Here in the northeast spring is blossoming everywhere. It seems appropriate that our focus this season is on new patient conversion! Our efforts are focused on helping change lives from unhealthy to healthy through educating, nurturing and providing care.
All new patients go through their Report of Findings day where you sit down with their X-ray results. The X-ray review is where the rubber meets the road. You will quickly find out if your patients truly grasp what you’ve taught them.
Specifically, we’ll find out – “Did we do a good job of communicating what is important here?” AND “Have we prepared them to recognize their problems and what they mean?”.
This is a critical and very specific point in patient conversion that requires TOTAL ENGAGEMENT.
The patient will now take ownership of your findings. I ask my patients the below questions in order, exactly as they are stated using the same tone I did in the General Report Orientation.
[Name]….Let’s talk about your X-rays. I start with the lateral cervical and focus on the important of the neck, allowing them a minute to orient the film.
- Tell me what you see, starting with your head position. Is your head in a healthy position? Balanced over your shoulders and spine?
- How about your curve? Does it look like a healthy, normal curve?
- What causes that? [Thats right, subluxation. You have a subluxation right here – touch & tell. I will then usually point to any level of degenerative changes on the X-ray.
- Why is that important? What does it affect? [Nerves… related symptoms if relevant.]
- Which Phase of Subluxation Degeneration do you think you’re in?
- How long does it take to get like that? [Relate to trauma history when relevant]
- Is this correctable?
- How long does it take to correct that?
- What would happen if you did nothing? [Worsens]
- Is that what you want?
- Are you ready to do something about it?
- Would you like to hear my recommendations?
Next, you recap what you’ve accomplished up until this point before moving onto the Recommendations Report. We’ve established several critical components for patient’s understanding and eventual patient conversion to care.
We have also established their concern – usually a symptom or “complaint”. During this meeting, you help them grasp an understanding of their cause.
And finally, we also identified the patient’s goals; both short and long term. Make sure you have their goals handy during this consult for reference.
All of this information is brought together in a recap communication before we can ask for commitment to care.
Here lies the bridge between the Report of Findings and the Recommendations for Care. It creates a simple and clear path to commitment to their health.
Watch Module 22-25 of the TRP Academy to get the details on the “4 Agreements” Conversion Formula. If you’re not yet an Academy Member, consider checking out our program here.
Your next step in this cycle is to share you Recommendations for Care Report. Your patient has taken ownership of their problems and understands the underlying causes. They want YOU to show them the path.
