Like you, I was extremely pleased when I saw the initial presentation of the Gallup-Palmer College of Chiropractic Inaugural Report: Americans' Perceptions of Chiropractic. (See our article in this issue for complete details.) It is certainly encouraging to hear we are caring for one in seven U.S. adults each year (not including children and teens). This is more than most of us had thought.
And then it hit me. We are seeing 33 million patients a year (14 percent), which is great – but what about the other 90 million (37 percent) of adults who have seen a DC some time in their lives, but have chosen not to enjoy chiropractic care in the past 12 months?
Inside the Numbers: Why Are We Losing New Patients?
Many patients see chiropractic for back (and neck) pain only, so a partial explanation could be they only come in for episodic care when they experience serious back / neck pain. But let's look a little closer at the data to determine what's really going on:
- 14 percent (33 million) saw a DC in past 12 months
- 12 percent (28 million) saw a DC in the past five years
- 25 percent (59 million) saw a DC more than five years ago
One-fourth of the U.S. adult population has not visited their DC for more than five years? That's a little hard to fathom for someone who believes in monthly chiropractic care. The majority of these people surely experienced some form of back / neck pain during the past five years. Why did they stay away? Why did they not return to their chiropractor for care – when they had received care for (presumably) the same condition five years ago?
Questions We Need to Ask Ourselves to Fix the Problem
If one were analyzing the data from a traditional marketing point of view, the conclusion would be that 25 percent of U.S. consumers tried our "product" and were not sold on its value. If this is indeed the case, it should raise some serious issues among our "corporate" board of directors. What are we doing during that initial patient contact that makes them avoid our services thereafter?
If we apply the math from above to an average practice, we would expect less than three of every 10 new patients to seek annual chiropractic care. Another two-plus would see a DC every five years on an episodic basis, and the remaining five would experience chiropractic once and maybe never come back.
What are we doing (or not doing) that encourages half of our new patients to not return when they need us? If I were your business consultant, I would tell you to find out what is causing this trend – and find out as fast as you can.
Fortunately, this first report is not the last. Palmer College of Chiropractic has made the commitment with Gallup to conduct at least two more nationwide surveys. Hopefully, these surveys will focus on gaining a better understanding of why our patients stay away.
Until then, you are now armed with information that can help you avoid being an "average" chiropractic practice - one that, according to these survey results, sees a considerable number of U.S. adults each year, but often fails to retain them as long-term patients. To do so, you will need to direct your efforts to ensure every new patient understands the value of consistent chiropractic care and seeks that care from you on a regular basis.
Please take the time to read the complete survey report carefully. It's an easy read and will give you a much better understanding of how you are seen by your patients and your community. Then take the time to evaluate your practice from top to bottom, including you and your staff. A thorough analysis of this type could go a long way toward revealing the simple fixes that can not only bring more patients to your door, but keep them coming back.
Reference
- Gallup-Palmer College of Chiropractic Inaugural Report: Americans' Perceptions of Chiropractic. Results of a Gallup survey commissioned by Palmer College, July 2015.
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Click here for more information about Donald M. Petersen Jr., BS, HCD(hc), FICC(h), Publisher.