Chiropractic Marketing: 6 Reasons Why Patients Fail to Convert, or Drop Out of Care

Chiropractic Marketing

Every chiropractor knows what it feel like to lose a patient. It doesn't matter if it's a patient that doesn't convert from a report of findings or a patient that drops out of care, it can be frustrating. And probably the biggest mistake I see chiropractors make is to take the loss personally.

Although it's more common in chiropractors who are new to practice, questioning your ability or chiropractic's ability to make a difference to people's lives can be unnerving. If that train of thought is allowed to continue to the extent that it becomes your dominant thought, you can quickly spiral into feelings of helplessness ansd inadequacy, if not depression.

But all isn't as it seems! When you're in a down state, it can be difficult to see or believe other obvious causes for the loss.

What do I mean? Well let's look at a few other reasons for patient drop out:

Timing is Everything

Sometimes your practice hours and your patients' available free hours clash. Maybe their work hours changed. Maybe their partner's work hours changed. Maybe they've got children and their school or extra curricular activities hours changed. Or maybe they were overly optimistic about being able to make it in. Patients are often quite motivated during a report of findings, when their pain or the reality of their condition is at the forfront of their mind. And in that state, they can sometimes make some unrealistic commitments (kind of like New Year's resloutions, or decisions to stop smoking or to lose weight). Later keeping their appointments might prove harder than they had anticipated.

They prefer a different style of chiropractic

Perhaps your patient has had experience with another style of chiropractic. Maybe you're low force and they prefer a more manual style. Maybe they don't like the sound of a drop table. Maybe they get scared by the sound of a manual adjustment. It's not you, it's the style of chiropractic you use!

Personality clash with your staff members

Sometimes a member of your staff can clash with your patients. Your CA's can have a big effect here, especially given that your patients have to interact with them on the telephone and in person on each of their visits. A curt voice or an uncaring response can be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

Poor follow up

But by far the biggest reason for patient drop out is poor follow up. Perhaps your staff's follow up is too aggressive; maybe they're calling too often or too late in the evening, or too early in the morning. This can be off-putting to some people, especially in the age of unrelenting tele-marketers who don't respect people's time and privacy. And importantly, your follow up can't just be to get your patients to keep their schedule. A significant portion needs to be about adding value or showing caring and compassion for what they're experiencing.

No follow up

Just as bad, if not worse than poor follow up is no follow up. In today's information and attentiona ge, it's harder and harder to get hold of and keep people's attention. There are just so many things going on! And so many gadgets to keep up with. And so many events to attend. It's easy for your patients to miss an appointment and fall out of schedule…and then disappear. The distractions of life can make them forget your recommendations, your schedule and eventually…you.

I recently read that this accounts for up to 79% of all lost business, and it's not just affecting chiropractic practices. So a regular, non-threatening value-added follow up is what works best.

Sometimes chiropractic marketing is about re-affirming your strengths to yourself and your team. Remember these points when you next experience a patient drop out. It might make the difference and keep your spirits up and focus in the right direction.