WHY SOME OF YOUR PATIENTS ARE NOT MAKING THEIR HEALTH A TOP PRIORITY.
Friday, February 11, 2011 at 8:02PM 
Fred DiDomenico, DC
Practice Coach and Mentor
INTRODUCTION
Most doctors evaluate x-rays and make recommendations for a corrective care program at their report of findings (ROF). Why do some patients make their health a top priority, follow your recommendations; while other patients don’t at all? In my experience, I’ve found that one explanation for a patient’s lack of commitment can be a result of the classic approach of the “3 Questions” many management groups and doctors believe you have to answer in your ROF,
1. What’s the problem?
2. How long?
3. How much?
THE PROBLEM
One of the reasons some patients won’t commit to this old school communication principle is you want them to buy “YOUR IDEA.” Your recommendations are your idea for what YOU think they should do for THEIR condition. The problem begins with the very simple question: “What if they don’t like your idea?”
It is common knowledge people buy with emotions and justify with fact. Answering the “3 Questions” in an ROF is just a presentation of facts. Patients can read a pamphlet and get these facts. True, they are the facts of their health. However, facts can be about as motivating to some as the note from the Surgeon General on the side of a cigarette carton. You know, the one they read warning them of cancer as they’re lighting their next smoke!
In contrast, when patients buy THEIR idea, their value for your program to get what they want changes significantly. Now, you no longer need to convince or “sell” them anything, especially your program. Your corrective care program becomes their idea to fix their health. Thus, the question really boils down to this: “How do you make it their idea?”
THE SOLUTION
After you show them their x-rays and ask the patients’ questions requiring them to convince you they COMPLETELY understand their’ condition, you have them write their long term, 20-30 year health goals. Why such long term goals?
These goals are long term to help them focus on the lifestyle of a healthy spine and posture. There is preliminary research establishing the relationship between poor posture to a shortened life span full, organ problems, and significant research showing an impact to overall health, performance and pain. The x-rays you are showing them in an ROF represent a life of poor health, the potential for disease as well as chronic, even debilitating pain, regardless of their present symptomotology. The program you are recommending is to correct their postural/spinal abnormality, followed by a lifestyle of home care and maintenance visits to maintain optimal spine and posture for LIFE! How many patients are actually going to follow this regime? If you haven’t created patients with this desire and healthy thinking you are selling them your idea. How about if we make this lifestyle their idea instead and inspire them to be completely EMOTIONALLY committed to their goals?
The Steps
First, we start by qualifying their goals and ensuring ourselves and them, their goals are truly long term. They MUST be 20-30 year, qualified goals.
Next, we ask them, “How important are these goals to you?” Followed by, “Are they the MOST important goals to you?” If there is ANYTHING more important than these goals, that is why they WON’T pay you. You MUST find their #1 important priority. If they say their job is more important, that is why they won’t have time. If they say their job is more important, you say,
“I understand. Your career is very important. So please tell me, you just saw your x-rays and said that you have postural injuries that are making your body weak, your condition is associated with chronic pain and you have several health conditions that are getting worse as you get older. Correct?” They will agree.
“Would you be more successful in your career if you were battling disease and chronic pain, or would you be more successful if your body was strong, you had youthful energy and had no chronic pain?” They would agree.
“So what is REALLY the MOST important aspect of your life to reach your goals, your highest success in your career?” They would say their health. NOW you have placed their health in the top priority and they MUST fix their condition to reach their most important goal.
Likewise, if they say their family is most important, you use a similar principle. You say, I understand your family is high on your priority list. Would you be a better father and husband if your postural injuries are to progress making your body weaker, sluggish and with a higher potential to create disease, or would you be a better father and husband if you were strong, healthy and had better energy for the rest of your life?” They will obviously agree to the later.
“So even in front of your family, what’s the MOST important aspect of your life for you to be the best provider, husband and father?” They will definitely say their health. If they do not put their health in front of their family, they won’t pay you because of the family vacation, bigger house, braces for their kids and a seemingly infinite number of other reasons.
The next VERY important question to ask is, “Can you reach these goals (being a great father/husband/provider/successful in your career) and allow your condition to progress?” They MUST say “No,” and they will. Once they tell you their highest priorities in their life AND they tell you they will never reach that life and their posture and health is the barrier to stopping them, your program NOW is the answer to their problems that has a HUGE EMOTIONAL attachment. You now become the tool or coach that will help them get what THEY want.
This is similar to a person who wants to compete in the Iron Man Triathlon. They hire a coach training them to run through the tape in Hawaii. You are the coach that will help them run through the tape of their goals, THEIR desired life!
When it becomes their idea and they have a clear vision for the life they desire, they will pay you NOW, follow ALL of your recommendations including home care. They do this because you inspired them to be and reach for their best using spinal correction as the vehicle. Isn’t that our responsibility? You will also find their enthusiasm and happiness in your program will be so high, they will refer like never before so you can inspire more people. You are now living a fulfilled chiropractic life.
SUMMARY
This article has addressed one of the many coaching tools and communication systems you will learn at an Elite Coaching seminar and boot camp. If you are truly ready to reach levels of practice that are more fulfilling creating more committed relationships with your patients, call Dr. Fred DiDomenico at 253-851-8353 for a practice consultation. Elite is very committed to helping more doctors reach new levels of practice and learning spinal correction this year.
In fact, Elite will pay for a CBP® seminar of your choice and attendance at the Annual seminar if you join by Feb 28th, 2011.
Join the movement with CBP® and Elite Coaching to strengthen full spine chiropractic corrective care for the betterment of the profession, as well as the overall health and consciousness of our populations and world.