High Fiber Health

Affordable Acupuncture - Charge Less, Earn More?

November 27, 2006 on 3:27 pm | In practice growth, strategy and philosophy, acupuncture | Comments Off John Weeks' The Integrator Blog featured an interesting article on Working Class Acupuncture, a Portland, Oregon clinic built on the concept of making acupuncture more affordable.

As Lisa Rohleder, LAc, began trying to make sense of the business of professional acupuncture, she witnessed two distinct phenomena. First, she observed that a huge percentage of the working poor and even the middle class of people in the United States cannot afford to pay for acupuncture treatment when individual appointments cost $65-$200. Second, Rohleder observed that over 50% of graduates of acupuncture schools abandon practice without ever figuring out how to make a living at it.

What's wrong with these pictures? The price-point for an acupuncture treatment seemed to her to be related to both problems.

I highly recommend you read John's piece regardless of your modality. His interview with Lisa Rohleder is quite interesting, and also contains the basic financials for the business model she's using and actively promoting. The fact that it makes a great service more affordable and can help practitioners earn more at the same time makes it doubly compelling.

Related Links:

Integrator Blog Article
Working Class Acupuncture site

PS - You might also want to check out Rohleder's book The Remedy: Integrating Acupuncture into American Health Care, as well as her free ebook love your microbusiness: marketing for a community-based acupuncture practice a short, but very sweet manifesto on practice growth.

5 Things To Do In Your Practice From Day One

November 22, 2006 on 11:34 am | In startup, practice growth, strategy and philosophy | Comments Off There are a million conceivable things to do when you start your practice, but what's really important in the big picture? What's going to lead to increased referrals and practice growth? Here's a few seemingly innocent but critical things to do from day one. And if you're already well past day one, fear not - it's never too late to start.

Track Your Referrals
Discovering where your referrals come from is the single best way to get more of them. You can use my "five P's" or something of your own, but make sure you track them from day one. Before you know it, it's going to be day one of year two and having referral source data is going to be incredibly helpful in figuring out how to spend your marketing dollars.

Accept Debit and Credit Cards
Just do it. I know it's expensive. I know it's a hassle. Just do it.

Still not convinced? Follow the link.

Make Sure the Phone Is Answered
You might not be able to afford a receptionist right away (although I think you should take the risk). But if you miss those calls, you're going to lose business. Consider an answering service at the least - one that can book appointments on your behalf.

Act Like You're Busy
Whether you want to treat this as metaphysics or practical behaviour, acting as if you're a busy CAM practitioner from day one is going to get you there faster. It's particularly helpful in how you manage your appointments.

Pay Yourself
Get in the habit of paying yourself consistently. It's far too easy for your practice to consume all the cash flow, and for you to find yourself five years down the road still breaking even. Just look at how easy it is to spend all the money in your personal bank account. Your expenses have a habit of rising to meet the available cash, and your practice is no different.

It doesn't matter how much. Ten bucks a month is fine - what's important is to start the habit. Just set up an automated system and forget about it (except for regular raises!). Everyone in practice can afford ten bucks, and believe me, it will make a difference.

And don't forget those raises. Stretch yourself. Pay a tiny bit past what you can afford, and you'll find your practice will grow to accommodate the increased expense.

Research Careers for CAM Professionals

November 17, 2006 on 12:13 pm | In opportunities | Comments Off The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) has created a career development award for selected CAM clinicians who wish to pursue a career in research. NCCAM is a division of the National Institute of Health (NIH).

Award recipients get up to five years of intensive research training to help launch a career in research. What makes this opportunity realistic is that it provides up to $75,000 in annual salary for participants. Most early-career CAM professionals are so cash strapped that they can't afford to spend any more time in school - the NCCAM award could easily change that.

Applicants need to hold doctoral level degrees from a CAM institution, although there are a a few exceptions and exclusions. NCCAM expects to grant up to 10 of these awards in the next three years.

Link (via Naturopathy Digest)

Naturopathic and Massage Therapy Professions Grow

November 9, 2006 on 11:42 am | In Uncategorized | Comments Off

Naturopathic and Massage Therapy Professions Grow

November 9, 2006 on 11:42 am | In naturopathic, industry stats, massage therapy | Comments Off The Integrator Blog references two recent surveys that point to significant increases in the number of licensed naturopaths and in consumer use of masssage therapy.

I'd be interested to see stats on the growth of naturopathic usage. This study shows the number of licensed ND's nearly doubling - comparing that against consumer use would be revealing. If anyone has recent data, let me know.

The Integrator Blog - CAM Disciplines Data: Licensed NDs Double in 5 Years; Massage Use Doubles in 10 Years