How to Manage a Chiropractic Office

Whether you personally manage the operations of your chiropractic office or delegate this responsibility to an office manager, as an owner you are ultimately responsible for how well your chiropractic office is managed.

Here are 5 tips to help you effectively manage your chiropractic office.

Put Systems in Place

In chiropractic school, you learned about systems in the human body. Well, businesses need systems too. In your chiropractic office, you’ll need to put into place people management systems and practice management systems. Many of these systems offer a cloud-based option so there is no need to maintain an on-site server. 

People management systems

Your success will depend on how well you can attract and retain people that align with your practice philosophy and approach to care. People management systems make this easier and provide the structure necessary for human resource management. 

You’ll need software for tracking hours, benefits, and payroll. Often payroll and time tracking services are offered by your bank or accounting software vendor. In addition, you’ll need a system for creating and maintaining job descriptions, processing job applicants, onboarding new employees, and performing regular performance reviews. 

Practice management systems

Practice management systems handle the patient workflow and can either integrate with medical claim billing systems or perform your claims and billing function.

These systems handle patient scheduling, check-in, treatment documentation, and follow-up appointments. Select a system that was specifically designed for use in chiropractic offices to ensure compliance with patient data safety regulations. 

Develop Key Performance Indicators

Your business success depends on the health of key aspects of the practice. While each practice is different, most chiropractic offices measure common key indicators of performance. Feel free to develop your own key performance indicators (KPI).  Just make sure the KPI is specific, measurable, relevant, and tracked regularly. Here are a few KPIs to get you started:

  • Profit in dollars
  • Profit margin (as a percentage)
  • Cash on hand
  • Net promoter score
  • Average charge per visit
  • Average collection per visit
  • Patient retention
  • Patient churn

These KPIs give you an understanding of the financial health of your practice, whether your practice is growing or declining, and how well you are serving your patients. 

As important as it is to develop KPIs, it’s important to take regular measurements. Not all KPIs should be measured for the same time frame. While you might look at cash on hand on a weekly or monthly basis, your net promoter score may be calculated quarterly, and churn might be measured twice a year. 

When results fall short of KPI benchmarks, it is important to include your team in the analysis as well as the development of action plans. 

Develop Routines

If you don’t have a routine, you may find yourself lurching from crisis to crisis. Establish regular routines that keep you fresh and provide predictability to your office staff.

For example, after a morning of osseous adjustments and patient consultations, do you need some quiet to re-center, or does a trip to the gym sound better? Develop a daily routine that leaves you refreshed in the afternoons, so all patients receive equal care, no matter the hour of their visit. 

Your weekly routine should include team meetings that look at the hits and misses of the prior week. You can also use team meetings as an educational opportunity to introduce new services or products. 

A monthly routine should include a review of KPIs and a comparison of billables to collectibles. Review the number of patients served and the number of unique visitors to your website. 

Practice Transparency

Bring transparency to your practice when allowed by law. Transparency is a hallmark of a trusted and respected manager. 

Transparency is important to running an effective, efficient, and productive alternative health care practice. Be honest and open in communications with team members and encourage them to reciprocate. 

Use team meetings to break down silos between the front and back offices. Avoid hierarchies and invite questions. Major changes in the organization should never be a surprise. 

Establish Procedures and Protocols

In addition to your own routine, create routines for other team members. Determine in advance how staff should handle certain situations. 

For example, do you require payment in 30 days? If so, how does the front office handle scheduling for a patient that is 45 days past due?

Does each team member have an opening and closing procedure? Establish how each employee should start and end their day to ensure all tasks are performed.

It’s not enough to establish your practice policies and procedures. Document them and share them with all team members. Review policies regularly in team meetings and determine if changes need to be made. As data privacy regulations change, make sure your patient data procedures are in compliance.

Managing a Chiropractic Office is Managing a Business

Remember, you may have entered alternative health care practice because you have the heart to serve and heal others. But every successful chiropractor needs to also have a head for business.

Take advantage of opportunities provided by your local Chamber of Commerce or professional associations to learn how to be a more successful business owner.

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