©Dr. James L. Chestnut MSc., D.C., C.C.W.P.

Part 1 of this 2-part series outlined the scientific and logical steps required to achieve ethical practice success. This article identifies the four pillars of ethical practice success and the 6 essential abilities required to build these pillars.

The scientific and logical steps required to achieve ethical practice success can be summarized as doing what it takes to develop and maintain the level of clinical excellence required to build the four pillars of ethical practice success.

The Five Pillars of Self-Sustaining Ethical Practice Success

1. Compliance (patients follow evidence-based/informed recommendations to allow best possible chance of eliciting best possible outcomes – this requires authority and trust)
2. Results (patients must experience, and be informed via documented outcomes, valued results
3. Conversion (patients convert to maintenance care and adhere to lifestyle recommendations to allow best possible chance to maintain benefits from acute care and minimize future acute crises – this requires evidence-based education of patients prior to re-exam so they can make an informed choice)
4. Retention (you become patient’s chiropractor for life based on clinical need and personal elective preference – in the end patients will, and should, always come on their terms - the job of doctor and staff is to use honest education and communication to create evidence-based and positive experience-based terms within each patient)
5. Referrals (patients refer others to the point that the vast majority of new patients are referrals)

The proper tools are required to practice at the level of clinical excellence required to be successful.

The Five Required Tools for Clinical Excellence

1. Excellent spinal health exams identifying segmental and overall spinal health problems
2. Excellent reports documenting need and evidence-based expected benefits of care
3. Excellent care plans consisting of adequate amounts of outcome eliciting care/interventions
4. Excellent progress reports documenting achieved outcomes and any need for continued care
5. Excellent patient, community, and interprofessional education and communication

Without these tools clinical excellence is unattainable and without clinical excellence it is not possible to build the four pillars of self-sustaining ethical practice success. The four pillars are the foundation required to build the practice you, and your patients want. Having to perpetually build a practice for the life of your career is exhausting. It is also stressful because it means you never know how many patients you are going to have from week to week or month to month.

What every doctor wants is a self-sustaining practice full of satisfied patients who follow both acute and maintenance care recommendations, remain patients for life (meaning whenever the patient perceives the need for chiropractic care they consider you their chiropractor of choice whether that be for episodic or continuous elective wellness and prevention care), and who regularly refer others for your care.

There are no short cuts. Self-sustaining ethical success requires effort and time to develop the essential abilities required to build the pillars which form the foundation of all ethical practice success. It is reasonable to expect to put your head down and “chisel stone” for five years in order to build the pillars required to support success. The rewards for both patients and doctor are more plentiful with each level of development of the essential abilities and with every stone added to the pillars of success.

You can use valid statistics to evaluate progress toward your overall level of success in 3-month intervals but keep your daily focus on chiseling stone to build the pillars of success; focus on developing the habits and the actions required to achieve success. Maintain a laser focus on developing and perfecting the 6 essential abilities required to build the pillars of success.

The 6 Essential Abilities Required to Build the Pillars of Ethical Practice Success

1. Sufficient Integrity, Compassion, and Work Ethic
2. Sufficient understanding and certainty regarding the evidence-based value of the unique expertise, healthcare paradigm, and products and services of chiropractic
3. Sufficient ability to honestly and ethically communicate the evidence-based value of the unique expertise, healthcare paradigm, and products and services of chiropractic
4. Sufficient evidence-based knowledge and clinical expertise for delivering the unique chiropractic products and services in a way that elicits the most value (best possible outcomes) for the patient
5. Sufficient valid documentation and honest communication (measurement and reporting) of the delivered value from products and services which maximizes perceived value
6. Sufficient ability to effectively and expertly communicate the evidence-based value and safety of our products and services to other healthcare practitioners and to the general public

Success is not random chance, it is a meritocracy, it is the product of learning and applying the logical and scientific steps of achieving desired outcomes. Follow these steps. Develop the necessary abilities and use the required tools of clinical excellence. Express your potential and achieve your destiny as an ethical, compassionate, successful Doctor of Chiropractic. Your profession needs you and your patients need you.

*Addendum

I have spent the last ten years pioneering the application of these new scientific models to new protocols of patient assessment that open the window of wellness and prevention and focus on assessing and addressing the causes of symptoms and illness and the sources of recovery, wellness, prevention, and performance.

One of the most frequent requests I have had is to develop systems or protocols for the easy and efficient implementation of the evidence-based and evidence-informed interventions I have compiled. I have spent the last ten years developing and honing (with clinician feedback and statistical analysis of outcomes) the Eat Well-Move Well-Think Well® Evidence-Based Chiropractic and Lifestyle Protocols. I am absolutely certain these protocols represent the highest possible level of clinical excellence and the greatest possible resource for achieving ethical practice success.

These protocols are easy and quick to learn and implement, they will make your exams and reports more efficient while increasing patient compliance, and they will make your care more evidence-based and improve your patient outcomes which always results in more referrals.

For more information on how to implement these protocols and develop the self-sustaining, successful, enjoyable practice you and your patients want call Dr. Rick Baxter at 250.381.2084 ext 2 or CLICK HERE