1. Laugh your way out of malpractice
Malpractice is, of course, no laughing matter but studies actually reveal that humor and patient education decrease your risk of getting sued.
No kidding – I once mentioned this to a group of chiropractors at a conference and one said, “I agree 100%. If I can’t get a new patient to laugh during my initial orientation I refer him out. I don’t want to get sued.”
Let’s face it, we are human and we all make mistakes. However, what makes one patient sue and the other say, “That’s ok doc, the rib will heal.” ?
The difference is often your relationship with your patient.
Is your office a warm, inviting place? Do you discuss financial matters with patients? Are you available if there’s a financial or personal problem? Are your CAs taught to let you know if a patient walks away less than very pleased with your care? Are your CAs warm and friendly?
I have no doubt that cold, impersonal doctors and staff get sued lots more than their warm blooded brethren. In fact, a study compared “no claims” physicians (those who were never or rarely sued) with doctors who got sued more often. This is what they found:
“No claims” physicians … educated patients … laughed and used humor more.”
Levinson W et al. Physician-patient communication, the relationship with malpractice claims among primary care physicians and surgeons. JAMA. 1997;277(7);553-559.
Are you radiating the energy of a healer – warm, caring, friendly, sincere and approachable? Is your staff supporting your warm, caring personality? Or not?
As Patch Adams, MD has said, “People crave laughter as if it were an essential amino acid.” Interview with Patch Adams. Mothering. 1986;38.
Give your patients more of what they crave and they’ll perhaps think twice, or three times, before calling that lawyer. And there’s something else you can do to minimize your chances of being sued.
2. Get great results
Be effective with just about anything that anyone who walks through your office door brings to you. Become known in your area as “The Doctor Who Gets Results.”
For every one patient that likes a “good crack” I’ll bet you there are twenty who dislike it – many you’ll never see because they’ll never set foot in your office. And sometimes that ‘ol side posture million dollar roll, or “diversified” routine, can have unforeseen consequences.
Koren Specific Technique (KST) is low force and gentle and yet gets powerful results. There’s no “cracking” and it is safe enough to use on anyone, from a newborn to a brittle old person.
KST also permits the patient to be checked and corrected (adjusted) in any posture; they don’t have to lie on a table. They can get checked and adjusted while they are standing or sitting or in the posture of subluxation – the position in which they became subluxated. After all, how many people get subluxated while they are lying face down on a table? So why do we insist on adjusting them in that position?
Further, trying to ease an antalgic patient onto a high-low table can be pretty scary if the patient reports increased pain as the table descends. What do you do?
Adjust them in the position in which they are subluxated. The subluxations in this position may be more obvious and therefore adjusted more easily than in a prone position. For more information on KST, go to www.teddkorenseminars.com and watch a free introductory video and read articles about this safe, revolutionary way to care for patients.
