Dear Doctor:

I just overheard a radio commentator talking about how the banks are now offering additional services favoring college students and young customers, with the express purpose of increasing retention. They’ve discovered that it’s a lot more profitable and cost effective to keep the customers they have instead of constantly seeking new ones.

What a concept! It’s true in chiropractic practice, too – it’s a lot more profitable and cost effective to retain and thoroughly serve the patients you attract, instead of meeting their needs halfway (which may satisfy them, not knowing any better) and then having to go through the process of procuring new people over and over again.

Think about it this way – does your chiropractic care ever end? How about your family’s care? My dear friend and one of the finest chiropractic coaches in the nation, Dr. Alan Rousso, jokingly asks, “If your teeth aren’t hurting you right now, do you call up your dental office and inform your dentist that you quit, that you’re not coming back?” Of course not – you may or may not be under active care at any particular time, but the relationship stands. If you are a patient’s chiropractor, that should mean that you supply the chiropractic wellness services for that patient and family. You certainly would prefer that your patients stay under active care throughout their lifetimes, but you know as well as I do that some people will not do that – the question is, are they still your patients?

Well, that depends on how you manage and service those accounts. The first key to patient retention is to offer the highest quality service possible, so your constituency feels pleased with you and what you’ve done for them. Second, you must elicit their needs, and show them how your care supports and fulfills those needs. Third, you must develop a catalog of sample dialogues, so you are ready to address whatever issues come up. Remember, it’s your responsibility to learn how to communicate your message effectively. Use appropriate office procedures, such as a great report of findings, patient education, re-exams and a proper recall system. Finally, you must apply good people skills – courtesy, timeliness, efficiency, reliability and kindness shape your relationship with your patient, so they would never think of going elsewhere.

Patient retention isn’t rocket science, but it does require thought, planning, execution and follow through. Master these skills, and your new patient problem will be solved forever, because you won’t need near as many to have the practice your really want.

Dennis Perman DC, for The Masters Circle

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