Developing Patient Relations

	Developing Long-Term Relationships with your Patients *written by Glenn M. Hultgren, D.C.*
	*Are We D.A.'s or D.C.'s ?* ( D.A. = Doctor of Acutes ) ( D.C. = Doctor of Chronics )

Office Procedure for Christian Chiropractors

Many of our Christian Chiropractors Association members and friends regularly call the CCA office asking for help and recommendations for office procedure programs, we thought it might be of help and a practical idea to include some basic office procedures on our web site. The information on this site is not new as it has been used by thousands of Doctors of Chiropractic for many years. It has been gathered from several sources and has been screened for its ethical content as well as its effectiveness in the doctor’s office.

When it comes to advertising and public relations, there are many different ways and programs used by chiropractors. In a survey by public relations professionals, the following is a list, ranked by the most cost effect to the least, of the many ways you can spend your advertising and public relations dollar.

In this presentation we have started several procedural programs at this time and may add others later. In our first program, “How to Develop Long Term Relationships” we have presented an outline of the step by step procedure to be followed from the time the new patient calls for an appointment through the examination and report of findings. The goal is to make each patient one who will remain a patient for life, not because you schedule appointments every month for them for the rest of their life, but because they recognize the benefit and need for regular chiropractic care.

The second program is a manual for the front office staff. We have found that too many secretaries and receptionists may know how to operate the computer but hardly know how to spell chiropractic. When properly trained, they should be your best source of new patients and your best P.R. person. A poorly trained front office person can drive patients away by their inept procedures.

The third program contains two letters which are designed to re-activate patients who have discontinued their care.

The fourth program contains a series of letters which can be transferred onto your computer and sent to all new patients over a one year period of time. These letters are designed to express appreciation to the new patient, to get the new patient to express appreciation to the friend who referred him/her to your office, to stimulate the new patient to make referrals, the inform the new patient of other health problems you can work with, and general health information. The final letter in the series is a very brief outline of how to perform c.p.r.