Automatic Transmission
Doing things electronically can help make processing simpler Can automation make a difference in Dr. Ben’s credit card costs? “Did you know,” Carmen asked her husband, “that there’s talk of bringing robots into restaurants like mine?” Carmen’s pizzeria wasn’t exactly a fast food place, but Dr. Ben Wilson had seen something in the news about fast food restaurants going in for automation. “Wasn’t it in Japan that robots are taking the place of noodle chefs?” “Japan and China both,” Carmen said. “They make sushi, too.” She stretched. They had gotten their son to bed and cleaned up the kitchen.”I’m not sure a robot could make good pizza, but I could sure appreciate one that cleaned the kitchen.” Ben frowned in thought. “You’d think they could do that, but I guess cleaning requires a lot of mobility and dexterity.” “And good pizza is an art,” Carmen added. “You can’t automate creativity.” “You couldn’t replace your servers with robots either. There’s something about being served food that would be lost if it weren’t a human being.” “I guess you’re safe from being replaced by a robot, then,” Carmen teased. “You need dexterity, expert knowledge, and people skills.” Ben agreed. “But you know, a lot of things in the practice could be automated. Credit cards, to return to something we’ve been talking about recently. I know you didn’t come up with a way to reduce the fees, but what if we had a credit card system that automatically billed patients and collected their payments and posted them to the right accounts. It could alert us when a card was declined, charge the amount back to their accounts, maybe even alert the patient, too, so they could take care of it themselves.” “That would be handy,” Carmen said. “People might want to talk with a human when they’re served food, but they’d probably be just as happy to avoid talking with a human when they have to sort out a payment.” “It could even let us know if a card is about to expire. Those recurring charges — we pay a fee when the card is declined, and patients hardly ever remember to update their information with us.” “That doesn’t sound impossible to me,” Carmen responded. “We get an email at the end of the business day showing how much we took in by credit card so we can reconcile it with our POS system. Why shouldn’t you get a daily report?” “It would have to be connected somehow with the software we’re using to keep track of patient accounts,” Ben said. “But you’re right — it doesn’t sound as though it would require futuristic technology.” “It wouldn’t even need a robot like the ones in the movies. If it were web-based so the information was accessible, a computer could do what you’re describing.” Ben looked at Carmen seriously. “It would be more fun if it were like Jonathan’s toy robot. Something with arms and treads that would travel through the office would be pretty cool.” “It might cost a lot, though,” said Carmen, getting into the spirit of the game. “Jonathan’s robot would probably use up as much metal as a car if it were life-sized.” Ben laughed. “Seriously, though, a system that automated all that could save us a lot. You wouldn’t really need a human being to do those things, but they take up a day or more each month when people do them manually. An automated system could cut down on the time that goes into that and free someone up to do other things. It could be a savings for us even if the fees weren’t any lower.” “That’s true. And the fees might actually be lower. I didn’t get anywhere negotiating with our bank, but I didn’t compare new systems with what we’re using now. So many things are automated now, it could really be a savings — especially if you caught errors.” “Right — our plan to finance Jonathan’s college career through avoiding errors.” “Don’t laugh! You could easily be losing that much money to errors. Find that payment processing robot and we can tell Jonathan a robot put him through college.”
And… action!
By Reuven Lirov Practice management software ensures your movie has a happy ending. What belongs on Ben’s list of must-have features for practice management software? “Do you remember,” Ben asked his wife, “how you were saying that lines in the parking lot made it easier to park cars?” “Wow,” Carmen answered, “I must have been feeling very deep and philosophical that day.” She was scrolling through the local movie offerings on her phone. They had a babysitter lined up, and she was planning to enjoy a rare date night with her husband. “It was kind of deep,” said Ben. “You were talking about how it’s easier to change a situation than to change the people in the situation.” “Oh, right — we were talking about the issues at your office, right?” “Yes, and I’ve been thinking that maybe this new practice management software might help.” He stared into space for a moment. “Well, okay, to be completely honest, I’ve been thinking that maybe I’m just no good at this, but today I’m entertaining another possibility.” Ben looked into his wife’s eyes. “Am I fooling myself?” “Not at all!” Carmen spoke passionately. “Just imagine if I had to run the pizzeria without my fancy industrial dishwasher and my computerized ticketing system. What if I had to milk sheep and make cheese by hand and grind flour and cook in an oven in the courtyard.” “Sounds picturesque.” “It would be back-breaking labor. They say our modern appliances even in a home kitchen are the equivalent of having several extra pairs of hands to help. The industrial appliances make all the difference.” “I can see that,” Ben agreed. “So why shouldn’t having the right tools make all the difference in your practice, too?” Carmen asked triumphantly. “So how will I know the right tools when I see them?” “Let’s make a list.” Carmen opened an app on her phone. “You need something complete — not a bunch of different programs that might not work together.” “Been there and done that,” sighed Ben. “It has to be a turnkey solution that won’t require an IT department, because I don’t have one. But it has to work for all the people I do have. We don’t need information silos or duplication of efforts across the team, and we don’t want to be delayed if someone is out of the office.” “Training would be good,” said Carmen, adding a note to the list. “Effective training,” Ben specified, “with real human beings to answer questions if we happen to have any.” “It would be great if you could access it on your phone,” Carmen pointed out, “in case of emergencies.” “Or even in case of date night,” Ben smiled. “Shoot that list to me and let’s pick a movie. I can smell the popcorn already!” What belongs on Ben’s list of must-have features for practice management software?
Appreciating the Layers
By Kathleen Casbarro ICD-10 changeover represents a multi-level issue for practice owners What makes the ICD-10 changeover so challenging? “You just have to know your onions,” said Carmen, waving a wooden spoon. Ben snatched a mushroom from a prep bowl. It was always fun to visit his wife’s pizzeria, even when he was worrying about his chiropractic practice. “I don’t usually envy you,” he said, “but just for the moment I wish onions were all I had to worry about.” “See,” Carmen continued, spreading onions over the sauce and cheese on a pizza with a practiced hand, “not everyone likes onions sliced and on the pizza, but everyone wants them in the sauce, where they don’t even notice them. Tomatoes, cheese, sausage — that’s the stuff people think is key to a pizza, but the onions are really essential. Without onions carefully chosen, chopped, and simmered in the sauce, you won’t have the flavor.” “Down-home philosophy based on pizza,” Ben laughed. “Just what I need today.” “I know this whole changeover in the insurance reporting is bothering you a lot.” “True. Payments from insurance companies are a very large part of the profit at the clinic. If I don’t make the changeover correctly, I could lose out in a very big way.” “So the codes are like onions,” said Carmen. “It’s not something everybody knows about and notices, but it’s very important. When someone says you know your onions, it means you’re really knowledgeable and experienced, not just on the surface.” “I’m not sure they’re really talking about pizza.” “Come with me on this,” Carmen laughed, pushing the pizza into the big oven. “The codes are changing, and you would like that to be a small thing, something your office staff can take care of, but it’s really important, the way onions are important. Just because your clients don’t notice it doesn’t mean it’s a small thing. It’s worth an investment of time and money if that’s what it takes.” “I think it will take time and money,” Ben admitted. “The ICD-9 set has 14,567 codes, while new ICD-10 has 69,832 codes.” Carmen turned away from her workstation to stare at her husband. “Did you make those numbers up?” “No,” said Ben, “I have them stored right here on my phone.” He showed her the note. “I’m not sure why I’m saving these numbers, but I guess they seem to explain the reason this is such a big deal. It’s not just about changing a few numbers. Things for which we’ve been using just one code will now need to be divided up into a lot of different codes depending on lots of new criteria, including which side of the body is involved and how the patient got the injury — there’s a special code for turtle bites, and I am not making that up.” Carmen cupped Ben’s face with her hands, leaving his cheeks dusted with flour. “You’re a great chiropractor and you can do this. I’m just saying, accept that it’s a big deal. It’s complicated, it’s urgent, and it requires an investment.” She suddenly sniffed the air, whirled, and pulled the pizza out of the oven. “See,” Ben said, “you caught that just at the right moment — because you know your onions when it comes to pizza.” He hoped his knowledge of chiropractic would be enough to bring his practice through the reporting changes successfully. Sometimes it seemed as though the business side of the practice was overwhelming. What makes the ICD-10 changeover so challenging? Go to our ICD-10 page to see everything we have on ICD-10 diagnosis codes.
6 Steps to Performing Ultimate Teacher Appreciation Days, and Helping More Teachers in Your Community!
Chris Burfield Is A Top Notch Chiropractic Marketer Who Has Helped Hundreds Of Chiropractors Get More New Patients Through Teacher Appreciation Days! “We made over $20,000 doing just a few teacher appreciation programs. It’s the easiest thing we’ve ever done.” – Dr. Jeremy “I am taking the next two weeks off because my schedule is already SOOOO FULL…” – Dr. Tim Many chiropractors have approached their local schools and tried to set up special events for the teachers, few have succeeded. Until now! Mr. Chris Burfield has the answer. Burfield says there are 6 major steps to performing the Ultimate Teacher Appreciation Day. Here they are in order: Step #1: Gather the necessary materials. First you will need food (since you are going to cater the teachers lunch), and a massage chair (a fold up chair will work just fine). You will also need stress surveys, a clip board, pens, your appointment book, business cards, a map with directions to your office, new patient intake forms, and patient education handouts. Also, you might want to bring information about what they should expect on their first visit. This helps to prepare them, as well as, cut down on missed appointments (some people have anxiety about visiting chiropractic offices). Step #2: Arrive 30-45 minutes early. This allows you to get the schedule of who will be getting trigger point therapy that day. (You will drop the schedule off in advance so that teachers can schedule their trigger point therapy, in 10 min increments.) You will need to arrive early so that you can set up your area. Step #3: Meet and greet. Always, always, always greet each teacher with a smile and a firm hand shake. Don’t forget to make good eye contact. Confidence is always a factor. Never let them see you sweat. Just be laid-back, cool, and professional. Have the teachers fill out a stress survey, and then go over it with them. Ask them questions like, “How long have you had these symptoms?”, “How often do you have them?”, “What does it feel like?”, and “Are you doing anything about it?” Once they tell you all about it, follow up with something like this, “Hmmm. Ok. Well I am really curious to see what I find here.” This will let the person know you are looking for something associated with their health problems. Step #4: Perform the trigger point therapy. Make sure you apply enough pressure to make them feel the tenderness in their body. Remember, this is not a massage. This is trigger point therapy. There is a difference. One of your purposes, is to make them aware of the health problems they have, and offer an opportunity to visit your office. So when you find those major tender points ask them, “Mary, do you feel that?” “Is that sore or tender?” When she says, “Yes.” respond by saying something like this, “Mary, that’s not normal. You shouldn’t have those painful knots. You shouldn’t be feeling anything but pressure.” At this point you might bring up her stress survey and say something like, “Something is causing your headaches, and I think I may have found the problem. I need to do a further examination to know for sure.” Step #5: Make your offer. Try saying something like this, “Here’s the deal. We are working with your school, and because of that we are able to offer you a free exam in our office. Everything has been taken care of in advance, so it won’t cost you a dime to have your problem evaluated. Our office wants to do something special and nice for teachers. Is there any reason why you wouldn’t want to take advantage of this today?” Step #6: Schedule the appointment. Use this layout for scheduling so that you cut down on confusion, “What time works best for you? Mornings or afternoons?” “What day works best for you? Monday or Tuesday?” If the person replies, “Monday afternoons.” You can say something like, “I have a 4 o’clock or a 5 o’clock. Which one works best for you?” Give them a new patient packet that has all of your information and their new patient intake forms and move on to the next one. If you enjoyed the above information and want to hear more about how to set up and perform successful Teacher Appreciation Days in your area then click on the link below and get instant access to the entire Genesis Chiropractic Software Webinar with Chris Burfield.
