Imagine a paperless office.  Handheld computer terminals contain all your patients’ records for instant access and quick-touch information entry.  Conferring with other doctors or obtaining treatment guidelines all can be had at your fingertips.  Patient check out and billing can be done electronically.  Appointments can be made online and products can be purchased by patients through your website.

It’s not hard to imagine all this technology, because it all exists for the doctor’s office, but the adoption of this technology by chiropractors to support patient care is slow.  According to the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC), a non-partisan policy research organization, larger physician practices tend to be more rapid adopters of office technology but, with group practices still rarely found in chiropractic, many chiropractic offices have few, if any, of these technological features.

HSC’s 2001 Community Tracking Study Physician Survey of 12,400 physicians examined the forms of information technology (IT) used in practice to support five distinct clinical functions: obtaining treatment guidelines, exchanging clinical data with other physicians, accessing notes on individual patients, generating treatment reminders for the physician’s use, and writing prescriptions.  The results of the survey showed that the vast majority of the physician practices lacked significant IT support for patient care.  Nearly one in four physicians surveyed was in practice with no computer or other form of IT support for any of the five clinical functions.  Another quarter of the doctors only had IT available for one function.  Only 27 percent of the doctors were in offices with IT support for three or more of the functions.  Interestingly, of those physicians who had IT support, only 37 percent used technology to access patient records.

“Computerized patient records can be one of the most important ways to use technology to improve patient care,” according to Craig Oberfeld, CEO of QuickNotes, Inc., a leading chiropractic documentation software company.  “It took a big push from Medicare toward requiring electronic billing to get chiropractors to switch from paper to digital claims submission; but, now that they are familiar with handling digital patient billing records, it is only natural that they are considering the move to digital treatment records. Chiropractors are realizing the benefits of using technology to manage more of their patients’ care.  Hand-held documentation systems can be faster than hand-written notes, and the generated typed notes are more easily deciphered by claims adjusters for faster payment.”

Today’s handheld computers and touch-screens have enormous memory capacity and can hold vast amounts of patient records.  Running from treatment room to treatment room, a doctor can carry the handheld unit, access patient records and record subjective, objective, assessment, and plan (SOAP) notes and reminders, by touching a screen or using handwriting recognition technology.  Some systems even offer voice recognition for instant dictation and note generation, although there are some talking-speed and enunciation limitations.

Chiropractors may hesitate to purchase technology because of the cost, but they would be failing to recognize the long-term cost savings.  Using an electronic patient documentation system can reduce the need for a staff member whose responsibility is typing up patient notes, dictation, or photocopying records to mail to insurance companies.  Special report-generating programs can also transcribe SOAP and exam notes into legal care reports.  Entering notes electronically can take the doctor less time than it takes to write them by hand or even to dictate, so the total money saved in one year can be as much as $40,000!

“Websites are the number one online marketing tool for chiropractors, but a website should be the beginning, not the end, of an online marketing program,” explains Asaf Ben-Haim, CEO of iMatrix, Inc., a chiropractic website development company.  “A standard website, by itself, is only a digital brochure and not much of a new patient generator.  However, by leveraging the search engine technologies and offering services like appointment scheduling and an online product store, chiropractors can make their websites more interactive, and attract both new and current patients.”

Online marketing is much more cost effective than mailings or print versions.  Electronic patient newsletters, patient reminders and birthday cards can be emailed to patients at no cost, instead of paying 37 cents for a stamp.  Online promotions are a fraction of the cost of similar print promotions to reach the same audience.  For an office with a limited marketing budget, online marketing makes much more economic sense than local print advertising.

Mark Mandell, DC, MBA is the Director of Business Development at Foot Levelers and was the Medical Staff Chairman of the 1994 World Cup Opening Ceremonies.  Dr. Mandell is a popular educator on the business of chiropractic and how to grow the profession.  He can be reached at 800-553-4860.

A website is no longer a luxury, but a necessity, for chiropractors striving for the best practice possible. No chiropractic practice, large or small, should ignore the many benefits that come from having its own, professional website. So, what should practices consider when launching them online or considering an overhaul?

There are two types of websites to choose from: custom and prefabricated. Custom interactive websites will prove to be far more effective, look more professional, and have longer-lasting value than the cheaper prefabricated versions.  Every practice is different, so a design company should take the time to understand what the practice has to offer and convey that in their site.

Effective websites take into account common practice management tasks, and integrate them with online tools that not only create a marketing presence but, also, empower the practice in its daily operations.  Specific tools include keeping in touch with patients through e-mail newsletters, greeting cards and special promotions.

A few companies that specialize in chiropractic websites compile newsletters that they prepare and deliver automatically on behalf of a doctor to his or her patient database. Such newsletters, which can be updated on a regular basis on the website and automatically e-mailed to patients, are extremely helpful in keeping in touch with patients that do not come in as often. Additionally, patients who subscribe may forward them to others, which could serve as a form of referrals.

Another useful feature is the ability to easily send out pre-scheduled e-mail cards for birthdays, appointments, various holidays, etc. Such e-cards, with fun, professional designs, provide another great opportunity to keep in touch with patients and improve patient relations, while minimizing the cost of traditional cards and postage, not to mention saving time.

Practices should also consider providing potential patients with an incentive to visit the office by having printable promotions or coupons on their websites, where allowable by law. After all, the hardest part is getting the patient to come in for the first time.

Websites can also give patients the ability to schedule appointments, access patient forms and even verify insurance. This way, rather than request patients to come in fifteen to twenty minutes early, practices can post their forms online and request that patients go online to print and complete them before coming in. 

The opportunities for patient education online are almost limitless; a doctor can provide informational resources on preventative care and exercises, explanatory diagrams and illustrations, and descriptions of the unique services of their practice.  A website can also assist the practice in selling different products and supplements to anyone, anywhere and any time—not just to the existing patient base of the practice. Doctors should not limit their opportunities—current studies show the public is looking for health information, by the millions. Having an online presence now is crucial, not only in reaching new patients but also retaining existing ones.  By not being online, a doctor misses out on 100 percent of the Internet-derived business he or she could see.

The key to bringing in new patients who are searching online for health providers and information lies in search engine placement. Who would want a website if no one can find it? In selecting your website company, be sure that the commissioned company can create a search engine and marketing campaign aimed at excellent placement with search engines and directories, and use both innovative and standard Search Engine Optimization techniques.  More traffic means more patients, a better bottom line and a dramatic return on   investment. Through a website, they can get their questions answered in a non-threatening, non-confrontational way. A website can even help a practice maximize the benefits of spreading the message of chiropractic.  This new technology is not only limitless, but also much more affordable than all previous means of publicity utilized by doctors in the past.  A practice armed with these new tools will be much more efficient, effective and professional in gaining new patients and servicing them 24/7.

Whether you have a current web site that isn’t high enough quality, or if you have no website to speak of, the next decision is who should you turn to for the creation of your professional website? In terms of working with a freelancer versus an established company, as a general rule, it is usually best to work with a company that will provide the necessary customer service and support.  Even if your “nephew Jimmy” or the “nice kid down the street” can build you a professional  website to begin with—and that’s a big “if”—will they be around when you need to update your website?
 
It helps to find a company who can identify with the practice and even specializes in chiropractic websites.  A company or freelancer that does not specialize in chiropractic fields will require a significant amount of time from the doctor in developing the content and educational materials for the website.  While several design companies specialize in chiropractic websites, not all are alike in the quality of their designs and services. There is probably no need to dump $10,000 into a doctor of chiropractic website, but an investment of over $1,000 should be expected. A chiropractor can no longer maintain the mindset that “the computer is just for my kids.”  A practice without a professional website will be an immediate turnoff for more and more potential patients each and every day.

Yamia Benhaim is the founder of ChiroMatrix.com, a design firm specializing in custom website design and Internet marketing for the chiropractic community. She can be contacted at 800-398-3933 or through the website www.chiromatrix.com.