Dr. Shawn Powers

"Everybody has barriers and obstacles. If you look at them as hurdles that strengthen you, each time you go over one, then you are going to be success."

-Benjamin Carson

REDUCING PATIENT EXODUS AND INCORPORATING THE PERFECT REACTIVATION PROGRAM

The need for a reactivation program is generally a symptom of patient commitment challenges. Many things can cause challenges with patient commitment. One prominent cause is the doctor’s inability to teach and motivate their patients, although no matter how good you are at teaching and motivating, patients will still sometimes leave. Whether or not they come back to you, and this time understand enough to stay, is again in direct proportion to how well you teach and motivate them.

Reactivation essentially gives you the opportunity to do a better job than you did the first time. You are, hopefully, a different person than the last time the patient was in your office. You have learned more, grown more, and have become more skilful in chiropractic and communication.

Before describing the perfect reactivation program I want to share with you how to avoid having numerous people that require reactivation. In other words, stopping the patient exodus.

STRATEGIES THAT PREVENT PATIENT EXODUS

1. Focus on serving your patients.

2. Set high standards for your office and your patients.

3. Implement systems that support the execution of your standards.

4. Master your technique.

5. Learn and utilize a system of relentless and consistent patient education.

6. Provide consistent “knock your socks off service”.

STRESS FREE REACTIVATION PROGRAM

I am an advocate of establishing a quarterly reactivation program that starts at the first of the year. Repeat the same program in April, July, October and then again in January.

1. Review patients who have left the practice. Decide who you would enjoy having back in the practice.

2. Decide how many people your office can contact by phone per week.

3. Select an interesting postcard for mailing.

4. Hand write the following:

Dear Bill,

It has been two months since your last visit, and we have missed you. I will be calling you in 10 days to see how you are.

Powers On!

Dr. Powers

5. Call 5 days after the postcard has been sent. Connect with the patient. Let them know you are concerned about them. Give them an opportunity to come in and be evaluated objectively to see how stable they are.

The responses will be of three types.

1. Disbelief. They call you before you call them. I want to make an appointment I can’t believe it has been that long since I have been in.

2. Satisfied. They are happy you called; they believe all is well, and they will be in touch when they want to come back. Thank them for their time, let them know you are available to them, their family and friends.

3. Dissatisfied. They are not interested in your service, or might have had some dissatisfaction with your service. If appropriate apologize and find out if there was anything you can do to make it right. If it is something you want to do differently, learn form the experience and fix the problem.

The rest is up to you. Enjoy the process.

Yours in Guarding the Sacred Trust,
Coach Shawn Powers

Dr. Shawn Powers provides specific individualized coaching with the focus on personalized solutions for your life and practice. Dr. Powers is not like the other companies that utilize a cookie cutter approach to your particular needs. Because she is dedicated to personalized service and attention, only a limited amount of new clients are accepted. She has learned and developed proven strategies from her own practice experiences and from coaching hundreds of doctors to success. Dr. Powers isn't interested in having the most clients. Her mission is to give the best possible service to her clients.