The Evidence Based Chiropractor Blog

Hundreds of chiropractic marketing and research articles to help you grow.

Jeff Langmaid 11/16/15 Jeff Langmaid 11/16/15

Is My Pain Coming from My Neck or Arm?

Is My Pain Coming from My Neck or Arm?

Millions of people each day suffer from pain, numbness, and/or weakness in their arms and hands. This type of pain can range from mild to unbearable. Often, the people suffering report muscle spasms and headaches as well.

Does those sound like you?

It may surprise you to learn that these symptoms (the arm and hand pain, numbness, weakness) can stem from a problem in your neck. The nerves that exit between each bone, or vertebrae, in the neck extend out and down the shoulders, arms, and hands. If these nerves come irritated or compressed than it can lead to symptoms in the upper extremities. The irritation or compression commonly results from a challenge such as a herniated disc or bone spur. Both the disc or spur can take up space in the delicate canal which the nerve exits. This can lead to small amounts compression. This compression will irritate the nerve and result in symptoms.

Researchers have found that nearly 90% of us will have neck or back pain at some point in our life.

The good news is that 50-60% will recover within one week. An additional 30-40% will recover within 90 days. But that still leaves 10% of us which will have chronic neck or back pain. Fortunately, there are alternatives aside from surgery or living on higher and higher doses of medication. Chiropractic care care has been shown to greatly improve the symptoms associated with neck pain. Additionally, chiropractic care has been shown to actually DECREASE intra-discal pressure- which can improve the radiating symptoms which appear in the arms and hands. Some people with neck pain may be fearful of going to a chiropractor and having an adjustment on their neck when it hurts. It feels as though any motion would cause more pain, and if you have never had an adjustment before, it can be stressful. What many people don’t know is that chiropractors have a variety of techniques to help with neck pain. Not every patient needs a “traditional” chiropractic adjustment which we often see on TV. There are many LOW impact techniques which can be used to help reduce neck and arm pain.

The most important when diagnosing neck pain is always a thorough case history, examination and evaluation. Sometimes additional diagnostics such as an X-ray or MRI are ordered. After a diagnosis has been made then your chiropractor will be able to choose the best technique for your challenges.

-The Evidence Based Chiropractor has assisted hundreds of chiropractors around the globe build interdisciplinary referral relationships.

Have you viewed our FREE Guides? Download The MD Meeting and the 5 Secrets to MD Referrals today.

Jeff Langmaid 11/2/15 Jeff Langmaid 11/2/15

Effective Chiropractic Patient Communication

We live in a world where access to email, twitter, instagram, Facebook, and google have become a part of our everyday communication. This has given all of us unparalleled access to our patients lives and made it easier than ever to communicate with them. In a perfect world we are able to put out a message through a single channel and it automatically delivers this message to every patient in our audience with a single click. Unfortunately, you may have noticed this is not exactly how things work out!

Often our lives are so consumed with technology that messages and communications can lost in the shuffle of our feed, or in the case of Facebook; may only reach 1/1000 of your audience! Targeted ads can be complex and surprising expensive if you are not familiar with their intricacies. And how on earth are you able to send patient birthday messages and re-activation notices? Surprisingly, best choice for birthdays, holidays, and reactivations are our traditional print cards.

Look, I know a lot of chiropractic postcards look dated, tacky, and probably don’t position your office in a way you are proud of. That is why I recently developed a new set of Patient Communication Cards to provide a modern touch to a classic message. Whether its a birthday, holiday, or you are going through your patient database quarterly to send re-activation reminders, I have you covered. Our card are elegant, modern, and affordable.

In the day and age of our modern technology it actually is a HUGE advantage to send out personalized, signed cards to your patients.

It won’t get routed to their spam folder or lost in some algorithm of pay ads. By sending a card you are taking a stand and making a personal connection with your patients which they are sure to appreciate.

If you haven’t had the opportunity to check out our Patient Communication Cards then I encourage you to do so right here. As a special limited time offer you can also get 10% of your order by using the coupon code ‘chiropractor’ at checkout. All of the elegance, modern design, and timeless message you have come to expect from The Evidence Based Chiropractor.

-The Evidence Based Chiropractor has assisted hundreds of chiropractors around the globe build interdisciplinary referral relationships.

Have you viewed our FREE Guides? Download The MD Meeting and the 5 Secrets to MD Referrals today.

Jeff Langmaid 10/19/15 Jeff Langmaid 10/19/15

Download Your Chiropractic ICD-10 Cheat Sheet

ICD-10 is here.

Are you happily waiting for claims to be reimbursed or sweating bullets not yet prepared to submit claims for your services? By not properly submitting your claims with the new ICD-10 codes you are literally throwing money out the window. Delayed reimbursement could negatively affect your cash flow by $5,000, $10,000, or even $20,000 per month!

Will your practice be able to sustain such a shift in paid claims?

The good news is that many chiropractors are already receiving reimbursements from claims submitted using the new ICD-10 codes. Using a simple, focused Chiropractic ICD-10 Cheat Sheet can help you start getting claims out the door and stop the delay in payment.

The switch to ICD-10 has kept many chiropractors awake at night; concerned about a complex system of codes and esoteric diagnosis criteria. The bottom line is that there is nothing to fear. You just need to have the correct tools to simply and streamline your process. By using a Chiropractic cheat sheet you can save time, provide a quick reference guide for your front office staff, and minimize confusion.

Every chiropractor currently generating significant income without delay has switched to ICD-10 codes.

Lets say your office is 50% insurance based. Even with modest billable services of $10,000 per month; you could be left vulnerable to a $5,000 decrease in collections if you are not submitting properly.

With Dr. Bohn's Chiropractic ICD-10 Cheat Sheet you will be able to submit claims faster and with greater accuracy. This will also reduce the stress on your staff by allowing them to have a actionable guideline to reference. Stop delaying your submissions today.

Simply click here to download your ICD-10 Chiropractic Cheat Sheet today.

-The Evidence Based Chiropractor has assisted hundreds of chiropractors around the globe build interdisciplinary referral relationships.

Have you viewed our FREE Guides? Download The MD Meeting and the 5 Secrets to MD Referrals today.

Jeff Langmaid 10/11/15 Jeff Langmaid 10/11/15

Coming Soon- The Evidence Based Chiropractor Podcast

The Evidence Based Chiropractor is a podcast created for Chiropractors. Weekly research and marketing updates for Chiropractors. Learn ideas and the essential tips which will inspire action, improve your communication, and lead to explosive practice growth.

-The Evidence Based Chiropractor has assisted hundreds of chiropractors around the globe build interdisciplinary referral relationships.

Have you viewed our FREE Guides? Download The MD Meeting and the 5 Secrets to MD Referrals today.

Jeff Langmaid 10/9/15 Jeff Langmaid 10/9/15

Impact, Thought, Connection- Improving Your Chiropractic Message

Patients perceived “satisfaction” begins as soon as they start interacting with your office. From the moment they enter your door, their experience will shape their perception. This is why its imperative to not underestimate your office aesthetic. Small changes to your office decor can make HUGE changes in your (subconscious) patient communication. By reading this, you should have a great idea of where to start to improve your in-office communication and you will learn about impact/thought/connection.

If you are not a graphic designer or interior decorator (and I will assume you are not) then your problem may start right there.

Are You?

1) a Graphic Designer

2) a Interior Decorator

3) a CHIROPRACTOR

As a chiropractor, you are consistently trying to build trust, rapport, and build a patient-centric practice by communicating both in your office and out of your office. Today we are going to focus on in-office communication. More specifically…. your walls.

If you are like most chiropractors, then either you or your spouse decorated your office. With visions of a professional healing space that would leave Dr. Gupta jealous, you start piecing together an office. Very quickly you see the same old chiropractic art for sale. As a matter of fact, I believe if you look close enough, you can see some of these posters in the background of photos with B.J himself adjusting.

You are hoping to get your chiropractic message across to your patients. You would like build trust and rapport. Then you need to package it in a powerful and modern way.

We both know that people will PUSH back again new ideas. They may have been skeptical coming into your office to begin with. They may have had a family member or friend dissuade them from coming in. With this in mind you can see how important it is to position your office IMMEDIATELY after they walk into the door.

When they look up from the reception area are they viewing information which is confusing and doesn’t make sense based on their current state of knowledge?

Are they looking up at timeless messages of health and wellness from undisputed leaders of healthcare as we know it?

By using classic and timeless messages in combination with a elegant and modern aesthetic you will be significantly impacting the patients’ view and perception of your office; and therefore your care.

To make a positive impact immediately with your patients through visual media you will want to accomplish 3 primary tasks-

1) Impact

2) Thought

3) Connection

Research has proven that we have a “gut reaction” to stimulus within .10 second. This often leads to our longterm thoughts on the subject. So, first you need to make an IMPACT. This can (and should) be done with elegance and grace. The design of your art will determine this. Take a look around your office- is the impact your making a positive one based on the visual media?

Second is THOUGHT. After the impact is made, the patient will read and think about the content. If the content is new or appears on the surface to not be inline with their beliefs then you will never make it to step 3! However, if your messages are timeless and classic, then the reaction is very predicable. They will think about the content, internally agree with the content and then proceed immediately to step 3.

CONNECTION- Connection is when you have made an impact and stimulated a thought that leads to a feeling of “I belong here” or “I feel comfortable here”. This is absolutely essential when building trust and rapport. Starbucks thrived on this concept, they called it the “third place”.

I am sure it is now crystal clear to you how important the choices of art in your office truly are. For the docs like you, who have read this article, and care about how they position their office to their new patients, I am offering a 10% discount on any of our Chiropractic Prints. Simply use the coupon code “chiropractor” at checkout.

Make these small changes and make a HUGE difference is the positioning of your practice. To start making these changes today simply click here.

-The Evidence Based Chiropractor has assisted hundreds of chiropractors around the globe build interdisciplinary referral relationships.

Have you viewed our FREE Guides? Download The MD Meeting and the 5 Secrets to MD Referrals today.