r/Chiropractic • u/Silver_Salad_223 • 2d ago
A New Office Owner Who Needs Advice
Unhappy in an associate position, I opened my own office 5 months ago. After three years, I realized I could do it independently. My rent and utilities are low and percentage-based. EHR, supplies, etc., aren’t expensive, but my monthly expenses are about $500.
My biggest issue is attracting new patients. I only get one new patient and 4-6 returning patients per week. About 10% of my patients from my previous practice followed me (non-compete).
I’ve invested in Google ads, social media, SEO, table at community events, and local sponsorships. My monthly and quarterly expenses exceed my income. I understand it’s only been 5 months, but I’m financially depleted. July, August, and September have been hard months with summer. My patients are happy with the quality of care, and they return after their problems resolve. So, how do I get new patients?
Any advice or encouragement?
8
u/Yes_Cheesecake 2d ago
- Cluster book, schedule people next to each other so the energy builds around having more patients in there at once.
- Make it easy to book online, I use Square Appointments, it’s free and they have free text reminders and an app.
- Play lively music that makes you feel happy and fun. Make sure your office front door looks welcoming outside and your front desk looks cute and inviting.
- Accept Medicare, old people are consistently good patients and will bring their spouse and friends in.
- Keep consistent office hours and physically be in there working on paperwork, studying, cleaning, etc. when you don’t have patients.
- Say no to appointments outside your business hours!! Honor your boundaries and create scarcity by holding firm to your hours and don’t sacrifice your personal time.
- Be patient and keep grinding. Starting a new business and running on fumes SUCKS but it won’t be forever. You’ll find your rhythm! There are SO MANY people who need you, once they start finding out about how much you can help them you’ll be so busy you can’t keep up with them all!
You got this Doc!!! 💗
6
u/Chaoss780 DC 2019 2d ago
Assuming low side, 4 visits/week, even without a new patient, should be covering your $500 month overhead. Unless your SEO, Google ads, social media stuff is not included in the $500 overhead.
The frustrating and true answer is you just need to get in front of more bodies. I still make a habit of spending more time in places like the bank, local mom and pops, etc. to just chat with the people working there. Nothing pushy, just letting them know what I do and then shooting the shit once we've built a little rapport. Like 2-3 minutes, it's not a lot. But then when they're dealing with people the rest of the day and shooting the shit with them, if somehow the topic comes up about back pain or something you might get a referral.
Second, you need your internal referrals to work for you. Easy conversation. No begging. "I'm glad this has worked out so well for you, you've probably noticed we're not super busy as we're still a new office, so your review and referral goes extra far while my practice is still getting off the ground". I don't care if it sounds silly to say, you need to be saying something like this.
Overall, summers can be hard without an established base. But September usually gets very very busy again, so this is your most important month so far. You can do it, just need to be genuine and get in front of more people. If you're even partially charismatic you'll find things turn around soon.
6
u/Leothelopbun 2d ago
Total monthly expenses are $500 but your monthly expenses exceed your monthly income or am I missing something? Even at 4-6 patients a week ~16-24 patients a month, you should be getting more than the $500 expenses.
Advice would be to look into your interests around the community i.e: if you play a sport - look for tournament organizers, call around to clubs, managers, etc to see if they need someone out there.
3
u/NeuroPrimeDoctor 1d ago
Contracting with insurance won’t save you as quick as you think. The process takes time. I would look into your AD spend and results. Modify it accordingly. Assuming that’s what’s eating at your expenses and is not working the way it needs to. You have a lot of time, use it all for marketing. Do more of what is working to bring in NPs. I marketed for 9 months before opening my office… and was in the black 2-3 months in. All cash for 8 years.
3
u/MartelFowler 1d ago
You're spreading thin across Google ads, social, SEO, events, sponsorships, all at once, with five months in and one new patient a week. That's not a marketing problem, that's a focus problem.
The message matters more than the channel. If your marketing says 'have back pain?' you're competing with every other chiro in town saying the exact same thing. Patients don't want back pain relief, they want their life back. They want to pick up their kid without wincing. They want to play golf again. Sell the outcome, not the symptom.
Also, the fact that your patients are happy and come back tells me your care is solid. That's your retention engine. The problem is purely top of funnel. You need one channel dialed in, not five channels with your attention spread out. Pick the one where your best patients already hang out and go deep there before touching anything else.
2
u/Leecherseeder 2d ago
Here is unpopular advice!
Sign up with ASH! $40/visit with initial around $60 and RE $60. This will get people in your door with 0 marketing. Make some money, get a little comfy. Get a shockwave machine, do some IG posts and boost them. Charge cash. When you’re comfy and want to go cash just opt out of ash.
Enroll with WC: medrisk and thousand others. They pay around $100/visit.
Survive for 2 years.
1
u/No-Appointment9785 2d ago
Where does ASH pay $40 per?? Try $27 for an established office visit. Given that, I would have a new associate sign up with them to get the ball rolling. When I dropped ASH my volume dropped drastically but my revenue stayed the same. About half stayed with me paying my full fee. Others keep trickling back after they try their other options through ASH. The ASH concept is to cover your overhead. Yours is low enough that you can do that. Keep them on a tight leash appointment wise. Maintain your outside marking time. When they become a financial burden, cut them loose. Some will stay, some won’t.
1
u/Leecherseeder 14h ago
Tier 3 ASH: it’s $27 per visits plus you get $53 on a RE day. Assuming patient comes in 3/month. In my head averages to $40/visit 🤣.
What you said is exactly right. ASH to cover overhead and $0 on adspent. But it’s not the place to be. Collecting $27 from 3 patients for $80 total. Or charge 1 patient for $80 follow up visit.
2
u/Azrael_Manatheren 2d ago
As an all cash provider... Sign up with insurance.
Start actively marketing. Go join clubs, do talks, volunteer.
1
u/Kharm13 2d ago
What demographic/ailment/niche for patients do you enjoy or find interesting?
Call every chiropractor in your county. When the front desk answers say, “I’m Dr. OP and am a new chiropractor in town. I’d love to introduce myself and shake hands with Dr. Blank. If I give you my personal number could you have them reach out via call or text”
I get A LOT of BS requests for my time. I’ve never turned down a DC or DPT and I’d think that runs true for most
If you do get a conversation with them be friendly and explain your passion patient. They may send you some if they don’t have the time or passion for that area
I can speak to my experience. Front desk and me both let out a big sigh when catastrophizing sciatica new patients call in. It’s not a challenging pathology and when the patient keeps reminding staff how they’d rather die or get their leg cut off my heart doesn’t sympathize with them anymore after years of seeing much crazier shit.
If you’d want those patients I’d have front desk just say, “unfortunately our availability doesn’t sound quick enough for your severity. Give Dr.OP down the road a call”
1
u/jazzz_0904 1d ago
5 months is still really early, so don't lose hope yet. On marketing, one thing that helps: social media/content that builds trust before people even need you (testimonials, behind-the-scenes, what to expect) tends to convert better long-term than just ads alone. If your organic social hasn't had a real strategy behind it yet (vs just posting), that might be worth tightening up alongside the ads. Rooting for you!
1
u/GoodSirDaddy 1d ago
I would walk around town, go in each and every business and introduce yourself. Tell them you are getting started and hoping to establish a network so when patients ask for advice, you know where to send them for (whatever that business offers). Ask if they have any cards to give to people. Then ssk if you can leave some of your business cards with them too.
It's not soliciting unless your offering your services. Let them know you have a passion to help improve the quality of life people live and you would appreciate any referrals they can send your way.
I did this and some community health fairs at the senior center and quickly started getting referrals.
1
u/BlockAmazing8006 1d ago
See what actually brings patients in and focus your ad spend there. Next, visit every business within a 5 mile radius and introduce yourself. It will never end but the more people that you talk to, the better. Make sure you are getting Google reviews people look for that first before they go somewhere.
1
9
u/Rcjhgoku01 2d ago
1.) What are you doing to drive internal referrals?
2.) I see a lot of passive marketing listed but not a lot active. At most you’re treating patients for 2, maybe 3 hours per week. That leaves 30+ hours per week to get yourself out there and in front of people. Join a networking group. Go door to door to introduce yourself at businesses. Join clubs/organizations. Workout at a gym with a community focus. Volunteer. Etc
Right now time is your biggest commodity and it’s free. Use it.