You pour your heart into your practice,
Invest time, energy and money,
Give blood, sweat and tears,
…than true success is right around the corner.
It doesn’t take transformation or huge changes.
All it takes are small shifts to see great rewards.
Here’s one…
“Chase money and come up empty handed. Pursue influence and gain the world.” -JK
If you are constantly,…
Instead, try this…
And what you might find is your purpose and passion…and gain the world.
The physician was a 42 y/o female and she strolled into my clinic. She asked for me specifically, and I had some time, so I met with her.
She began telling me that she was having back and neck pain. Kinda down-playing it as she talked about it (like she was too good for back pain or something).
She was very professional and somewhat aloof the entire time–a bit straight-postured and uppity.
But as I did my Quick Screen, she began to melt.
Her uppity demeanor washed away.
I could see she was in bad shape.
She worked 12-hour days and saw a lot of patients, and by the looks of her musculoskeletal condition, she was highly stressed.
I did what I do with all highly stressed back and neck patients…
…a 12-point pressure-point test (slash release), Nervous System Spiking (NSS) which fatigues the hyper-nervous system, and two Multi-Functional Movements (MFM).
By the time we were finished, which took 40-minutes total, she was like mush and looked drowsy as if she was about to lay down and fall asleep right there.
She left not saying anything.
She never came back.
I wasn’t sure if I had helped her or not.
(Jump forward 2-weeks)
I was eating at a restaurant with three of my friends when, out of the blue, up walks the 42 y/o physician I had treated 2-weeks earlier.
She says,
“I’m sorry to interrupt…(as she politely acknowledged my friends). May I speak with you James?”
And of course I say, “Sure.”
But I have to admit that for a brief millisecond my first thought was, “S*#t, did I mess her up??”
She pulled me aside, and privately…
glared directly into my eyes…
and with a serious (but amiable) look proclaimed,…
“You saved my life.”
I’ve had patients say this to me before but this one came totally unexpectedly.
I replied, “Why, what happened?”
She went on to tell me that she hadn’t slept for more than a month. She couldn’t fall asleep. The stress, the tension was so engulfing.
“But that night, after you treated me, I slept for days!”
“You saved my life, James, and I’m so indebted to you.”
“Is there anything I can do for you?”
She primarily saw HMO patients so I never really got any patients from her ever (but that’s beside the point).
Earlier I had learned that she chose me, even though we had never met, because she felt she trusted me.
You see I do a special type of physician marketing. It’s called, “Getting Physicians to Love and Trust Me Without Ever Meeting Me”
And it leads to many physicians coming to me for care, even though they have never sent me a patient ever in their entire life.
I’m a 100% cash-based therapist.
It works even better for those in-network on ins plans.
This is a special kind of marketing and I show it in the TRANSCEND ClinicalEX Bootcamp.
It doesn’t get you a ton of new patients right away but it does open up doors especially with,
You’ll eventually become their “GoTo” therapist for their entire family and friends (spouse, kids, grandparents, etc.), even though they are locked into the hospital, large group, have their own PT, or HMO.
And believe me when I say, there’s a ton of business they can send despite these barriers.
And you might even become friends and go golfing, biking, and hiking together.
If you want to know more, join my private facebook group here and I’ll keep you updated of future trainings, free and paid.
James Ko, PT
IndeFree
P.s. I’ll be sharing my special treatment technique and program called “Stress-Tension Pain Releaser (STPR)” which is specifically for those with high stress jobs causing neck and back pain in the upcoming TRANSCEND ClinicalEX Bootcamp. So, join my private facebook group to get updated on that.
It’s not new that customer service is important. But most private practice owners don’t know how to improve it and are missing out on the great rewards.
So how much is it really costing you?
According to leading business research conducted by the Harvard Business Review, it’s costing you a lot more than you know.
Here’s more,
Customer service for private practices can be broken down into 5 distinct categories. They are:
But the essence of customer service can be boiled down into this one important principle. . . “It’s how you make the patient feel that matters most.”
Here are some quick tips you can use immediately to start improving your clinic’s customer service level.
Your staff play a large role in making the patient feel important, listened to, and cared for. Installing an efficient and effective training system that translates into actual performance improvements can reap huge rewards for your private practice.
Whether you are a 2 or a 40 person team, customer service should be made a top priority if you want to enjoy the rewards of a more loyal following, higher revenue and more referred family and friends.
If you want to improve your clinic’s customer service system, click below to learn more about the TRANSCEND ClinicalEX Bootcamp coming July 7-9. Doors are now open for the Early-Bird registration discount.
“Not Your Ordinary CEU Course”
I got a lot of FAQ’s posed at the recent “Cash Client Revolution” (CCRev) conference in Las Vegas.
(Which by the way was sold-out and explosive!)
The attendees loved the answers so much they tried it out immediately upon returning to their practice Monday morning.
Here’s what one attendee had to say,
-Jennifer Angeles, PT (MD)
Many questions were presented from over 50 PT/OT/Peds practice owners and their staff who attended this revolutionary conference.
It’s a popular question and I get it a lot these days,…
“What do I say to a patient with a $2,000 deductible? How do I get them to onboard when they have to pay the entire cost-of-care out of pocket?”
Great question…
…Common dilemma
(I don’t look at it as a “dilemma” however since it really helps set us up for higher and faster pay).
Converting patients is essential to your future.
The real solution to this question starts with you adopting some very important truths. They are,
*This is an abbreviated version of just one strategy. The full training addresses all the other variables and factors and all strategies based on the situation. (Any deviation from my steps can result in failure.)
This attendee applied the COC strategy and had this to say,
-Mary Kostka, OT (WA)
My solutions are NOT based on speculation, reason or theoretical “should work” answers but proven time-and-time-again in real life.
I’ve been seeing cash patients for over 12 years (before most were even thinking about cash clients) and have tried it all. During my trial and error phase, I lost a lot of prospective patients. And my mistakes cost me. You can avoid that.
The best way to success is…
…to simply copy someone already doing what you want to do.
If you missed the CCRev Conference but want to jump on the waiting list for the next one (and be offered a kick-ass discount when early-registration opens), click here.
Wise practice owners, who pursue learning and adapting, are going to rule this industry (mark my words).
James Ko, PT
IndeFree
P.s. If you want to skyrocket toward making an extra $100k (or more) with your practice this year (no BS) and get the step-by-step training from the comfort of your home, keep your eyes peeled for the invitation to register for my “Advanced Power Coaching (APC11) With James Ko”, an 11-week online group training class for PT/OT/Peds. It’s coming soon 🙂
The take-home pay of MOST practice owners is less than $160k. And that wouldn’t be all that bad if they were only putting in 20-30 hours per week, but that’s just simply not the case.
(even if you are making more than $160k, read this entire email if you want to move higher)
Most work over 40 hours per week routinely! And sacrifice time with…
They’re always thinking about something related to the business.
They also sacrifice…
If they are spending so much time on their business, why aren’t they making more?
(and the answer is not decreasing reimbursement)
I’ve come to know test there are 3 main reasons but I’m going to share one with you here…
Believe it or not, most practice owners typically think it’s part of the process and it must be done this way. Somewhere in their thinking they believe…
“You have to pay your dues.”
“You have to work hard and sacrifice to make a good living.”
and,
“Nothing comes easy.”
These words sound awfully similar to what my mother and father would always say to me while growing up.
They are almost 80 years old now and they have a lot of regrets. They don’t have much in terms of money, achievements and pride.
They are very sorry to me (and they say it way too much) that they don’t have anything to leave me when they die…
I love them…(more than you know)…
But I don’t want their life.
What if I were to tell you that there’s a better way?
Because the fact-of-matter is, you don’t.
There’s a better way specifically for PT/OT’s in private practice.
James Ko, PT
IndeFree
We are people pleasers by nature.
Studies show that over 83% of us who go into healthcare are very much the same. We share very similar characteristics.
(it takes a special kind of person to enter this profession)
We…
We…
We…
We are hard to work with (and live with) but yet we won’t change.
No one ever pats us on the back yet we keep going.
We strive…and we push…and we get the job done, because that’s who we are…
We never give up. We’re stubborn.
Is it admirable?…Yes.
Is it healthy?…(I’m not so sure.)
We should stop trying to please EVERYONE.
We should stop towing the middle line and remain unnoticed.
Stop being “palatable” and start being exciting!
We should stop fearing being hated.
(Even if it means losing some patients or physicians.)
And start recognizing the truth that in order to be loved, we must first be hated.
Are you ready for success?
Do you have a voice?
We all have a strong powerful voice within us, and it’s about time to let it shine.
Don’t hold it back.
Don’t feel ashamed.
Let it out.
Start living it.
Start success.
Life is short.
Start finding your strong, powerful inner voice.
Start today.
—
Peace out…
James Ko, PT
IndeFree
P.s. If you are part of the other 17%, ignore this.
I got a chance to be a patient and see what a patient sees. Fortunately, it was just for a routine teeth cleaning but what I learned was priceless.
(I have important “Take-Aways” for you below.)
Since I’m new to the Dallas area, I jumped on Yelp and found a random dentist with a good star rating.
(Actually Amanda made the appointment for me.)
Here’s what I learned:
Everything about the experience was quite sterile, stale, and frankly… boring. Albeit I didn’t have a serious condition. All I needed was a teeth cleaning (more reason to take it light-heartedly) but not all patients want it to be serious even when it is serious. For example, check out this video of a patient dancing with his walker.
I would love to see more high fives, smiling, personal questions, and more fun (and I’m kind of a geeky serious guy!). A few might not like it but most everyone else will (as long as it’s not childish, done in good taste, and no ridiculing).
My take away: Up your game and add more fun. You will get more patients loving you. Don’t mind the few who might not like it. Most will love it. You can’t please everyone. It’s better to be lovable with a few hating you than to be palatable with no one loving you. (And what I mean by “loving you” is not cookies and thank you cards but rather elective service sales and family n friend referrals.)
When I first walked in to their office, they gave me a bunch of tedious paperwork, which I hate (all patients hate). Just for a teeth cleaning. This is after I walked around the entire building in the hot sun trying to find their office entrance. And to top it off, she wanted to charge me a different price than what was quoted over the phone. The difference in price was not that important, it was the principle. It’s not fun being a patient.
My take away: If your front door entrance is not easy to find, go out of your way to explain it during the first call. Train staff well on prices. If you are going to get anything right, get pricing right. And don’t say, “It depends.”. People hate that. Don’t have long tedious paperwork, it pisses people off. Email it to me so I can complete it at home. I don’t mind completing forms at home. Most patients don’t.
When the receptionist and I were talking about the misquoted price for the teeth cleaning, the dentist came up (since he overheard) and took over the conversation. This actually lessened my respect for the dentist and entire clinic. He began explaining how his pricing system worked (they had membership rate and non-membership rates).
My take away: If your prices are so confusing that even your staff can’t get it right, change it. Make it simple. And train your staff. Ambiguity is one thing but misquoting a new patient is another. If you screw up, take ownership and honor what your staff quoted. It’s not the amount, it’s the principle. And never, never, never, override your receptionist. Patients will lose all respect and credibility for her, then you’re screwed. You won’t have a chance in hell making patients loyal. Make the best first impression you can.
See my comments above. Even when the patient has a deductible, co-pay, co-insurance, etc., make it easy and understandable or you might lose them (Learn “COC”, the quick and simple way. And patients love it).
The girl who set me up, and later flossed my teeth after the cleaning (Which btw, I have no clue why they do the flossing. It’s pointless.), she was nice. She was timid though. She definitely blended into the sterile culture.
My take away: Hire techs who are nice but confident and outgoing. Surround yourself with fun people (because we’re not all that fun). Create a culture that encourages staff to be fun and outgoing.
The dentist was boring. Before the cleaning, he went on and on about what he was going to do and so on. After the cleaning he kept on wanting to teach me all about the mouth and teeth. Even as I tried to interject with a question, all he wanted to do was complete his educational spiel. Very bad first impression.
My take away: Don’t do all the talking. Don’t overeducate. Instead relate to the patient. Listen to their questions. Take interest in the person and they won’t find you boring. Ask questions about them such as “So, I noticed… how do you like your work?” etc.
If you are going to have several different prices (like membership rate and non-member rates), have a menu. If your pricing is even a little complicated, have a menu. Even if your prices are simple and straightforward have a menu.
My take a way: Have a menu!
Even though I wasn’t crazy about this office. I don’t formulate judgements based on one experience so I told them I wanted to come back for another cleaning in 3-months. They said teeth cleanings are usually performed every 6-months. But I told them I like to do every 3-months because I smoke cigars. They appeared reluctant to schedule me (And it wasn’t like I was being an ass where they didn’t want me as a patient–I was being quite polite.). My followup cleaning was supposed to be last Wednesday. I purposely waited to see if they would call or remind me or not. This was going to be my test to see if they had their sh&% together. They didn’t. I didn’t go.
My take away: Use a reminder app for appointments more than 30 days out. I don’t usually schedule patients more than 2-weeks out but I do have “Maintenance” and “Wellness” patients that schedule 30-60 days out. Search google for a “Reminder App” if your scheduling software doesn’t have that feature. I personally like Alarmed myself (it’s an ios app). But patients get the impression that you have your sh*$ together. Important.
More and more people are searching Yelp for healthcare related services. See their growth rate here. If you are not there, you are losing out big time. People love the rating system. And they have a great mobile app.
Take away: Be on Yelp! Complete your profile/account as completely and thoroughly as possible. Add pictures and a lot of content. Get people to rate you there more than facebook or google. Trust me.
the better way is to get on the path of creating a culture that breeds a “lovable” clinic in every nook-and-cranny of your entire care system. This fixes the root problems and not just the symptoms.
The items and problems I listed above are mere symptoms of a lost identity. They have no culture. They have no identity. They have no mission, purpose, or beliefs.
So what they end up with is a stale, sterile and boring experience…for the patient (and staff).
Will they stay in business? …Who knows.
Will the owner of the practice become wealthy and have abundant fulfillment?…Probably not.
Life is short. Start giving patients what they want…and you’ll get what you want–more referrals, more cash sales, more loyalty!
Soon I will be announcing an impromptu training on this topic.
And they are not always upfront and direct about it either. More often than not, they tell you in other ways…
They are trying to say… (only for those who can handle the truth)
The “right” thing is not always obvious.
The right thing to most clinicians is commonly…
…to be nice and apply treatment to fix the pain or problem.
But the right thing for the patient is NOT always the same as what we’ve been conditioned to think.
Sometimes patients are looking for someone to kick them in the butt, sometimes a strong home program, sometimes attention and understanding. It’s not always clear and evident.
Kinda like when your wife or girlfriend tells you about a problem she is having. The right thing is NOT always trying to fix it.
And until you know how to determine what the “right” thing is from the patient’s perspective, you are going to fall short and suffer financially.
Some practices are making double the income (with higher quality of care) without needing any more new patients.
It’s kinda like when we as clinicians, if we chase the symptoms and pain we will end up chasing it forever. But when we address the underlying root causes, we get to the finish line faster (the patient included).
Let’s say you have a high no-show and last-minute cancel rate. Merely installing text reminders and a $35 no-show fee will not fix it. Might curb it a little (to make you think it’s working) but it’s not a real fix. And it won’t last.
It goes deeper than that.
The true causes of high NS/CX rates are:
*”Patient is too busy”: This is a pseudo cause. If they have a functional loss that is interfering with an important ability, therapy should not be low on their priority list. Either you have not properly screened this person for candidacy or they don’t see the value. It’s typically the latter.
Addressing the underlying causes is the only true fix.
No, not really. It’s actually a lot more time-consuming, stressful and costly trying to fix something with the wrong actions. Kinda like fixing a leak with electrical tape (or silly putty). It usually causes greater problems later.
The true fix is the best fix AND it leads to greater rewards, and financial success, faster.
It’s not that hard when you know how to do it and how to discover patient “WANTS”.
Most people spend money on what they want more than what they need (so do we). We don’t need the premium rims, top-of-line leather, the 30-day aged steak, the newest Macbook, Iphone, 60-inch screen, or the pristine green grass but we pay for it.
So you should stop trying to always impose what you think they need and start giving them more of what they want integrated into your approach.
Learn how to determine what a patient wants from you. I will show you how to do it quickly.
To those who think I’m not evidence-based: You’re wrong. I’m totally evidence-based. I only do that which works quickly for the long-term. There is an overlap of what the patient wants with an evidence-based approach. Most don’t know. You have to know how to go about it.
If you can’t get patients to show up or stay in the program, what good can you do for their physical pain or problem?
If you can’t win their heart, mind and soul first, the body will never follow.
Getting on the Right Path sets you on course to a brighter future with minimal problems and issues that lead to greater profits, quality care, more loyal members, and fulfillment.
I can’t go into all the steps to the true fix here in this short blog post but soon I will be opening up registration to a special training on this topic.
Download the PDF to do the exercise below.
See which one your’re most like. It can help you identify areas needing work but more importantly it can help you visualize a model to follow. Speeds up the time to success!
There are 12-points that are being compared. How lose close are you to the successful one?
(Quick time-out for a second) Mac in his sparring gear! He models after me 🙂
Seems like there is a huge difference on paper but believe it or not it’s not as much as you might think.
I work with clinics that flounder as well as those who generate $3mill and $5million (and more) in revenue and I have to say, there’s no reason why you can’t be like them.
It only takes a few key adjustments to become a “Power” Practice Owner.
(And that’s the truth.)
They are:
You are asking what the hell is that, right?
Well, this is what I’m covering on the first Live Session of APC11. You can find out more about it here.
(Doors close in a matter of hours.)
But believe me when I say, this could change everything for you.
This is a private group training online for 11-weeks.
Which means…
It’s private, and personal, and geared for fast results.
So, if you are truly grasping what this is about and what it can do for your practice and personal life, you will see why you can’t let it pass by.
This kind of live online training that helps you become a “Power Clinic” only comes along once in a blue moon.
Take advantage of small windows of opportunity like this, because that’s where the greatest treasures are usually found. Learn more.
I go live… Tuesday (April 4) at 12noon PST. And don’t sweat it if you can’t make this first one since a replay video will be available. You won’t miss a thing.
Ok, gotta go!
Keep moving forward…
James Ko, PT
IndeFree
P.s. It’s a 100% money-back guarantee. You have 3-weeks to try it out and see if it’s right for you. If not, simply shoot me an email and I’ll refund your entire enrollment fee. And I won’t take it personally, swear.