PRACTICEOLOGY - Helping Health Business Owners Earn More and Work Less

20/02/2024

As we get deeper into "The Power of Words" month at Practiceology™ - it is essential you focus on training and helping your admin team - not just your therapists.

In one of our recent weekly Practiceology™ VIP Roundtables, we discussed at length, how valuable a great admin team is to all health practices - and how an efficient and highly trained admin team member can add over $200,000 a year to many practices.

In the VIP Roundtable, I shared what I believe to be one of the key roles of admin - and it is a role, not many owners understand.

The key admin role is to - "Sell the Wizard".

This expression came from one of my mentors, Dan Kennedy, many years ago - so it is not new - just poorly understood.

"Sell the Wizard" refers to how the words and actions of your admin team - reflect on the patient's perception of the therapist (the wizard).

If a patient calls a clinic to make an appointment - and the admin team says something like :

"Paul can see you at 8, 9, 10, or 11 tomorrow - which do you prefer"

The patient instantly believes the therapist is not very good, because they are too easy to get an appointment with.

In this case - the admin person has not done a great job of "selling the wizard".

Instead, the admin person could say something like:

"Paul is excellent with shoulder problems like yours - but he is always heavily booked - let me see what I can arrange here........( pause). I can open up 8am for you tomorrow - wow that was lucky"

The patient instantly has more confidence in the therapist, is more likely to attend the consult, and is also more likely to comply with the therapist's treatment plan - from one simple change in the words the admin person used.

The admin person effectively "Sold the Wizard"

If you want to find out more about the "Sell the Wizard" concept - and how to use it to grow your health business, I will be speaking about this in detail in the FREE "Earn More in 2024 - Practiceology™ Demonstration event later this week.

Click the link below to find out more and to register for the Masterclass online event.

This online event is presented by world leading health business consultant, health professional and Amazon Best Selling author, Paul Wright.

15/01/2024

Every practice owner I have ever spoken to understands how important it is for therapists to follow up with clients who drop out of care, or cancel a session and do not make a follow-up booking.

Yet they also appreciate how hard it is for owners to get therapists (and even admin team members) to make these important follow-up calls.

One of the main reasons why it is hard to get therapists or admin team members to make these calls is what one of my mentors shared with me.

It is called "The Prophet Effect".

"The Prophet Effect" refers to the common business leadership belief that owners are rarely a Prophet in their hometown.

The "Prophet", may be the most respected expert on a topic in the world, but when they get back to their hometown, their own clinic, or speak to their own team members, they become less of an expert.

Your team is so used to hearing from you, the owner, that they become immune to the importance of your cancellation reduction message.

The cancellation reduction and follow-up call instructions are lost in with the roster discussion and general business items you are sending them every week.

In some parts of their brain, team members also think owners are only pushing low cancellation rates and follow-up systems because it means YOU make more money.

This is why you MUST use external experts to deliver the key cancellation reduction messages and share the importance of client follow-up calls.

Therapists and admin team members need to hear from multiple high-profile experts, about what the best clinics in the world are doing to reduce cancellations and reactivate canceled clients.

That way, the messages are NOT just coming from you.

This is why you (and your team) need to register for "Crack the Cancellation Reduction Code - How to Reduce Cancellations and No-Shows In Your Health Practice", on January 24th.

You and your team will hear the latest cancellation reduction strategies from ME - so effectively negating the frustrating "Prophet Effect" in your practice.

Click the link below for more information:

https://pages.mypracticeology.com/cancelevent

I look forward to seeing you at the live training on January 24th.

10/01/2024

As part of "Practiceology™ Cancellation Reduction Month", I will be presenting a special online event titled:

"Crack the Cancellation Reduction Code - How to Reduce Cancellations and No-Shows In Your Health Practice"

You can find out more and register a seat for you AND your team at:

https://pages.mypracticeology.com/cancelevent

In this presentation, I will share:

factors causing high cancellation rates and what to do about it in 2024.

# How to get your team engaged in your cancellation reduction and patient compliance program.

to structure your appointment diary so if a client cancels a session there is no impact on the revenue or therapist's diary.

what to do to reduce and prevent cancellations in your practice.

exact scripts and templates you can put into your practice immediately - to reduce cancellations and no-show rates in your practice.

to predict which team members will have high cancellation rates and what to do about it.

to structure your initial consultation so the patient puts your next session at the top of their list when planning their day and week.

to reverse engineer the cancellation reduction program in your practice to reduce your cancellation rates.

simple “Money Mindset Shift” you can use to instantly stop worrying about your patient's finances when booking treatment plans.

to set up a cancellation reduction system in your business that starts the day you interview the potential new therapist

single staff training exercise that will make up the bulk of your cancellation reduction training program for the next decade.

BONUS - All registrants will also receive a copy of the "Ultimate Cancellation Reduction System" Cheat Sheet - complete with scripts and templates to further reduce cancellation rates in your practice.

The event will be held on Wednesday, January 24th, 2024 - from 12 Midday till 2pm – Sydney Time, and is designed for practice owners, therapists, and admin team members.

Check your Time Zone:

Canada: Tuesday, January 23rd, 8pm-10pm Toronto

USA: Tuesday, January 23rd, 5pm-7pm Los Angeles

NZ: Wednesday, January 24th, 2pm till 4pm Auckland

NOTE – If the session time does not work for you - still book a seat as all registrants will receive a link to the replay. However, this will be a highly interactive presentation so do your best to attend live with your camera and microphone ON – so your personal questions and concerns can be addressed.

Find out more about the training event and register yourself and your team by clicking on the link below:

https://pages.mypracticeology.com/cancelevent

I look forward to seeing you on the live training in on January 24th .

Cancellation Reduction Event - Jan 2024

19/12/2023

I don't know about you - but 2023 has been a pretty tough year in business, particularly for health businesses.

We all know about rising wages, staff shortages, poor team retention rates, price sensitivity from clients - the list goes on.

So as we approach the end of the year I was trying to think about the best way to help practice owners end the year on a high - and kick start 2024 with a bang.

I had originally planned to make an offer for the Front Desk training program, as I know how important front desk training is for practices right now.

Then I thought about an offer for the Health Business Referral System - because referral marketing is one of the quickest and cheapest ways to drive new patients to your clinic.

But then I thought there may be great value in the "Fasttrack - Practice Acceleration Program" - where I take you through the essential internal steps needed to succeed in practice.

I even thought about basing the December offer on the Ultimate Patient Experience Program or the Ultimate Social Media and Online Advertising Patient Attraction System.

I think you can see my problem.

We have so many amazing programs - I am not sure which one would give YOU the best value right now.

So I decided to do something I have never done before - give you unlimited access to ALL of our programs until February 1st - for a super cheap test drive offer - titled "The Get More in 2024 Offer".

There are too many inclusions and benefits for me to explain in this post.

If you want the details just send me a message and I will reply with the details.

13/12/2023

Here is your last chance in 2023 to claim a seat for the FINAL Practiceology™ Demonstration for the year - Tomorrow, Thursday, December 14th @ 12 Midday – Sydney time.

Which is:

USA: Wednesday Dec 13th @ 5pm Los Angeles

Canada: Wednesday Dec 13th @ 8pm in Toronto

NZ: Thursday Dec 14th @ 2pm Auckland

Click below to find out more and claim your FREE seat:

https://pages.mypracticeology.com/webinar

This LIVE ONLINE event will give you the clarity, direction, and peace of mind that comes from knowing how allied health business owners worldwide are taking control of their businesses and removing themselves from the day-to-day running of their practices.

In this presentation, I will also share:

- The 3 foundational “Practiceology™” principles all health businesses MUST understand if they want to free themselves from their daily and weekly business grind.

- The most important resource that shows you instantly if a team member is not completing a protocol or procedure.

- How to measure and manage your business performance in a way that lets you make highly accurate decisions about your business expenses, staff wages, and profit – never again be left in the dark by your key numbers.

- How health professionals' university education sets them up for business failure and how to prevent this from happening to you.

If you have not yet attended one of these LIVE demonstrations - click the link below to reserve your FREE seat for the final event of 2023:

https://pages.mypracticeology.com/webinar

I look forward to seeing you there.

This online event is presented by world leading health business consultant, health professional and Amazon Best Selling author, Paul Wright.

11/12/2023

In my recent "5K Code" presentation I spoke at length about the many fee and pricing mistakes made by health business owners.

Once classic error happens when we open our first practice and decide on the fees we will charge for our services.

The most common "fee setting method" if you can even call it a "method" - is to ring around the other clinics in your area, and then put your prices somewhere in the middle of the pack.

However, there are massive issues with this system.

A couple are:

# This fails to take into account any unique skills, experience or knowledge you have over and above your competitors

# It assumes the other clinics have got their pricing correct.

# You have effectively commoditized yourself by basing your fees on price alone

# There is no marketing advantage to being in the middle of any price point

I am sure many of you laughed when you read about this pricing strategy as you most likely did the same when you opened your health practice.

If you want to find out more about the pricing issues we face and how to break free from the fee-sensitive mindset, I have created a short video where I explain this issue more - and how to set your fees correctly.

Watch it Here:

How to Charge What You Are Worth and Get It

06/12/2023

I recently spoke to a leading health business expert who had the unenviable job of creating a "recommended maximum and minimum fee" for this professional health provider association.

Now, I was just getting ready to present a session on fees in health care, so the topic of fees and money was front of mind for me at the time.

The idea of your professional association suggesting max and minimum fees - is one of the fundamental problems we face as health providers when deciding on our fees.

The problem is relying on textbook formulas, industry norms, or other standard measures to set our fees - like our professional association's recommendations.

One of my early mentors revealed to me the danger of operating a business where someone else controls your fees, whether it's third-party insurers, associations, or other entities.

Take the time to look at your business fee structure and understand the risk you face if you have other people deciding what fees you can charge.

To help health business owners with this issue, I created a short 5-minute video where I share how to avoid letting your association or third-party payers dictate your practice fees.

Send me a direct message or email me if you want the link.

04/12/2023

It is once again time to send my yearly "Six Words of Death" message.

I have been sending a version of this message to my list in early December for over a decade - and have even received messages from health business owners asking when it will be coming out in 2023.

So - due to popular demand - here it is.

In case you are new to my list or have forgotten the lesson from the last few years it is vital you and your team avoid the "Six Words of Death" which kill the January profits of thousands of health businesses around the world.

These words as even more dangerous due to the economy and issues we have endured in 2023.

The "Six Words of Death" that need to be avoided like the plague - as we get closer to Christmas are:

"Call Me In The New Year"

Usually said at the end of a clients final consult before Christmas in relation to their next session or booking.

Remember the number one rule when it comes to booking appointments at your health business:

"Never let the client be in charge of when the next appointment is booked"

YOU are the professional - YOU decide when the next session is to be held - don't leave it for the client to call you in the new year.

The best scenario is to have a therapist on duty over the Christmas break (except public holidays) so all clients can continue their rehab programs - even in a slightly reduced format.

The next best option - if no holiday coverage is available - is to make a definite appointment for the first available time after the holiday period - but make sure you give the client excellent instructions and a strict home exercise program to maintain their gains.

I encourage all health professionals to meet with your team asap and remind them of the importance of cross referral to the holiday therapist - or at least make a definite appointment for when you and the client are both back from holidays.

Failure to act on this NOW can set you up for a poor start to the year- and put serious strain on your new year bank statements.

I know I sound the same warning each and every year - but for some reason, health business owners and their teams keep forgetting this important message.

You have been warned - yet again.

02/12/2023

How to Get Patients to See Your Other Therapists Instead of You

One of our Practiceology™ VIP clients was having difficulty getting patients to see his other therapists.

You know what it is like as the owner of a health business, most of the clients want to be treated by you, and the doctor referrals are most often also directed to you.

This can make it hard to expand the business and keep your other therapists fully booked.

In our discussion, I suggested my private client get his admin team to try the following scripts - as a way to encourage some of the callers to book a session with another therapist - instead of the owner.

In this example, we have been quite aggressive and actually closed the owner's books to new patients.

You may be more relaxed than this initially and mention the long waiting period to get an appointment with the owner, however, the "closing of the books" sends a very clear signal that the patient will need to see another therapist.

See what you think, and give these scripts a go, they have always worked in my clinics and in the practices of our Practiceology™ VIP clients:

Client : "I need to make an appointment with Brian ( the owner) please"

Admin: " Have you seen Brian before"

Client : "No - this is my first appointment"

Admin "Brian is not taking any new clients at the moment as he is spending more of his time doing advanced team training so we can help more people - however, I can fit you in with Stephen who is an excellent and experienced therapist who does exactly the same treatments as Brian - what have you done?"

Notice the move from a factual explanation to a more general question at the end - ie "What have you done?" - so the admin team gets the chance to discuss the specific issue and give the caller the best solution possible.

If the caller is still not convinced to see another therapist - you can try and book them into a timeslot with the other therapist but say:

"I can't get you in with Brian - however I will book a slot with Stephen - Brian will be at the practice at the same time you are coming in so I will ask Stephen to discuss your case with Brian - so you will get the best possible outcome - how does that sound"?

I know many owners are afraid of possibly turning away clients - however, if you plan on running a business that does not require you to be at your client's beck and call - you are going to have to take a stance at some stage.

It may as well be NOW.

Try a version of these scripts and see what works best.

27/11/2023

OK - with all the talk and buzz about "Cyber Monday" - I could not help myself and just had to include the November special as part of the Cyber Monday fun - talk about fear of missing out!!!!!

Anyway - here is a Cyber Monday wake-up call to remind all health business owners that hiring and retaining ideal team members is your single most important role?

Yet the vast majority of owners and managers are frustrated, and confused about…how to attract, recruit, and retain a profitable team of therapists and support staff.

This is why I teamed up with leading USA-based health business recruitment, onboarding and team retention experts, Judy Cirullo, and 23 world-leading health business recruitment gurus to create:

"The Ultimate Recruitment, Retention and Team Culture Program - How to Find, Employ and Keep, Motivated and Profitable Clinicians and Admin Team Members for Your Health Practice"

In this unique program, you and your management team will learn:

# Why “Traditional Recruitment” is outdated and ineffective in the new recruitment economy and how this system ensures accountability, supports business growth, and maximizes profits.

# Exact examples of successful job adverts and how to package the applicant's wage and salary package so a potential team member never chooses based on money again.

# Why the applicant’s resume is highly overrated and the TWO secret forms all applicants must fill in which instantly reveal if they will be a great team member, or an expensive mis-hire.

# How to deliver a “WOW” interview experience which makes the applicant committed, and even desperate, to work in your practice even if you are not offering the highest wage.

# The FIVE essential steps to a successful on-boarding experience which generates unparalleled loyalty, higher job satisfaction, improved performance, less turnover and reduced stress for both the team member and the owner.

# How to plug-in our templates, resources, and training so your team can run 90% of your recruitment for you and guarantee a consistent flow of ideal team members to your health business.

If you want to find out more about the program and the "Cyber-Monday" special just click on the link - but muse the code RECRUITMENT to save an extra $500

DID YOU KNOW Hiring and Retaining Ideal Team Members is the Single Most Important Role for ALL Health Business Owners?

24/11/2023

New Podcast Alert!

I had the pleasure of interviewing the founder of Practice Perfect EMR - Steven Presement, for a recent edition of the Practiceology™ "7 Questions in 7 Minutes" podcast - with this episode titled:

"How to Run a Practice Perfectly"

Here are just some key takeaways from our conversation:

1. Solve the problem of time: Practice Perfect's goal is to empower clinic owners and their staff by providing them with the tools and information they need to streamline their operations. By automating tasks and simplifying processes, they help clinics focus on revenue-generating activities and improve overall productivity.

2. Embrace change and innovation: One of the biggest mistakes clinic owners make when trying to solve their time and automation issues is being resistant to change. Practice Perfect encourages a shift in mindset and offers a valuable resource that goes beyond just technology. Their unmatched reporting capabilities provide key insights into clinic operations, patient retention, and provider performance.

If you're interested in learning more, check out the full podcast episode at the link below

The Practiceology™Podcast brings proven tools, strategies and programs to allied health business owners across the world who want to earn more, work less and enjoy their lives. We deliver as many key business boosting ideas and concepts as we can in each “7 Questions in 7 Minutes” episode.

23/11/2023

Leading Physiotherapist and practitioner mentor, James Schomburgk, recently presented a session at the Ignite - Australian Physiotherapy Association conference, where he spoke about how to effectively mentor new graduate therapists so they succeed in private practice.

If you missed this conference, and James' session, I am pleased to announce James will be hosting a deeper dive on this topic on December 5th titled:

"Fostering the Success and Retention of New Graduates through Mentorship."

This is perfect timing for the presentation as many new grads are starting work soon, so you can now be totally prepared to mentor them to success.

In this 1.5-hour online training event, James will unravel the secrets to creating a program that not only retains your exceptional clinicians but also helps them overcome the common hurdles they face.

James will also tackle the significant challenges presented when it comes to addressing poor performance.

Key takeaways from the presentation will include:

**Retaining Talent Beyond 2 Years**: Learn how to invest in your new graduates so you can finally reap the rewards of your commitment.

**Manual Therapy Mastery**: Discover how to upskill your team in manual therapy, the right approach, and the research backing its efficacy.

**Exercise Prescription Excellence**: Identify and address the weaknesses in exercise prescription skills and develop strategies for improvement.

**Optimising Treatment Frequency**: Explore the importance of appropriate treatment frequency and how to avoid undertreatment for better patient outcomes.

Furthermore, the session will provide insights into using your existing team members to mentor junior staff, enabling senior clinicians to develop leadership skills and career pathways.

Even if you can't make it to the live event, by registering, you will gain access to a recording of the webinar, ensuring that you don't miss out on this valuable opportunity.

If you want to find out at the link below

Webinars Home Our Courses The Second Visit Courses Webinars N A variety of topics We host a variety of Webinars on topics of interest. For more information, please email jeremy@thesecondvisit.com.au or check out our “upcoming webinars” Register Register Register The Manual To Great Therapy Maste...