176: The New Trend in Chiropractic Wellness Care

Welcome to the KC CHIROpulse Podcast.  

This week’s topic: The New Trend in Chiropractic Wellness Care

The KC CHIROpulse Podcast is designed for Chiropractic professionals ready to elevate their practice to new heights, and is hosted by Kats Consultants coaches Dr Michael Perusich and Dr Troy Fox.  Both docs are seasoned experts in Chiropractic care and business development.  This podcast provides invaluable insights and actionable strategies to help you create a flourishing and sustainable Chiropractic business.

In this episode, we discuss:

 

• How Chiropractic wellness care has changed in the minds of patients

• Why we overthink wellness care for the patient

• The reasons why Chiropractic patients are wanting more care

• The new trend that can explode your practice profits

• …and so much more…

 

 

In each episode of KC CHIROpulse, we delve into crucial aspects of building a successful Chiropractic practice, covering topics such as establishing a strong foundation, adopting a patient-centric approach, mastering marketing techniques, achieving financial fitness, fostering effective team building and leadership, integrating technology and innovation, and navigating common challenges in the field.

 

Whether you're a seasoned chiropractor or just starting your practice, the KC CHIROpulse Podcast offers a wealth of knowledge and practical advice to help you navigate the intricate world of Chiropractic business. Join us on this journey as we explore proven strategies, share success stories, and connect with industry experts to empower you in your pursuit of building a thriving Chiropractic practice.

 

Don't miss out on the latest insights and expert guidance. Subscribe now and unlock the secrets to taking your Chiropractic practice to the next level. Your success is our priority at Kats Chiropractic Business Advisors.

DISCLAIMER:  The information presented in this broadcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended to offer legal, investment, accounting, or medical advice.  Seek the consultation of a professional for advice in those areas. And remember…your results using this information may be different than described.

Dr Michael Perusich: Doctors have you caught on to the new trend and wellness care? Hi everybody. Welcome to the KC carapults podcast brought to you by Katz consultants and Cairo Health USA. I'm Michael perusich. I'm joined the month with my host Dr. Troy Fox, this is going to be probably my favorite topic ever to talk about because if you haven't latched on to this in practice, if you hadn't noticed this yet, I mean this is gonna be the biggest nugget Gold Mine of the year if you listen all the way through this podcast, so I'm gonna Tee It Up I'm gonna let you take your new driver. And smash it down the Fairway. Okay, you ready?

Troy Fox: All right. Yep.

Dr Michael Perusich: So there's a new trend and we're seeing this all across the country Troy. You've seen it in your practice. I've seen it We see it everywhere and it's happening and I see so many doctors missing out on this opportunity your patience. All right. Are you listening? You're patients want to come in more often? Boom go?

Troy Fox: We're done. Thanks for listening today. I just had a patient this morning and sometimes we read our patients. And so I had a patient come in this morning. His wife had been a weekly patient of mine for over a year and…

Dr Michael Perusich: Yeah.

Troy Fox: that's her Cadence to care and she loves it. She's not going to change it. He hadn't been in since I Bought the practice and the doctor that transitioned out left when she left he quit care. So she said I think you need to get some care. So he comes in it's been about nine months. I do an exam on him today. I'm talking to him and he's explaining what had happened before and it didn't make a whole lot of sense kind of what he talked about. But that's neither here nor there. It was just kind of like a lack of Education about what Chiropractic really wasn't what it did but what he did know is that chiropractic made him feel better and he stayed functional and so

Dr Michael Perusich: Wait a minute. That's a new slash Chiropractic.

Troy Fox: Yeah. Yeah.

Dr Michael Perusich: Care makes you feel better. I love it.

Troy Fox: So here's what happened. I'm kind of softshoeing into the sink because here's a guy that hadn't been in nine months. I'm thinking is he really gonna follow my care recommendations? And so, I respond by saying. Hey, I know your wife's been getting weekly care. I know it's been a little while since you've been coming in. So I'm thinking I'm gonna soft you into this. We may not need to see you every week or even other week every other week. It might be three or four weeks would be a good Cadence of care for you, but we'll do an exam and take a look and see what's going on. So I do an exam on him. I adjust him. And lo and behold he looks at me and he goes, I think what I'm going to do is on the same schedules my wife. I'll just start coming in weekly. And so he didn't even give me the opportunity to trip over my own feet.

Troy Fox: And say what do you think? we could probably see you once a month or once every three weeks or because I would have made a recommendation based off the fact that he hadn't been seen in a while thinking that maybe He wasn't going to be comfortable with one time a week care and he jumped right in the middle of it and basically said here's what I would like to do. And that's a really good lesson for me as well that…

Dr Michael Perusich: Sure.

Troy Fox: if I'm really smart about what I'm doing, maybe I offer. A few different options for care because what we're seeing and some of this has been driven actually by a franchise Chiropractic. because…

Dr Michael Perusich: a little bit

Troy Fox: what we're seeing in franchise Chiropractic is they're offering what memberships that allow you to come in two times a month and get adjusted.

Troy Fox: and people are jumping all over it. It's become a really big Trend in Chiropractic. People are using it for lifestyle Wellness.

Dr Michael Perusich: So we started doing this 10 or 12 years ago in my practice. And I realized one day that if I think for the patient. I might not create the same thought process they had and this happened totally by accident.

Troy Fox: Yeah.

Dr Michael Perusich: Here's what happened. One day. I made a recommendation. I always told patients. I gave him a range and what I wanted to see him back, say I said three to four for example. And then my staff would back it up and they'd start, offering at the three-week point. Marissa stands at the front counter and I could hear this conversation from my adjusting room. I'm in with another patient goes up says documents see me in three to four weeks versus great,…

Troy Fox: right

Dr Michael Perusich: I've got and so Open and he said can I come in sooner? And I mean it was like not a light bulb went off for…

Troy Fox: Yeah.

00:05:00

Dr Michael Perusich: It was like a rocket blew up over my head. I'm like, holy cow. I just realized I'm talking patients out of coming in maybe when they want to which may be a different schedule and it's not always further out. so I began Patients I started in instead of my usual maintenance Cadence of three to four weeks. I started two to three. And everybody was choosing to and then all of a sudden when people are on every two weeks now,…

Troy Fox: Yeah.

Dr Michael Perusich: they're telling us. Hey, can I just come in every week? I mean,…

Troy Fox: right

Dr Michael Perusich: can you build a practice pretty darn quick doing that Holy Smokes.

Troy Fox: Yeah. In the thing is…

Dr Michael Perusich: I mean the practice just blew up. Yeah.

Troy Fox: if you're running a cash practice where it's an agreement between you and the patient, it works really well because you and the patient are making this decision. You don't have to worry about whether an insurance company says is your medically necessary. What you're looking at is a lifestyle wellness program now chiropractors sometimes…

Dr Michael Perusich: right

Troy Fox: what I see and we all get caught up in this is that one percent of patients that you'll see on Facebook. I saw a comment the other day on Facebook and this I kind of laughed when I saw it, but it was a chiropractor asking

Troy Fox: what do you look for in a good chiropractor? And of course, one patient says hey, I'm looking for somebody that does a good manual adjustment. Okay, great answer the next person says I'm looking for somebody that's not trying to create a career based off of my care in other words somebody that keeps recommending care for me and I think what we see. Lot is we become gunshot as chiropractors? Because of that 1% that says I don't understand chiropractic care. I don't care to understand it and I don't want to come back in and see I want to be in a sickness care model where I wait until I hurt really bad. I come in one or two times you adjust me and then I disappear again that A lot of times drives our care recommendations should the whole population of patients, and that's not fair to them.

Troy Fox: And it's also not fair to us on our practice is when we have so much to offer to our patients. I think it's amazing. Sometimes when patients take the reins and tell us. Hey Doc you are good at What you do is helpful for me and it keeps me functioning in my daily life and I want to come see you on a regular basis.

Dr Michael Perusich: Everybody. I'm gonna tell you right now grab some popcorn or something because we're gonna be here for a couple of hours because I can see all these rabbit holes opening up. So she hey,…

Troy Fox: yeah.

Dr Michael Perusich: however just a minute we're talking about new trends and wellness care and Chiropractic. We got to take a quick break for a sponsors, but we'll be right We're gonna pick up where we left off of I'm gonna dive into a different Rabbit Hole here in a second too. We'll be right back.

Dr Michael Perusich: Alright everybody. Welcome back to the KC chiropotes podcast brought to you by cats consultants and chiro Health the USA. We're talking about new trends and Chiropractic Wellness You pegged it right before the break. Patience sometimes when a different Cadence of care, then we're willing to give them because we've gotten a little gun shy because of that one percent of patients out there who don't get it who don't understand our purpose. And so we back off of our recommendations of care sometimes for the wellness patients. we're not talking about the acute care patients that you might be building to Insurance.

Troy Fox: right

Dr Michael Perusich: Totally talking about Wellness patients aren't on insurance where we're playing the clinically appropriate game not the medically necessary game. so that said

Dr Michael Perusich: I always ask this. to myself What's good for the patient if it's good for the patient, it's good for the clinic. Then it's a win Okay, so ask yourselves Dr. How often do you get adjusted? and I'm gonna bet. That very few of you out. There are on a four to six weeks schedule now.

Troy Fox: God forbid.

Troy Fox: Yeah. Yeah. Mm-

Dr Michael Perusich: I mean you might get behind once in a while and…

Dr Michael Perusich: I didn't have time to go to my buddy and get my adjustment this week or have another doctor in the office adjustment or whatever that happens. I get that but I mean, How often does your staff get adjusted? I know I had stabbing Russell shoot me but she got adjusted every other day. Why not? Why?

Troy Fox: Staff have the best jobs in the world. They get adjusted usually more than us doctors do unless you have another doctor in the office and…

Dr Michael Perusich: They do.

Troy Fox: you guys are adjusting each other frequently for me.

Dr Michael Perusich: Yeah.

Troy Fox: I'm once a week because that's my opportunity. I'm sometime jealous of my staff, but when given the opportunity and…

Dr Michael Perusich: Yeah.

Troy Fox: yes, there isn't a time or money issue because they're right there in the office, but we see that patients because our staff are patients.

00:10:00

Dr Michael Perusich: right

Troy Fox: We're patients that we desire more Chiropractic Care not less.

Dr Michael Perusich: right, sometimes it'd be a couple of weeks before I get adjusted every once in a while because Patrick and I traded and he was hour and a half away, So this is what I realized if our staff is getting adjusted often and we're getting adjusted often do our patients that do they know there's a benefit to that. Can we turn on can we flip on the light switch for the patience and say guess what Chiropractic Care is available on a weekly basis if that's what you want. Chiropractic Care is available twice a…

Troy Fox: Mm-hmm

Dr Michael Perusich: if that's what you want. Here's the crazy thing about that.

Dr Michael Perusich: It's truly magical when you tell patients that they're like, thank goodness. I've been wanting to come in every week. It's the craziest thing it goes totally against…

Troy Fox: right

Dr Michael Perusich: what we think and this is where we have to stop thinking for the patient. It's just like poverty complex. We get appointment book complex, and we're afraid to tell the patient. That they have that opportunity to come in more often when they're on ness Again, they're on acute care be the doctor have doctor Authority. Tell them what they need.

Dr Michael Perusich: But if they want to come in more often for wellness care because you said it Troy just a little bit ago. This is why I pointed it out Chiropractic feels good. It makes you feel good. It makes you function better. I've read a study a long time ago and don't ask me to quote the study. I don't remember it's been a long time. But there was something like a 20% increase in muscle power after an adjustment what athlete doesn't want that? What Warrior doesn't want that. Hey, it's softball season dock. I want to come in every week and get that muscle power going.

Troy Fox: Yeah muscle activation. I think I remember Chris can't talk about that. I think that was on purpose back in the day…

Dr Michael Perusich: that could be

Troy Fox: which a lot of us chiropractor.

Dr Michael Perusich: probably was

Troy Fox: Remember listen to Chris tell us all the great research stuff. what's really interesting about that is we operate with our foot in both worlds. we operate in the world of six.

Dr Michael Perusich: And sometimes in our mouth too.

Troy Fox: Yeah, so we operate in sickness care. And in Wellness care and a lot of times what happens is because of the small amount of public perception.

Troy Fox: That either doesn't understand chiropractic care or doesn't get it. What we end up doing is we operate in that sickness care model more than we should be operating in that Wellness care model and taking care of those patients that want to be yes, we do have to do some acute care,…

Dr Michael Perusich: Yeah.

Troy Fox: but I would say the majority of our practices should be Wellness care not sickness care and so as a result we have to rewire our own brains to quit thinking from that model, but the other reason we think

Troy Fox: That model is because we want to be accepted quite frankly.

Dr Michael Perusich: right

Troy Fox: What we're learning is we're accepted for what we do well and that's Wellness care people love to stay well and I think the public is finally, they're BS detector on the top of their forehead with the Advent of Dr. Google and the internet became much bigger and as a result of that BS detector becoming much bigger what they realized was chiropractors are really talking the talk and walking the walk when they started talking about Wellness care because nobody else really offers that when you go to Yeah,…

Dr Michael Perusich: This is when the pandemic helped us.

Troy Fox: what so when you go to physical therapy, you're in more of what I'd call sickness care model. You've got a body part that needs.

Troy Fox: Rehabbed it needs physical therapy and you go in and they do that and they have a cutoff date that's not Wellness care.

Dr Michael Perusich: Yeah.

Troy Fox: It's thickness care. When you go to your medical doctor you go in you tell them what's wrong. They write a prescription or send you to a specialist or whatever. They may do that's all involved in the whole model of sickness care. Then you get chiropractors that are Wellness care. We've got patients that Embrace Wellness care sometimes better than we do. It's amazing.

Dr Michael Perusich: here's another thing that I found in my practice. I found that patients that stayed away from the practice for Six weeks or longer they didn't come Had a much higher likelihood of dropping out of care. And being gone for longer periods of time. Then the patients who came in on a much closer Cadence of care. The patients who came in every one to two weeks. Hardly ever dropped out three to four weeks minimal, but by the time you got past six weeks. It started getting huge. And so if you have a retention problem in your practice. You might think about what's my recommendation for maintenance care? What am I telling patients for wellness care how often they should come in or what am I telling them how often they can come in?

00:15:00

Troy Fox: And if you ever reschedule problem, it's the same thing. When you start seeing a lot of patients that are missing their appointment at four weeks and…

Dr Michael Perusich: exactly

Troy Fox: they reschedule out to five four to six or they're three weeks and they reschedule out to four out to five we see that and it always happens with that bigger Gap. When you see your one to two week patients, they hardly ever in if they do they're usually profusely apologizing. I've got to miss my appointment here in two days. Do you have something on Thursday instead of Wednesday, they're not gonna miss that two week appointment. There's something about being functional and that people desire to stay with and I agree with you. We've talked about this before once you get Beyond about three weeks people forget how good they felt and they're

Dr Michael Perusich: They free. It's exactly what I was gonna say.

Troy Fox: And it's an innate feeling. Sometimes I'm paying free. I have patients that are never out of pain. I have patients that have chronic pain responses. Some of them are fibromyalgia. you name it. We all have them somebody's had a 20 car. I had somebody that had 20 different car accidents that came into me the other day. He says I've never been out of pain but I love Chiropractic and it makes me feel better and…

Dr Michael Perusich: You might want to try a bike.

Troy Fox: want to get started. Yeah, you might want to try a bike. I don't know that might be more dangerous. But when we look at our patients that Cadence of care innately people are finding out. That they feel better inside they may not ever be paying free. Some of them will But they don't understand.

Troy Fox: When they get out past three and four weeks that their brain is wired differently at that point when they're getting care. It's really not to stay functional.

Dr Michael Perusich: Yeah, and what about the patient that doesn't have pain? They don't have anything. They don't have any source. Other than their innate intelligence, they don't have any Source a pain. To tell them hey Chiropractic Care worked or it didn't have felt better. if you don't have pain you don't necessarily feel any different after a chiropractic adjustment big pain wise. But you know that you function differently and…

Troy Fox: right

Dr Michael Perusich: if you're getting that on a more frequent basis. Man, the power of that innate inside physiological process is just boom. It's powerful.

Troy Fox: And I think sometimes you have to think as well docs that if you are speaking a language of pain relief and you're speaking a language of first aid care, you may want to work on changing your dialogue a little bit and reroute it more towards Wellness care, you and I've talked Dr. Perusia about what we talk about with the patient on the first visit. I talk about Wellness Care on day one. I don't care…

Dr Michael Perusich: Yeah.

Troy Fox: if you've ever been under chiropractic care or not. We talk about what our goals are in our office. Now those may not be your goals at this point, but we're gonna talk about what the goals are because I'm very passionate about people getting well and staying well, and so

Dr Michael Perusich: yeah, it's built under the treatment plan.

Troy Fox: It's so rather than me talking about. How do you feel today? you feel better? Okay. now I'm ended myself. I've got no place to go.

Dr Michael Perusich: Yeah. You…

Troy Fox: But if I…

Dr Michael Perusich: where to go.

Troy Fox: but if I'm talking about long-term function and a term that I like to use is we're trying to win a marathon not a Sprint. How long do you plan on living?

Dr Michael Perusich: That's good.

Troy Fox: What's the average lifespan of a male in the United States? What is it 70 something or 80? I don't know 74 women or…

Dr Michael Perusich: Yeah, 78 or something 74.

Troy Fox: 79 point something and it's crazy really how short our lifespan's that's the you…

Dr Michael Perusich: that's not

Troy Fox: that's the mean but as we look at it, you're trying to win a marathon to get to the end of that marathon and the other terminology. I like to use because I got a lot of farmers and a lot of blue collar patience in my practice. I always say do you wait to grease the bearings when they start squealing?

Troy Fox: Or do we do it before then and they get it? Yeah, I've had a lot of farmers that have never gotten Wellness care before that are adamant about getting Wellness care now because they understand why they're getting Wellness care you so…

Dr Michael Perusich: yeah for sure.

Troy Fox: if you have verbiage to reach every kind of patient, whether they're a mechanic, whether they're a farm or whether they're a software programmer, you have to have something to reach them that makes sense to them and if it makes sense and they can latch on to it and identify with it. It makes sense. Sure them for the long term as well. You can't just say if I adjust you every week or two weeks, you're gonna innately feel better and you're gonna follow my recommendations for life. I think they have to want to be there and they have to buy into the program. In other words. They have to have a reason why they're doing it. It has to be for them. Not for you.

00:20:00

Dr Michael Perusich: Yeah, that's absolutely right. So You may want to listen to this podcast again. This is the new trend. So love it or leave it. This is the new trend and we're seeing it all over the country. You're seeing it as Troy mentioned. We're seeing it with franchise businesses. I saw in my practice tree. You've got it going on in your practice.

Troy Fox: Yep.

Dr Michael Perusich: just try your practice and I think you'll be amazed and if you want to know more about how to implement this kind of stuff and how to get the dialogue in the communication strategy down because you got to have your staff involved in that too touch base with us. And if you haven't done so yet go to cats Consultants calm and check out everything that we're doing to help doctors have these hugely profitable and successful practices. We've got all kinds of free downloads and things on there so plug in with us. we appreciate the opportunity to talk to you guys if you want to Breakthrough call and just talk about your practice. We do those for free just go to cats consultants.com at the very top you can click on my calendar. You can go to my calendar directly and schedule yourself on there. So let's chat about your practice and how we might be able to help might not be able to and that's fine, too. Let's still talk about your practice. So Dr. Fox anything to add

Troy Fox: I think this is my new trend from now on every week. You're going to hear this love what you do and…

Dr Michael Perusich: love what you do?

Troy Fox: this is a great way to get back to loving what you do you want patients in your practice that love the care that they're ing. So to love what you do you're practice needs to be surrounded by what you're passionate about.

Dr Michael Perusich: amen Good point. All right on that we're gonna leave you guys. So be sure to tune in to the KC car reports podcast every week brought to you by cats consultants and Cairo Health USA. We appreciate you listen and be sure to subscribe.

Meeting ended after 00:22:07 👋