
whether they're insured, onMedicare, or paying out of
(05:02):
pocket for treatment.
By offering discounts on care,you can ensure that your
patients can still afford thetreatment they need.
And at Power Health USA, we'recommitted to making sure no
family has to sacrifice theirhealth due to financial
hardship.
We'll work with you to create agame plan that keeps your
waiting room full and yourpractice thriving.
And here's the best part.
(05:22):
Offering affordable care notonly benefits your patients, but
also positively impacts yourbottom line.
So why wait?
Join Power Health USA today andjoin the ranks of the most
successful practices.
Because when you put yourpatients first, everyone wins.
Dr. Michael Perusich (05:49):
All right, everybody.
Welcome back to the KC ChiroPulse podcast.
We're talking about the hiddenpotential in your practice and
how it's right there under ournose.
And sometimes we just completelymiss it.
Another one I thought of is weget this idea that we're going
to raise our fees, which, weshould raise our fees
periodically.
We just have to make sure wehave a good fee strategy but we
(06:09):
raise our fees.
And then we noticed that ourcollections are flat the next
couple of months, or they'reeven down a little bit because,
okay, we raised our fees, but inthe back of our mind, there's
something that's holding us backfrom utilizing that increased
fee.
(06:30):
Strategy and we stoppedrecommending some services for
patients because we want to keepthe cost down for them.
Dr. Troy Fox (06:36):
You know what they call that PC politically
correct.
No, poverty
Dr. Michael Perusich (06:40):
complex.
Dr. Troy Fox (06:41):
I was almost right there with that.
We do.
And I'll tell you what, it'shuman nature.
In a lot of cases, we do startminimizing The cost.
The treatments that we givepatients because, oh, I've
already charged them enough.
There's so much human nature inthis and I don't know how to get
us as doctors out of that.
If we worked for anestablishment where we didn't
care, we would not give thosekinds of breaks to people, but
(07:04):
instead what happens is we getpersonally involved and we worry
about their financial state,even though they're not worried
about it.
They just got their nails done.
They drove up in, in a Lincoln,whatever that big navigator.
And they've got the newest cellphone and you think that saving
them 25 is going to be a hugebenefit and that they're going
(07:25):
to love you forever for savingthat money now that they walked
Dr. Michael Perusich (07:29):
in with their 12 Starbucks
Dr. Troy Fox (07:31):
and they could give a darn less about that.
What they want is good serviceand they want good outcomes,
right?
That's what they're looking for.
Good service and outcomes.
They're not really concerned atthat point that you raised your
prices.
You're the one that's concernedand all of a sudden poverty
complex.
So yeah, we see it all the time.
(07:52):
You and I are just blown awaysometimes by looking at
somebody's numbers falling flaton their face.
I'm going to raise my fees.
Yes.
And down they go.
And down they
Dr. Michael Perusich (08:02):
go and down they go.
So doctors, I'm going to tellyou a little remedy to get away
from poverty complex and try toovercome some of this.
As the doctor, you should befocused on patient outcomes and
patient experience.
Let your staff focus on thefinances.
I can tell you anytime a patientasked me what something cost in
my clinic, my standard answer,even if I did know, my standard
(08:25):
answer was, I don't know.
Ask the staff.
I don't know.
Ask him at the front desk.
I don't know.
Ask Marissa.
Because I was not going to getinto a conversation about money
with the patient because theminute you do, yeah, the minute
you do, you lock yourself in sohard to poverty complex.
And that's one of those thingsthat puts the blinders on to
(08:47):
opportunities.
So we have to remember we are afor profit business, so run it
like a for profit business.
Dr. Troy Fox (08:55):
Yeah.
Now I'll sometimes allude,somebody will say like a
nutritional product I'llrecommend it.
And somebody will say, cause Ireally don't remember numbers
very well.
So I don't remember the cost onstuff, which is a benefit for
me.
But a patient will go how muchdoes that cost for such and such
vitamin?
I go, I don't know, but I knowit's one of our lower priced
vitamins.
Dr. Michael Perusich (09:15):
And
Dr. Troy Fox (09:16):
there's, but here's what's funny.
I don't remember what it costs,but I remember there's 240 count
in it.
I don't know.
So I'm like, there's 240 inthere and you're only taking two
a day.
You can do the math on that.
It's pretty cost effective, butI still didn't tell them what
the cost is.
I have no idea.
I'll tell them that much andthen send them up front.
Yeah.
Stay out of that conversation.
(09:38):
Yeah.
It's a hundred percent.
So when we're realizing valuewith patients, there's
opportunities when we hear themsometimes just to say, you know
what, you're really tight today.
I think a therapy would probablyhelp that adjustment, stay
mobile a little bit longer.
Or you find a completely newcondition.
You need to put them on atreatment schedule for, and it's
(09:59):
a really great time to introducethe fact that I'm going to treat
you X number of times, usuallylike six times, we're going to
reevaluate at that point.
I would recommend that we'reprobably going to see you 12
times, but I'm going to, I'mgoing to reevaluate you at six.
And so we preempt this andreally the whole goal is the
same place that we've been atwith you, Sally Sue, this whole
(10:20):
time is that we want to get youwell.
And we want to keep you well.
We've got a new condition here.
We need to work with, or onethat's flared on us.
So we're going to actively treatthis again.
And our whole goal is to getback to a point where we're just
maintenancing you.
So now I've basically taken theconversation from zero to here's
where we're going to go withthis.
And then I bring in those otherservices.
(10:41):
I had a patient literally rightbefore we did this podcast that
came in.
She got adjusted the first timeshe came in an exam.
She did not get any therapytoday.
I put therapy on her.
She goes, oh, I didn't know Iwas going to get this.
She was all thrilled about it.
Yeah.
Why didn't I do that last time?
I don't know what my mindset waswhen I did an evaluation on her
(11:04):
last time.
I can't figure out what I wasthinking in my head.
It was baffling me too.
Why didn't I recommend therapylast time?
Was I in a hurry?
What, what was going on up here?
And I couldn't figure it out.
But today I looked at her andwhen I was palpating, I'm like,
wow, she needs some therapy ontop of the adjustment.
So it was obvious to me today.
Sometimes you see those things.
(11:25):
Sometimes you don't.
So don't kick yourself.
If you have it, just realize youhave a bunch of potential in
your practice that you haven'tutilized.
Dr. Michael Perusich (11:32):
You just made me think of our mastermind
that we've been studyingrecently in our mastermind
group, and that's about beingprepared.
And when we go in with apatient, whether it's into an
adjustment or into an exam orinto a report of findings, how
prepared are we have we thoughtall the way through the case?
Are we making a full set ofrecommendations to the patient?
(11:54):
Or are we minimizing things?
Are we minimizing things becauseof poverty complex?
Are we minimizing things?
Because we haven't thoroughlyfought through the case?
What's best for this patient?
Yeah.
And so we've got to make surethat we're prepared.
And that goes back to thatmental preparedness when you're
working with a patient, are westaying present time conscious
(12:16):
with that patient?
So we're uncovering all thoseopportunities.
What do we always say?
The litmus test is in catsconsultants.
If it's good for the patient andgood for the practice, then we
do it.
If it's good for the practiceand not for the patient, then we
don't do it.
If it's good for the patient andnot the practice, we think about
it.
If it's good for the patient andgood for the practice.
If the patient can benefit fromthe muscle stem and the practice
(12:38):
benefits for that extra 20, it'sa win.
And isn't that what we're tryingto create?
Yes.
I'll answer that for everybody.
It's.
those kind of things areimportant.
And if we're blocking ourselvesfrom that, that we're missing
part of that potential in ourpractice.
Dr. Troy Fox (12:57):
100 percent agree with you on that.
That it's, as we refer back tothe words, who's the guy that
sings the song ice baby.
I just happened to have VanillaIce.
That would be his name.
Robbed somebody, right?
So in the famous words, VanillaIce, stop, collaborate, and
listen.
And I know some people justturned off the podcast.
(13:20):
I was
Dr. Michael Perusich (13:20):
about ready too.
It's
Dr. Troy Fox (13:21):
It's so true.
When I, so I listened to today,we were talking in our
mastermind group and we weretalking about a couple of key
concepts and what I got out ofthat was, listen you've got to
almost take a pause.
And I always like to say, whenyou go in with a new patient or
react, you change gears fromadjusting into more of a
(13:42):
diagnostic phase again, and withthat.
What's important to know who'smy patient who's in front of me
right now?
Yep, what do I know about themat this point?
And what do I know about theircondition before I walk in so I
can say I know this and thisabout your condition Tell me in
your own words what it feelslike on a day to day basis
because sometimes you guys knowas well as I do You get
(14:04):
information, but you look at itand you go they have pain from
head to toe.
Yeah, and it's sharp It's dull.
It's achy It's 21 or 25 to 49percent of the time and 50 to 75
percent of the time.
And it's every day and it's partof the day.
And so you're like, okay, whatin the world?
(14:25):
Okay.
So let's break this down and wego in and guess what I do.
I go in and I listen to mypatient at that point.
So the collaboration andlistening portion is me coming
in and saying, Hey, I've readwhat you wrote down.
I appreciate you putting allthis together.
Now let's try to make sense ofthis.
Because sometimes you do get theword salad.
Yeah.
And I got one this morning andunfortunately I was ready to go
(14:48):
to ask the patient questions andthey have pneumonia and so they
weren't in.
So I didn't get to go throughwith it but those are things you
have happen.
Sometimes a patient is sosuccinct and I thank them, oh my
gosh, thank you for the greatdetail that you gave me about
your neck vein.
You're right sided, radiatedinto your scapula.
They're blown away because theysay, I have this all the time,
(15:11):
most doctors don't read thesethings.
Patients get burned out.
I'm filling them out becausethey don't think you read them
anyway.
So when you do, you blow theirmind.
So if you're not reading thosethings and you can't recite back
to the patient what's going onwith them, I would highly
encourage you to do that beforeyou go in with the patient.
Huge.
And it also reminds you ofeverything that's going on with
(15:34):
the patient to allow you to makea proper diagnosis and to do
what we were just talking about,you can tap that unrealized
potential.
So now all of a sudden, it's notjust the spine I'm worried
about.
I'm also worried about yourright shoulder.
And we're going to address thattoday as well.
And we're not going to let thatslip through the cracks because
we're spine doctors, right?
(15:56):
I see that a lot where we narrowour focus in and we forget about
extremity adjusting andtherapies.
And some of you don't, some ofyou do a great job, but if
you're not getting to that pointof where you're addressing with
issues, make sure that you'readdressing everything the
patient put in front of you.
You want to talk about patientsatisfaction.
And I just read this, what inchiropractic economics or one of
(16:17):
these magazines is probablypropping my laptop up right now
or my tablet.
Probably better not move it, butI was reading I think it was
dynamic chiropractic, maybe thatwas talking about patient
satisfaction for spinal problemsspecifically, they were talking
about medical doctors and theyactually have a dissatisfaction
rate, which chiropractors didn'thave, and it was like.
(16:41):
67 percent for medical doctorsand like 90 percent for
chiropractors.
I'm throwing numbers out there,but it was amazing to me to see
what our satisfaction rating iswith patients.
So we're doing a good job, butwe could do a great job.
Dr. Michael Perusich (16:54):
Yeah, I'm gonna add one thing to that.
When we become so focused on onepart of the patient's condition
where we become so focused on,if they come in and they're
talking about upper back pain,for example, and we just focus
on that and we don't realizethat there's other things
attached to it that may beaffected like shoulders and
elbows and so on and so forth.
Next when we do that, what doyou think happens to the
(17:19):
patient's mentality?
They begin to mirror us as thedoctor and now they Are only
focused on their upper back ontheir thoracic spine, because
now we just led them to thinkthat's all we do.
He's not kicking my shoulderbecause he is, he's a
chiropractor.
So he only focuses on the spineand now we're losing all kinds
(17:41):
of opportunities that we couldbe working with patients.
Again, expanding that potentialin your practice.
We're losing thoseopportunities.
So when we come back, we got totake a little break.
When we come back, I want toexplore that little piece just a
little bit more.
All right.
We're talking about the hiddenunrealized potential in your
practice.
Listen to the KC Chiro PulsePodcast We'll be right back.
Kats Consultants (18:02):
Pat's Chiropractic Consultants your
partner in chiropractic success.
We are dedicated with one on oneguidance to bring you all your
practice management needs.
Let's supercharge your practice.
Give us a call today.
Dr. Michael Perusich (18:30):
Welcome back to the podcast.
We are talking about theunrealized potential in your
practice.
And Troy, we've uncovered someAmazing things.
But, one of the things thatalways amazes me in my practice
is Am I amazed me in my practicewas the fact that patients
oftentimes would think that weonly treated the condition that
(18:52):
they came in with and, maybeyou're treating them for six
months and they start having,they came in with low back pain,
they start having elbow pain andthey don't talk to us about it
because they think we're justlow back doctors or just neck
doctors or we just treatheadaches or, whatever it is
they first came in with.
Yeah.
And that's boo on us, becausethat means we're not fully
(19:15):
communicating the value ofchiropractic and the things that
we can do to our patients.
Now, we can't vomit everycondition all over our patients
every time they walk in.
Can't tell them about everysingle thing that we do, but we
should have enough communicationhappening in our office, verbal
and nonverbal from doctors fromstaff.
That's Allowing the patient togain that understanding that we
(19:38):
should be the first place theycome to with any condition.
Dr. Troy Fox (19:43):
I always tell people everything
musculoskeletal from head totoe.
And if I don't think it'ssomething that I treat or want
to treat or feel comfortabletreating, I will refer you on.
So I'm a great triage point whenit comes to musculoskeletal
because that's my specialty.
And when I look at that now, youcan say, okay, but you're a
nervous system doctor.
Yes, I do talk about that withpatients.
(20:04):
So don't get me wrong.
But when I'm talking aboutmusculoskeletal discomfort.
I want patients to come to mewith whatever it is.
I don't care if it's your foot,your shoulder, your neck, you
holler at me.
First, I'll let you know, I'mgoing to save you a bunch of
money.
Cause I'm going to tell youwhere to go, what to do.
If I'm not the answer to it, andif I am the answer, I'm going to
be far cheaper than you comingfull circle back to me.
Dr. Michael Perusich (20:26):
Yeah.
That's a really simpleconversation.
It is a simple conversation.
And here's the thing, doc docsout there, if you've been in
practice three years or longer.
You're probably sitting on anunrealized gold mine.
You've got several hundred,probably a couple thousand
patients in your database, maybemore.
(20:47):
If you've been in practicelonger, you may have tens of
thousands of people in yourdatabase.
What are you doing to tap intothat potential?
Because it's huge.
Are you doing reactivations?
Are you doing those annual examslike Dr Troy talked about?
Are you updating people's x rayswhen they need to be updated?
People are walking around in ourpractices.
(21:08):
every single day with conditionsthat need to be re x rayed at
some point, whether it's aadvanced spondylolisthesis or a
scoliosis or, whatever it mightbe, we need to be on top of
those things.
Again, it goes back to the cat'slitmus test.
Is it good for the patient toupdate it?
Absolutely.
That's being a gooddiagnostician.
(21:28):
Is it good for the practice?
Yeah, absolutely.
From a couple of reasons,medical legal because it
protects you by doing that, butit also brings revenue into your
practice.
So there's so much potentialrevenue.
If we just talk about that,there's so much unpotential
revenue in your practices, tapinto it.
And if you need helpunderstanding how to do that,
(21:51):
I'll be honest, one of our bestresources is free and it's on
our website right now about howto tap into some of those
revenue points and do goodthings to the patients at the
same time.
So go check it out on ourwebsite at catsconsultants.
com.
But if you want to talk aboutsome of these kind of things, if
you're needing help getting overthat hump and tapping into that
potential in your practice, thisis what we do.
(22:13):
This is how one of the things wehelp doctors with.
So give us a call.
Send us an email.
Let's chat about your practiceand how we might be able to
help.
Dr. Troy Fox (22:22):
Fantastic.
I love this topic because Ithink it helps you sometimes
take the pressure off of, Oh, Ineed new patients.
So guess what?
You may not need as many newpatients as you think.
And I know sometimes that'sthrust new patients and PVA have
been the buzzwords inchiropractic.
So nails on a chalkboard.
I know.
And I try to work to get awayfrom that.
(22:43):
My whole practice model is notis not involved in new patients
and PVA.
What I like to do is beprofitable.
And so if that's what you wantto do and have fun in practice
and enjoy helping more patientsachieve their potential, because
that's really what we're talkingabout is finding hidden gems in
your practice and helping yourpatients achieve their
(23:03):
potential.
If they win, you win.
Dr. Michael Perusich (23:06):
And these kinds of things that we're
talking about also make you thego to doctor in your community.
So again, it's a win.
Win.
All right, everybody.
We appreciate you tuning intothe KC Chiro Pulse podcast.
It's because of you guys outthere that our podcast is
growing like crazy.
So remember subscribe, sharethis with your colleagues, and
we appreciate you tuning inevery single week to check us
(23:28):
out.
All right, from all of us hereat Kats Consultants, we'll see
you next time.
See ya.
Doctors, are you tapping into the
unrealized potential in yourpractice?
Hi, everybody.
Welcome to the KC Chiro Pulsepodcast brought to you by Kats
Consultants and Chiro HealthUSA.
I am Dr.
Michael Perusich, your hostjoined with my co host, Dr.
Troy Fox.
Troy, you and I were talkingabout this, the fact that
there's so much.
Potential in our practices andfar too often, we're just not
(00:31):
tapping into it like we shouldbe or could be.
Dr. Troy Fox (00:34):
Yeah, I think a hundred percent.
And the thing is if you saythat's not me, I really have,
I'm doing a great job with mypatients, bring a new piece of
equipment in and start talkingto your patients about it.
The reason we're having thisdiscussion today is because I'm
even suspect at times becauseI've done everything that I can
for my patients.
I bring a new piece of equipmentin and I'm hearing about
(00:54):
shoulders and knees.
That I haven't heard about in awhile and all of a sudden it's
oh, There are things that thesepatients really had needs for
that.
I wasn't addressing and now I'mlooking at it.
So what unrealized or untappedpotential do you have in your
practice?
The, have you just been saying,Hey, Sally, Sue, lay down on the
(01:16):
table.
Boom boom.
How things been doing?
How's the family?
How are the kids?
Hey, we'll see you next month.
We do all get in that kind ofroutine sometimes, especially
with our maintenance practicesand we're missing golden
opportunities because some ofour patients, you've been
treating them like this foryears.
Things have changed for them.
And every once in a while youget a little warning shot over
(01:36):
the bowel because somebody willsay, Oh hey, so and so is not
here today with me.
She's off getting an MRI of herback or her shoulder or knee or
whatever.
And you're thinking, what?
I thought I was treating her allthis time.
You were, but you were treating
Dr. Michael Perusich (01:49):
her low back in her mind, in your mind.
Dr. Troy Fox (01:52):
Yeah.
They needed something else andwe get
Dr. Michael Perusich (01:54):
stuck on that stuff.
We do.
And so we've got to, we've gotto always be bringing that
present time consciousness tothe forefront of every potential
opportunity a patient couldpresent with.
Now, it doesn't mean we ask themquestions about head to toe
every time they come in.
Dr. Troy Fox (02:12):
No,
Dr. Michael Perusich (02:12):
but if we're so close-minded that we're
treating what?
What'd you call her?
Sally?
Sue.
Sally, yeah.
If we've been treating SallySue's low back condition for the
last five years, if we're solocked into that, we're gonna
miss the fact that she startedhaving shoulder pain a couple of
months ago, and now she'sgetting an MRI.
She's talking to an orthopedist.
She's going to physical therapy,and we missed a prime
(02:35):
opportunity because.
We didn't interject chiropracticinto Sally Sue's thought process
that it could be an option for
Dr. Troy Fox (02:45):
at a bare minimum, you should be doing
reevaluations once a year whereyou have patients fill out
paperwork again, they hatefilling out paperwork.
I get it.
But if you actually engage themwhen they do fill out the
paperwork, they're thankful thatthey filled it out and they're
glad to get a conversation withthem once a year is a bare
minimum.
It's really not a bad idea.
(03:06):
Yeah.
Especially with your monthlymaintenance patients that you
put a notice even at the frontof your office that says, Hey,
if you've had a change incondition or anything new, you'd
like to talk to the doctorabout, please let us know.
And so that way it sparks theirattention every time they walk
through the door, because quitefrankly, I already know docs.
We get in the grind and we getour heads down and we got people
(03:27):
in the room.
You're not going to askeverybody, Hey, so how are your
shoulders doing?
Have you had anything new?
I saw you walk in and if you seehim limp and a little bit, you
might ask him that, but quitefrankly, we're probably not
going to do anything that wedidn't notice.
And sometimes even if we noticeit and we're busy, we ignore it.
Yep.
So patient won't ignore acondition if they feel like, Oh,
(03:51):
doctors wanting to know ifthere's anything else I can do.
So those are a couple ofcaveats, that yearly exam to
make sure that you're at leastgetting a yearly.
I liked, I liked the every sixvisit exam when we're in active
care, but I definitely like ayearly exam for sure with those
maintenance patients.
Yep.
Asking them the question.
(04:12):
Now, obviously if I'm not doinga perfect job at it.
And you're not doing a perfectjob at it.
We can probably both do betterat those two things.
That's an easy one.
Dr. Michael Perusich (04:23):
That's an easy one.
Dr. Troy Fox (04:24):
Yeah.
Dr. Michael Perusich (04:25):
We got to hear, we got to hear a word from
our sponsors.
So we're going to take a quickbreak here, but we come back.
I want to talk about some otheravenues that kind of push us
into that blinders on mentalityand we miss those opportunities.
So quick word from our sponsors.
We'll be right back.
Chiro Health USA (04:40):
In today's economy, every dollar counts.
Families are facing toughchoices, having to reconsider
what was once essential to them,but because of healthcare, no
one should have to compromise ontheir well being because of
financial constraints.
That's where PowerHealth USAsteps in, the solution for your
practice.
We understand the financialpressures families are under,
whether they're insured, onMedicare, or paying out of
(05:02):
pocket for treatment.
By offering discounts on care,you can ensure that your
patients can still afford thetreatment they need.
And at Power Health USA, we'recommitted to making sure no
family has to sacrifice theirhealth due to financial
hardship.
We'll work with you to create agame plan that keeps your
waiting room full and yourpractice thriving.
And here's the best part.
(05:22):
Offering affordable care notonly benefits your patients, but
also positively impacts yourbottom line.
So why wait?
Join Power Health USA today andjoin the ranks of the most
successful practices.
Because when you put yourpatients first, everyone wins.
Dr. Michael Perusich (05:49):
All right, everybody.
Welcome back to the KC ChiroPulse podcast.
We're talking about the hiddenpotential in your practice and
how it's right there under ournose.
And sometimes we just completelymiss it.
Another one I thought of is weget this idea that we're going
to raise our fees, which, weshould raise our fees
periodically.
We just have to make sure wehave a good fee strategy but we
(06:09):
raise our fees.
And then we noticed that ourcollections are flat the next
couple of months, or they'reeven down a little bit because,
okay, we raised our fees, but inthe back of our mind, there's
something that's holding us backfrom utilizing that increased
fee.
(06:30):
Strategy and we stoppedrecommending some services for
patients because we want to keepthe cost down for them.
Dr. Troy Fox (06:36):
You know what they call that PC politically
correct.
No, poverty
Dr. Michael Perusich (06:40):
complex.
Dr. Troy Fox (06:41):
I was almost right there with that.
We do.
And I'll tell you what, it'shuman nature.
In a lot of cases, we do startminimizing The cost.
The treatments that we givepatients because, oh, I've
already charged them enough.
There's so much human nature inthis and I don't know how to get
us as doctors out of that.
If we worked for anestablishment where we didn't
care, we would not give thosekinds of breaks to people, but
(07:04):
instead what happens is we getpersonally involved and we worry
about their financial state,even though they're not worried
about it.
They just got their nails done.
They drove up in, in a Lincoln,whatever that big navigator.
And they've got the newest cellphone and you think that saving
them 25 is going to be a hugebenefit and that they're going
(07:25):
to love you forever for savingthat money now that they walked
Dr. Michael Perusich (07:29):
in with their 12 Starbucks
Dr. Troy Fox (07:31):
and they could give a darn less about that.
What they want is good serviceand they want good outcomes,
right?
That's what they're looking for.
Good service and outcomes.
They're not really concerned atthat point that you raised your
prices.
You're the one that's concernedand all of a sudden poverty
complex.
So yeah, we see it all the time.
(07:52):
You and I are just blown awaysometimes by looking at
somebody's numbers falling flaton their face.
I'm going to raise my fees.
Yes.
And down they go.
And down they
Dr. Michael Perusich (08:02):
go and down they go.
So doctors, I'm going to tellyou a little remedy to get away
from poverty complex and try toovercome some of this.
As the doctor, you should befocused on patient outcomes and
patient experience.
Let your staff focus on thefinances.
I can tell you anytime a patientasked me what something cost in
my clinic, my standard answer,even if I did know, my standard
(08:25):
answer was, I don't know.
Ask the staff.
I don't know.
Ask him at the front desk.
I don't know.
Ask Marissa.
Because I was not going to getinto a conversation about money
with the patient because theminute you do, yeah, the minute
you do, you lock yourself in sohard to poverty complex.
And that's one of those thingsthat puts the blinders on to
(08:47):
opportunities.
So we have to remember we are afor profit business, so run it
like a for profit business.
Dr. Troy Fox (08:55):
Yeah.
Now I'll sometimes allude,somebody will say like a
nutritional product I'llrecommend it.
And somebody will say, cause Ireally don't remember numbers
very well.
So I don't remember the cost onstuff, which is a benefit for
me.
But a patient will go how muchdoes that cost for such and such
vitamin?
I go, I don't know, but I knowit's one of our lower priced
vitamins.
Dr. Michael Perusich (09:15):
And
Dr. Troy Fox (09:16):
there's, but here's what's funny.
I don't remember what it costs,but I remember there's 240 count
in it.
I don't know.
So I'm like, there's 240 inthere and you're only taking two
a day.
You can do the math on that.
It's pretty cost effective, butI still didn't tell them what
the cost is.
I have no idea.
I'll tell them that much andthen send them up front.
Yeah.
Stay out of that conversation.
(09:38):
Yeah.
It's a hundred percent.
So when we're realizing valuewith patients, there's
opportunities when we hear themsometimes just to say, you know
what, you're really tight today.
I think a therapy would probablyhelp that adjustment, stay
mobile a little bit longer.
Or you find a completely newcondition.
You need to put them on atreatment schedule for, and it's
(09:59):
a really great time to introducethe fact that I'm going to treat
you X number of times, usuallylike six times, we're going to
reevaluate at that point.
I would recommend that we'reprobably going to see you 12
times, but I'm going to, I'mgoing to reevaluate you at six.
And so we preempt this andreally the whole goal is the
same place that we've been atwith you, Sally Sue, this whole
(10:20):
time is that we want to get youwell.
And we want to keep you well.
We've got a new condition here.
We need to work with, or onethat's flared on us.
So we're going to actively treatthis again.
And our whole goal is to getback to a point where we're just
maintenancing you.
So now I've basically taken theconversation from zero to here's
where we're going to go withthis.
And then I bring in those otherservices.
(10:41):
I had a patient literally rightbefore we did this podcast that
came in.
She got adjusted the first timeshe came in an exam.
She did not get any therapytoday.
I put therapy on her.
She goes, oh, I didn't know Iwas going to get this.
She was all thrilled about it.
Yeah.
Why didn't I do that last time?
I don't know what my mindset waswhen I did an evaluation on her
(11:04):
last time.
I can't figure out what I wasthinking in my head.
It was baffling me too.
Why didn't I recommend therapylast time?
Was I in a hurry?
What, what was going on up here?
And I couldn't figure it out.
But today I looked at her andwhen I was palpating, I'm like,
wow, she needs some therapy ontop of the adjustment.
So it was obvious to me today.
Sometimes you see those things.
(11:25):
Sometimes you don't.
So don't kick yourself.
If you have it, just realize youhave a bunch of potential in
your practice that you haven'tutilized.
Dr. Michael Perusich (11:32):
You just made me think of our mastermind
that we've been studyingrecently in our mastermind
group, and that's about beingprepared.
And when we go in with apatient, whether it's into an
adjustment or into an exam orinto a report of findings, how
prepared are we have we thoughtall the way through the case?
Are we making a full set ofrecommendations to the patient?
(11:54):
Or are we minimizing things?
Are we minimizing things becauseof poverty complex?
Are we minimizing things?
Because we haven't thoroughlyfought through the case?
What's best for this patient?
Yeah.
And so we've got to make surethat we're prepared.
And that goes back to thatmental preparedness when you're
working with a patient, are westaying present time conscious
(12:16):
with that patient?
So we're uncovering all thoseopportunities.
What do we always say?
The litmus test is in catsconsultants.
If it's good for the patient andgood for the practice, then we
do it.
If it's good for the practiceand not for the patient, then we
don't do it.
If it's good for the patient andnot the practice, we think about
it.
If it's good for the patient andgood for the practice.
If the patient can benefit fromthe muscle stem and the practice
(12:38):
benefits for that extra 20, it'sa win.
And isn't that what we're tryingto create?
Yes.
I'll answer that for everybody.
It's.
those kind of things areimportant.
And if we're blocking ourselvesfrom that, that we're missing
part of that potential in ourpractice.
Dr. Troy Fox (12:57):
100 percent agree with you on that.
That it's, as we refer back tothe words, who's the guy that
sings the song ice baby.
I just happened to have VanillaIce.
That would be his name.
Robbed somebody, right?
So in the famous words, VanillaIce, stop, collaborate, and
listen.
And I know some people justturned off the podcast.
(13:20):
I was
Dr. Michael Perusich (13:20):
about ready too.
It's
Dr. Troy Fox (13:21):
It's so true.
When I, so I listened to today,we were talking in our
mastermind group and we weretalking about a couple of key
concepts and what I got out ofthat was, listen you've got to
almost take a pause.
And I always like to say, whenyou go in with a new patient or
react, you change gears fromadjusting into more of a
(13:42):
diagnostic phase again, and withthat.
What's important to know who'smy patient who's in front of me
right now?
Yep, what do I know about themat this point?
And what do I know about theircondition before I walk in so I
can say I know this and thisabout your condition Tell me in
your own words what it feelslike on a day to day basis
because sometimes you guys knowas well as I do You get
(14:04):
information, but you look at itand you go they have pain from
head to toe.
Yeah, and it's sharp It's dull.
It's achy It's 21 or 25 to 49percent of the time and 50 to 75
percent of the time.
And it's every day and it's partof the day.
And so you're like, okay, whatin the world?
(14:25):
Okay.
So let's break this down and wego in and guess what I do.
I go in and I listen to mypatient at that point.
So the collaboration andlistening portion is me coming
in and saying, Hey, I've readwhat you wrote down.
I appreciate you putting allthis together.
Now let's try to make sense ofthis.
Because sometimes you do get theword salad.
Yeah.
And I got one this morning andunfortunately I was ready to go
(14:48):
to ask the patient questions andthey have pneumonia and so they
weren't in.
So I didn't get to go throughwith it but those are things you
have happen.
Sometimes a patient is sosuccinct and I thank them, oh my
gosh, thank you for the greatdetail that you gave me about
your neck vein.
You're right sided, radiatedinto your scapula.
They're blown away because theysay, I have this all the time,
(15:11):
most doctors don't read thesethings.
Patients get burned out.
I'm filling them out becausethey don't think you read them
anyway.
So when you do, you blow theirmind.
So if you're not reading thosethings and you can't recite back
to the patient what's going onwith them, I would highly
encourage you to do that beforeyou go in with the patient.
Huge.
And it also reminds you ofeverything that's going on with
(15:34):
the patient to allow you to makea proper diagnosis and to do
what we were just talking about,you can tap that unrealized
potential.
So now all of a sudden, it's notjust the spine I'm worried
about.
I'm also worried about yourright shoulder.
And we're going to address thattoday as well.
And we're not going to let thatslip through the cracks because
we're spine doctors, right?
(15:56):
I see that a lot where we narrowour focus in and we forget about
extremity adjusting andtherapies.
And some of you don't, some ofyou do a great job, but if
you're not getting to that pointof where you're addressing with
issues, make sure that you'readdressing everything the
patient put in front of you.
You want to talk about patientsatisfaction.
And I just read this, what inchiropractic economics or one of
(16:17):
these magazines is probablypropping my laptop up right now
or my tablet.
Probably better not move it, butI was reading I think it was
dynamic chiropractic, maybe thatwas talking about patient
satisfaction for spinal problemsspecifically, they were talking
about medical doctors and theyactually have a dissatisfaction
rate, which chiropractors didn'thave, and it was like.
(16:41):
67 percent for medical doctorsand like 90 percent for
chiropractors.
I'm throwing numbers out there,but it was amazing to me to see
what our satisfaction rating iswith patients.
So we're doing a good job, butwe could do a great job.
Dr. Michael Perusich (16:54):
Yeah, I'm gonna add one thing to that.
When we become so focused on onepart of the patient's condition
where we become so focused on,if they come in and they're
talking about upper back pain,for example, and we just focus
on that and we don't realizethat there's other things
attached to it that may beaffected like shoulders and
elbows and so on and so forth.
Next when we do that, what doyou think happens to the
(17:19):
patient's mentality?
They begin to mirror us as thedoctor and now they Are only
focused on their upper back ontheir thoracic spine, because
now we just led them to thinkthat's all we do.
He's not kicking my shoulderbecause he is, he's a
chiropractor.
So he only focuses on the spineand now we're losing all kinds
(17:41):
of opportunities that we couldbe working with patients.
Again, expanding that potentialin your practice.
We're losing thoseopportunities.
So when we come back, we got totake a little break.
When we come back, I want toexplore that little piece just a
little bit more.
All right.
We're talking about the hiddenunrealized potential in your
practice.
Listen to the KC Chiro PulsePodcast We'll be right back.
Kats Consultants (18:02):
Pat's Chiropractic Consultants your
partner in chiropractic success.
We are dedicated with one on oneguidance to bring you all your
practice management needs.
Let's supercharge your practice.
Give us a call today.
Dr. Michael Perusich (18:30):
Welcome back to the podcast.
We are talking about theunrealized potential in your
practice.
And Troy, we've uncovered someAmazing things.
But, one of the things thatalways amazes me in my practice
is Am I amazed me in my practicewas the fact that patients
oftentimes would think that weonly treated the condition that
(18:52):
they came in with and, maybeyou're treating them for six
months and they start having,they came in with low back pain,
they start having elbow pain andthey don't talk to us about it
because they think we're justlow back doctors or just neck
doctors or we just treatheadaches or, whatever it is
they first came in with.
Yeah.
And that's boo on us, becausethat means we're not fully
(19:15):
communicating the value ofchiropractic and the things that
we can do to our patients.
Now, we can't vomit everycondition all over our patients
every time they walk in.
Can't tell them about everysingle thing that we do, but we
should have enough communicationhappening in our office, verbal
and nonverbal from doctors fromstaff.
That's Allowing the patient togain that understanding that we
(19:38):
should be the first place theycome to with any condition.
Dr. Troy Fox (19:43):
I always tell people everything
musculoskeletal from head totoe.
And if I don't think it'ssomething that I treat or want
to treat or feel comfortabletreating, I will refer you on.
So I'm a great triage point whenit comes to musculoskeletal
because that's my specialty.
And when I look at that now, youcan say, okay, but you're a
nervous system doctor.
Yes, I do talk about that withpatients.
(20:04):
So don't get me wrong.
But when I'm talking aboutmusculoskeletal discomfort.
I want patients to come to mewith whatever it is.
I don't care if it's your foot,your shoulder, your neck, you
holler at me.
First, I'll let you know, I'mgoing to save you a bunch of
money.
Cause I'm going to tell youwhere to go, what to do.
If I'm not the answer to it, andif I am the answer, I'm going to
be far cheaper than you comingfull circle back to me.
Dr. Michael Perusich (20:26):
Yeah.
That's a really simpleconversation.
It is a simple conversation.
And here's the thing, doc docsout there, if you've been in
practice three years or longer.
You're probably sitting on anunrealized gold mine.
You've got several hundred,probably a couple thousand
patients in your database, maybemore.
(20:47):
If you've been in practicelonger, you may have tens of
thousands of people in yourdatabase.
What are you doing to tap intothat potential?
Because it's huge.
Are you doing reactivations?
Are you doing those annual examslike Dr Troy talked about?
Are you updating people's x rayswhen they need to be updated?
People are walking around in ourpractices.
(21:08):
every single day with conditionsthat need to be re x rayed at
some point, whether it's aadvanced spondylolisthesis or a
scoliosis or, whatever it mightbe, we need to be on top of
those things.
Again, it goes back to the cat'slitmus test.
Is it good for the patient toupdate it?
Absolutely.
That's being a gooddiagnostician.
(21:28):
Is it good for the practice?
Yeah, absolutely.
From a couple of reasons,medical legal because it
protects you by doing that, butit also brings revenue into your
practice.
So there's so much potentialrevenue.
If we just talk about that,there's so much unpotential
revenue in your practices, tapinto it.
And if you need helpunderstanding how to do that,
(21:51):
I'll be honest, one of our bestresources is free and it's on
our website right now about howto tap into some of those
revenue points and do goodthings to the patients at the
same time.
So go check it out on ourwebsite at catsconsultants.
com.
But if you want to talk aboutsome of these kind of things, if
you're needing help getting overthat hump and tapping into that
potential in your practice, thisis what we do.
(22:13):
This is how one of the things wehelp doctors with.
So give us a call.
Send us an email.
Let's chat about your practiceand how we might be able to
help.
Dr. Troy Fox (22:22):
Fantastic.
I love this topic because Ithink it helps you sometimes
take the pressure off of, Oh, Ineed new patients.
So guess what?
You may not need as many newpatients as you think.
And I know sometimes that'sthrust new patients and PVA have
been the buzzwords inchiropractic.
So nails on a chalkboard.
I know.
And I try to work to get awayfrom that.
(22:43):
My whole practice model is notis not involved in new patients
and PVA.
What I like to do is beprofitable.
And so if that's what you wantto do and have fun in practice
and enjoy helping more patientsachieve their potential, because
that's really what we're talkingabout is finding hidden gems in
your practice and helping yourpatients achieve their
(23:03):
potential.
If they win, you win.
Dr. Michael Perusich (23:06):
And these kinds of things that we're
talking about also make you thego to doctor in your community.
So again, it's a win.
Win.
All right, everybody.
We appreciate you tuning intothe KC Chiro Pulse podcast.
It's because of you guys outthere that our podcast is
growing like crazy.
So remember subscribe, sharethis with your colleagues, and
we appreciate you tuning inevery single week to check us
(23:28):
out.
All right, from all of us hereat Kats Consultants, we'll see
you next time.
See ya.
Popular Podcasts
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.