Chiropractic Planning in 2018 - Chirotouch
February 23, 2018 by ChiroTouch Article Patient Care, Business Management, Billing
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It’s a new year and it’s time to set new goals for your chiropractic business.  You already have a chiropractic business plan, but it needs updating at least once a year.  Several hours spent reviewing your goals and chiropractic business plan in the waning days of one year can provide you with opportunities in the next twelve months.  The chiropractic business constantly evolves, and for continued success, you and your practice must evolve with it.

Kim Zahasky of Blue River Chiropractic in Madison, WI, is one practitioner updating her chiropractic business plan for 2018.  At Blue River Chiropractic, “we do an annual brainstorming session every December to play ways we can help our patients heal more quickly and better our customer’s experience,” according to Zahasky.  She’s planning specific goals and outreach endeavors, and we’re sharing some of her basic ideas for others in the field.

Adding Additional Therapies

Consider adding additional therapies to your chiropractic business.  If you aren’t already offering massage, cold lasers, and other light therapies, yoga, hydrotherapy, nutritional and other complementary therapies, look into adding them to your practice this year.  That may mean taking courses and receiving certifications to offer these therapies yourself or hiring part-time or full-time practitioners.  Look at what competing chiropractic businesses are offering. You may be at a disadvantage if other local chiropractors offer a popular therapy and you don’t.  You may also want to become the first chiropractor in your region to add a complementary therapy doing well in other parts of the country.

Set a specific goal for your new therapeutic endeavors.  For example, in 2018, you may decide to provide relief from chronic migraine headaches for 500 people.  Whatever the number you use, make sure it is realistic.  Some larger chiropractic businesses may target chronic migraine sufferers, while smaller, newer practices, may be working with just a few patients suffering from migraines.

Community Outreach and Philanthropy

Giving back to the community is important, and such giving does not have to focus on chiropractic per se.  You may want to partner with various local nonprofits to raise money for specific causes and the most urgent needs of people in your area.  If you live in an area affected by recent natural disasters, that may be a priority.  Community outreach that does involve your chiropractic business may involve volunteering with local schools to inspire students toward pursuing careers in the healthcare fields.  Whatever your choice, not only does your philanthropy benefit recipients, but it also reflects well on the spirit of your practice.

Marketing Your Chiropractic Business

Revisit your marketing plan for 2018.  Examine what worked for you in 2017, and where marketing expectations did not work out as well as you had hoped.

SEO and social media remain crucial parts of your chiropractic business plan for marketing.  Keep in mind that SEO trends change constantly, so what worked for you in 2017 may actually hold you back in 2018. We must all obey Google masters, and that means linking to quality websites and avoiding anything that reeks of spam.  You should also create relevant, in-depth content that other wellness organizations or local community groups may want to reference in their linkage.  If you don’t have the time to write such articles or blogs yourself, find a reputable chiropractic content marketing service that provides these services.  In 2018, you should design your SEO and social media to focus primarily on mobile users.  Another change to be aware of – more people are turning to voice search optimization rather than relying solely on search engines.  Since chiropractic businesses are local, make sure to keep your local SEO up to date.  Your FAQ page helps draw both conventional search engine and voice search users to your site, be sure it is organized for Google Quick Answers and similar online features.

Other must-haves for chiropractic marketing for 2018 include video testimonials, targeted Facebook ads and Google My Business.  You also want to target your specific patient demographic.  If your chiropractic business specializes in sports injuries, concentrate on your particular social media niche.  It also holds true if you want to expand your current clientele towards another patient cohort.  Rather than pay fees for Google Adwords management, see if you can train a staff member or even do it yourself.  It can save your chiropractic business considerable amounts of money.

The state of your chiropractic business will also dictate your marketing budget.  perhaps you previously put a great deal of your marketing budget into attending events and setting up a booth to educate the public about chiropractic healthcare.  If you chiropractic business is still relatively new, that’s a wise use of your marketing dollars.  If your business is well- established, you may want to cut back on some of this face-to-face marketing and focus on spending on other areas to promote your business.

What Every Chiropractor Should Know About Billing

Who better to ask about chiropractic billing than a chiropractor?  We asked a DC at ChiroTouch and a Senior Trainer, to share some insights regarding billing that every practitioner should know.

Before becoming acquainted with the ins and out of billing for Chiropractic offices, practitioners think they can set up medical billing for their office.  “While there’s less complex coding, with CPT and diagnosis codes used, the process is still the same.  You need to have the documentation and correct coding to support the fees you are billing.”

Medicare billing is always an area of concern.  “Chiropractors should know that if the patient is on Medicare, you must bill Medicare for their care.  A patient can be held responsible for non-covered services if they are made aware of the response prior to the care and sign an ABN form.”

Save yourself from billing mistakes by abandoning manual billing data entry and implementing automatic billing technology.  “Manual billing is very time consuming, and it’s easy to make an entry mistake by typing in the wrong code or date.  There’s also a loss of revenue because of the need for follow-up on denials.  With automated billing technology, there’s a faster processing of claims and less staff time required.” That’s along with a decrease in mistakes on codes and the ability to attach a note to the bill automatically.

ChiroTouch Can Help

When it comes to making your New Year’s chiropractic business resolutions a reality, the right software is imperative.  Schedule a ChiroTouch virtual tour to see how it can help your chiropractic business.  ChiroTouch can even help you create a chiropractic business plan.  Make state-of-the-art technology a must-have for any successful chiropractor – one of your goals for 2018.

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