QUESTION:  Are there strategies that can help in communications with new patients?

ANSWER:  Communications skills and the substance and integrity of your messages are key elements in your practice success.  Following is the first in a series on this all-important element in patient relations.

There are two different types of new patients for Chiropractors.  One, the new patient who has never had an adjustment and possibly never been under chiropractic care; and two, the new patient, new to your office, but who has been under chiropractic care elsewhere.  Granted, every patient is different, however, some factors remain constant, regardless of the type of any new patient's prior chiropractic care status.

One of the constants is that first impressions are lasting impressions.  Your professional (or unprofessional) appearance, and your ability to quickly connect and effectively communicate with the patient will create a lasting impression on that patient that will never be forgotten.  The focus of the first visit is to gain as much information from and about the patient as possible through a complete case history and to x-ray and examine the patient as indicated.  It is also the first opportunity for you and the patient to meet.  Be professional, but also be friendly, informative and communicative.  Here are some key points:

1.      Always know in advance what you want to say. If you have to stop for a moment and collect your thoughts before meeting a new patient, do so.  You will be glad you did.

2.      Be welcoming and open with a message, for example that communicates these important values.  Let them know,  "It's great to have you as a patient.  Tell me about your problem." 

3.      When the initial exchange is over, simply let them know your preliminary findings. Make no promises but be clear: "From what you've told me, there's every reason to believe that your problem is a chiropractic problem and can be corrected by chiropractic care."

4.      Tell the patient what comes next.  Explain what you are doing and why. With confidence and dignity, after you have made your findings, you can say: "Today, we will x-ray you and do a spinal examination, so I can determine the exact cause of your problem. But to set your mind at ease, in my study of your case, should I find something that needs medical attention, I will discuss it with you and I will refer you to someone else for that part of your care.  In my office I accept only those patients that I know that I can help and yours will be no different."

5.      Be aware of the time you spend with every patient in every encounter and that patients want your undivided attention.  It is important to focus on your clinical mission with as much openness and humanity as possible, but do not needlessly delay the visit. Both patient and provider respect efficiency.

6.      Time-wise, you should spend no more than 4-5 minutes with a new patient in consultation before x-rays.  Check over the case history and make sure that everything you needed them to tell you has been recorded.

7.      Do not attempt to explain the complex details of chiropractic to the new patient at this time.  The patient's first visit is not the time to educate them on what chiropractic is and is not. Just as it is difficult to teach a person how to swim when they have never been in the water, it is also very difficult to give insight to new patients on the magnificent wonders of chiropractic healthcare when they have never even had an adjustment! 

Always remember that you communicate with patients not just through your conversation, but also through every aspect of your clinic operations.  They will walk away from their first encounter with you as a health care professional based on a total evaluation of their experience, not just what you told them.  Communicate through professional excellence in your procedures.  Make sure that you take a good case history; take clear high quality x-rays (preferably with the patient in a gown for lumbar/pelvic x-rays so as to eliminate the zippers, belt buckles, etc. on the x-rays), and quickly look at the x-rays on your view box, before the patient leaves on their first visit.  Speak to the patient about what you "saw" on their x-rays (you will need, of course, to analyze your x-rays in greater detail later). 

A patient's first visit should be the first link in a chain of service, trust and care that lasts and grows stronger with each visit, not just through the initial problem or crisis, but for a lifetime.