Living in Southern California the ocean waves and the surfing environment inspire you. You cannot help but draw the analogy of “catching the wave” during the most exciting time I have experienced in chiropractic medicine over the past 15 years.

There has never been so much opportunity in the history of physical therapy! State-of-the-art equipment like the 830Laser, a cold laser therapy device, provides unprecedented options in healing from arthritis pain to carpal tunnel syndrome treatment. Most significant, the public is becoming aware of the benefits. Good health and pain relief, without side effects, has finally become important to the public at large.

Insurance companies are realizing that to keep providers they will have to pay for new modalities that reduce overall insurance costs. Fees have finally risen to the point that chiropractors receive what they deserve for the products and services they deliver. I have never seen a better opportunity for chiropractors and physical therapists to be financially and professionally rewarded for practicing their chosen profession, and it’s going to get even better! If you haven’t already, you need to catch the wave!

More and more clinicians are retiring, and fewer and fewer full-time physical therapists and chiropractors are replacing them. At the same time the potential patient population continues to grow. Educated consumers are becoming more aware and more desirous of quality care and they are willing to pay for it!

Are you taking advantage of these new opportunities to grow your practice? Here are some questions you might ask yourself:

Are you ready to catch the wave?

• Do I have something new and exciting to tell my patients?
• Have I identified my target patient and is my marketing plan attracting that patient?
• Do I have patients in my practice who are obstructing the system? Are they accepting my treatment plans, keeping appointments, and following through with treatment?
• Am I accepting reduced fees for my services? If so, why?
• Am I providing a way for my patients to financially afford the treatment desired?
• Are my clinical skills, equipment, and materials state of the art?
• Is my team working with me to achieve the values and vision that I have for my practice?

If you can answer yes to these questions, I am sure you are experiencing the rush of riding the “big one” we have in chiropractic medicine and physical therapy today. If you answer no to any of these questions, you may miss the greatest opportunity that clinicians have ever had to offer.

Anthony Pirritano, DC, Owner of five clinics in Southern California. Founder of the Chiropractic Injury Care & Prevention Network. He may be reached via email at backtwistr@sbcglobal.net or by phone at 951-737-1252

Multiple studies have demonstrated that Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) hastens a complex set of physiological interactions, known as bio-stimulation, at the cellular level. Results are reduced acute inflammation, reduced pain, and accelerated tissue healing.

Proven effectiveness

LLLT can be effective in mediating both the symptoms and the underlying inflammatory process by enhanced ATP production. Laser enhanced vasodilation improves the transport of nutrients and oxygen to the damaged cells and facilitates repair and removal of cellular debris through increased production of Histamine, Nitric Oxide (NO) and Serotonin.

The FDA has recently cleared LLLT devices for treatment of a variety of medical conditions including carpal tunnel syndrome, cervical neck pain, low back pain, joint & muscle pain, arthritis pain, and acceleration of wound healing. The U.S. Olympic training facilities have released statements of endorsement for laser therapy for athletes. All of these events validate the growing acceptance in mainstream medicine for the medical efficacy of laser therapy as a viable, often superior therapeutic treatment modality.

With over 200 clinical studies — many of which are double-blind, placebo-controlled — and in excess of 2000 published articles on LLLT, this innovative new technology has a well-documented research and application history. LLLT is now being considered a therapy of choice for many difficult pain management challenges such as fibromyalgia symptoms and myofascial pain.

With such empirical evidence it would seem logical to implement laser therapy in your practice. However there may be another vital overlooked reason. It makes good business sense. Why? Its simple:

• Marketability – Stand out from the crowd. Increase your business image and marketability by having something new to offer your patients. Bring enthusiasm back to your clinic with revolutionary new technology that heals patients.

  
  
  

• Immediate Increase in Revenue & Profit - Increase new patient business and increase patient loyalty while building a word of mouth business. The premise for patient referrals must be quality of care. Many patients see immediate results with laser therapy. That’s something for patients to believe in. Give your patients the ability to refer you clients because they believe in your quality care. Patients treated with laser therapy who are truly healed will help you effectively promote patient referrals from personal results.

  
  
  

• Easy Return on Investment – A conservative scenario of $50 per treatment with just 5 treatments per day would yield $1,250 per week or $5,375 per month. The return on your investment could be less than 2 months for a typical cordless unit.

• Reduced overhead – Income is the balance between gross revenues (collections) and practice overhead (total expenses). The more efficient and effective systems a practice has in place, the higher its production capacity. Higher production leads to lower overhead. Every reduction in overhead immediately translates into gains in the clinician’s income. Laser treatments can be performed by trained staff, freeing up the clinician for diagnosis and other clinician only tasks.

Make the right choice

Too many clinicians endure overly busy, stressful days without having nearly enough to show for it. Focusing carefully on income with a well thought out strategy is the only the first step in gaining control over your financial future. The second critical step is to make the right choices to improve practice productivity, and manage overhead.

James Ko, MPT, is a national consultant and successful private practice owner in Southern California. He may be reached via email at jamesko@IndeFree.com or by phone at 1.800.496.0646