As a chiropractor, you not only understand the health benefits of care plans, but also how they create patients who can substantially and reliably support your business. Having the predictable patient load and consistent income that is generated through patients using care plans provides a solid foundation upon which to run a successful practice. Care plans help make treatments affordable and reward patients for remaining steadfast in their pursuit of optimal health. However, it’s not always easy for patients to see benefits that may not be immediately apparent in the shadow of a large up-front dollar amount.
Explain the Discount Clearly
Long-term care plans with up-front payment or financing can initially feel like a financial risk to patients. Without reaping the rewards immediately, they may begin to question their own ability to stick to a long-term plan, or doubt the trust they have put in your practice. Therefore, it is your job, and your job alone, to assure them that the financial benefit far outweighs the risk (although it is still up to them to follow through).
Additionally, most care plans are provided at a discounted rate. Breaking down the overall cost for the patient and outlining it on a physical sheet of paper can help them see the immediate financial benefits of the plan and how it relates to each future visit. Although easily calculable, having the numbers on hand and presenting them clearly at the time of the care plan discussion can help ease any financial hesitations.
Explain the Ancillary Financial Benefits
Care plans ensure that patients maintain their health and avoid unnecessary financial ramifications associated with preventable pain or injury. The many hidden savings that come with chiropractic care plans are also closely married to the physical benefits of adhering to such programs. Back and neck pain prevention can help your patients avoid the cost of physician visits, MRIs, hospitalizations, surgeries, long-term disability, and chronic pain. Aside from the quality of life, which is difficult to put a price on, these avoidable costs can add up in the form of copays, prescriptions, and missed days of work.
Explain the Health Benefits
Helping your patients understand the financial benefits of care plans by way of discounted services is only half the battle. Care plans must also be physically beneficial in order for them to be compelling. It can be helpful once the financial discussion is over to reiterate to patients the three-fold benefits of a constructing and adhering to a care plan:
Prevention - Consistent care means potential problem areas can be addressed and injuries can be prevented before they begin to affect the patient’s quality of life.
Relief - Care plans provide benefit for patients who find their issues return with a vengeance after bouts of relief. With routine care, these issues can be kept in check and treated at the early onset of each flare up.
Maintenance - Care plans support lifetime wellness and keep patients functioning at their best. The attention provided through routine care plans can also help them reach and maintain their health goals.
Explain the Chiropractor’s Natural Place In the Realm of Routine Healthcare
Another important part of creating long-term patients through care plans is helping them see that chiropractic services are not unlike many of their other medical services. Just like dentists, optometrists, and other primary care providers recommend routinely scheduled treatment, chiropractic care plans should also be part of their regular self-care routine. Just like machines need routine maintenance and a ‘greasing of the wheels’ to remain in tip-top shape, so does the human body.
Care plans can be a great financial benefit to both patients and providers. By subscribing to a care plan, patients are also helping to support your business reliably and minimize the financial ups and downs that naturally happen. For this benefit, you are happy to provide an incentive to your patients in the form of a hefty discount. But, finding the best way to encourage patient buy-in can be a challenge. Clearly outlining how care plans are not just physically beneficial, but financially beneficial, as well, can help patients get on board with routine treatment and experience a lifetime of wellness.