Q:  We're taught in school this fear-based history and report of findings. How would you recommend changing that perspective?

There are a lot of chiropractors that use fear-based chiropractic, and I am absolutely not a proponent of fear-based chiropractic. People are in enough fear already.

Q:  What are the best strategies to ease the new patient into taking the next step toward committing to care and continuing on a wellness plan? Is the consultation the time to discuss this?

The answer is yes and no. It's really not the time to discuss a wellness plan. I drop hints about wellness care. I tell them

Q:  How do you avoid overwhelming or blowing the new patient out of the water with chiropractic philosophy etc. during the consultation?

That's a really good question because I've got to tell you, I've sat in on consultations and I've listened to them on recordings and I'm thinking, "What the hell are you doing? This is not a chiropractic student in front of you. This is not someone who asked for the history of chiropractic from D.D. and Harvey Lillard  on through B.J. and everybody else. The consultation's not  a time for teaching the entire chiropractic philosophy.

Q:  Did you have a specific line in your consultations that seemed to have a huge impact?

I don't use scripts. I never have and I never will. I don't teach scripts, but I do have lines. I guess they're more thoughts, if you will.

I've said this before and you'll hear me say it many, many times again, but I believe the most important line that I utilized in my consultation came after the patient knew that I was on the same page as they were.  In other words, they knew that I understood them and their situation, and they felt validated because I was able to repeat back everything that they were concerned about.

Once I confirmed that I had built this level of a relationship, I'd ask them one of my most important questions ever:

Q:  What is the ultimate purpose of a consultation?

That's a question that YOU really need to answer for yourself because it dictates so much or  your success in practice.

Most people will tell you it's to take a history and to document the 'OPQRST.'  While I believe that may be important at times, I've got a different take on it.  I believe that the ultimate purpose of a consultation is

Q:  What needs to be done prior to the consultation to prepare the patient for the consultation?

Q:  How do you make the consultation powerful enough to the patient that they know they need to take action and get their spine checked?

Q:  What's your take on free consultations and what does that include? How do you transition them into an exam which there is a fee for?

Q:  Is it okay to mix adjusting hours with new patient hours? Can it be juggled without diminishing either one?

Mixing consultations, exams, and reports with patient adjusting hours can absolutely be done and many times can work very, very well. At the same time, lots of doctors prefer to have specific consultation times and specific adjusting times. They both have their pros and their cons.

Q:  How much of a consultation can be done by an assistant to free up the doctor?