Business Best Practices > Wellness Office
Background Info
Small Brick and Mortar Wellness Offices for Acupuncturists, Chiropractors, Bodyworkers, Osteopaths, Counselors, Psychologists, Psychiatrists , Veterinarians and Medical Doctors have been getting hammered with complexity and cost since the start of the Digital Age.
Prior to the Digital Age there were very common office practices that everyone could learn about fairly easily related to Finance, Accounting, Management, Marketing, Operations, Technology, Risk Management and Strategy.
There was also a fairly clear path for growing from a small part time practice to a larger full time practice with or without employees, with our without insurance processing, and with or without inventory. Only a few major shifts in record keeping protocols were needed along with some Personal Profiling to be sure the Practitioner had the proper Financial Resources, Communication, Leadership, Management and Organizational Skills to handle whatever office structure they wanted to pursue.
With the Digital Age, the idea of a "Paperless Office" , "Automated Scheduling", "Digital Accounting" and "Greater Profitability due to Technology" was introduced.
What had the potential for great benefits for both Practitioners and Patients got mired in a commercial swamp filled with complexity. The profile for an ideal front desk person nearly disappeared. Now they had to be far more trusted and technology oriented, given access to everything requires passwords and technology literacy.
A wide array of energy vampires, business sharks, commercial pirates and technology thieves emerged to sell consulting, services and products that were not holistically beneficial to either Practitioner or Patient. Everyone was offering "partial solutions" claiming full packages, and it was extremely hard to weed through for 90% or more of all Wellness Professionals.
From the 2000's on, the volume of skilled Wellness Professionals who have burned out on their practice and dropped out has skyrocketed.
From the 2000's on, the volume of people who have paid 5 and 6 figures for a "trade" or "skill" they expected to ply via small business only to find out upon graduation they had only partial proficiency in healing services and no business skills to be successful has also skyrocketed. Massive debt has been accumulated by folks without a fall back for paying it off.
During this time, venture capital companies and older business sharks s larger "franchise" and "chain related" businesses have come into the space turning practitioners into "employees" as opposed to the "small business owners" many dreamed of becoming.
Not everyone is wired to be an "employee". Others are wired for it until they become unwired, at which point they need to have the skills to attempt self-employment at their fingertips or live can get far more stressful.
Intro to the Challenges & Specific Problems to be Solved
Commercially Illiterate aspirants are signing up for ever increasing Professional Training programs without true transparency from the Educational Institutions related to student success rates .
Prior to signing up for expensive educational programs for Wellness Certifications/Licensing, aspirants should be more commercially literate if they are going to take on debt for the education and/or if they will need to use the proposed skill immediately upon graduation. The level to which schools and aspirants "gloss over this" is startling.
Commercially Illiterate aspirants are signing up for ever increasing Professional Training programs with less than a half baked plan on the back of a napkin for their thoughts about transition from Student to Employee or Business Owner (part time or full time).
Prior to signing up for a expensive educational program for Wellness Certifications/Licensing aspirants should have considered the components that would normally be found in a business plan to one degree or another with a few realistic strategies for how they are going to transition from student to part-time or full-time employee or small business owner. The level to which schools and aspirants "oversimplify this" is startling.
Commercial Literacy Education, General Business Literacy Education and Healthy Communication is not being included with their very expensive Trade Schools
During expensive educational program for Wellness Certifications/Licensing, aspirants should be granted top-notch "small business education", as part of their curriculum, with no increase in cost over current tuition. Alternatively, they should be required to take courses in parallel via this Academy or one Comparable for low or reasonable costs to ensure their future success. The School makes money training the aspirants. They "claim" the success of their students is what builds their reputation, but that really has not the case in many cases for various reasons both natural and nefarious.
No Catch-Up Systems currently exist for 10-30 year practitioners drowning in a Commercial Swamp (Prior to Krump Academy and related publishing)
Students who have graduated in the past 10-20 years who are at various levels of success or failure need to be supported. These are likely the most difficult to support given they have all really been scattered and each now needs fare more custom coaching to slowly transition them to a more common set of protocols they can mutually benefit from.
No Catch-Up Sytems currently exist for current students (Prior to Krump Academy and related publishing)
Students currently in educational programs need a system for "catching up fast" before their graduation.
"Best Practices" are the best Starting Point for all endeavors when a healthy source can be found...
Everyone needs to learn first a set of "Best Practices" that they can explore and then deviate from as needed as opposed to doing the "individualism thingy" first and eventually concluding there was a lot the didn't know after stressing themselves and others out to a degree totally unnecessary given all the others stresses of life brought on by a modern age. If your "soul contract" had a line in there about "explore stress" ( which they all do ), modify that that quickly to read "explore stress in a way that is compartmentalized and does not become your adult life". ;-)
Order for Learning "Best Practices" for Current Students in Wellness Education Programs
We asked a Wellness Provider familiar with 220 Club material to try to provide a "step by step" outline to help Students currently enrolled in Wellness Programs to learn about "Best Practices" that will be relevant to them. The text below is a draft they have produced as of 9/18/2021 .
From the 220 Club material, 80% of Business is just business, 10% is your ability to Communicate, and 10% is your trade. They also approach this information from that Perspective...
Translated: In their experience with small business, the services you provide and the products you sell are unique, but if you look at the rest of the components of "being in business", there is a massive amount of "commonality" with the communication skills and other skills you need to be successful. Sure, your flavor of healing will be mixed in there but that is minor tweaking that overlays generic concepts that are far more universal when business is viewed from a proper, holistic perspective.
Step 1 - Day to Day Patient Data Management System
Accurately define the scope and generic flow of information in an office related to normal patient visits (not new patient visits) while excluding the use of Manilla Folders or comparable in the entire process. Do this with the support of someone who understands our Best Practice Recommendations in entirety.
Learn about a "Day to Day Patient Data Management System" that revolves around "cloud based digital folders", a dedicated professional scanner for paper management, a date centric paper filing system, Utilize DIY Software (Do it yourself Software) or modest cloud based software for other organizational needs, and there is a need for cloud spreadsheet literacy for all.
NOTE: When we use the term "Folder less Office" , we are referring to a lack of physical folders and filing cabinets with folders by patient name. There are other folders in the office and there are paper files stored and handled in the office. We do not advocate for a "Paperless Office".
Unix based computers for supplemental terminals is key to saving money and simplifying technology, use multiple monitors where appropriate and backup printer that is always online for larger offices is ideal.
All that said, it's important to create create a "patient-by-patient" workflow that is NOT heavily dependent on technology. If the power goes out, the internet goes out,, or a printer goes down, with a proper "Patient by Patient" workflow in place and a few simple manual backup systems pre-prepared, such events can be viewed as only a minor inconvenience.
This "Folder less office" (not Paperless office) with "cloud based digital folders" and "cloud based supporting software" in the hands of Technology Literate Practitioner with Spreadsheet Skills you will will be able to:
1) Maximize Flexibility while minimizing Operational Costs - Our recommendations enable a Graduating Student to step into small business very part time, part time, or full time with the lowest start up and on going costs for life. It will enable you to work seasonally or work and step away from it and return to it with the lowest on going costs and stress.
2) Work from Multiple Locations - Our System enables a Graduating Student to work easily out of multiple locations with far greater ease
3) Align properly with Document Storage and Disposal Needs - Our System educates you on the best ways to store paper data by date vs patient with a retrieval system that can work if needed. They also are geared towards the simple disposal of paper documents after 7 years or the legal statute that affects your business with little to no work and
4) Minimize Expense, Stress and Cost of Older Organizational Systems - Our System excludes you from the experience of creating and losing patient folders, which has been the nemesis of paper folders since the beginning of time.
5) Batch Processing for Reduced Stress - Our System teaches you about the benefits of "batch processing" of paper and patient records. This reduces office stress when technology goes bad and it allows for office management without a full time admin or front desk person.,
Step 2 - New Patient Phone/Email Screening, Appointment Scheduling, Intake Documents, Reminders and a Basic Functional Website for Operations as much or more so than Sales...
Most new aspirants grew up in a Digital Age. Their eyes sparkle when they think about the possibility of "automating" most or all of their business.
For most, that is a horrible first step into a seductive Digital Detour, or worse yet a very painful and time consuming Digital Trap.
They also can see themselves as a Fresh Business owner with a "full time front desk person" who does all of this for them. For most, that is a horrible step in to a surprising partnership and/or a Co-Dependent trap. You MUST learn how to do it all first by yourself at some scale and then you can consider hiring support. Anything less and you are setting yourself up for a future fall when you will least be able to manage it.
Learning how to do all of this in a very personal, manual and/or semi-automated way with modest, more generic technology first is key to your long term success.
Step 3 - Existing Patient Appointment Scheduling, Document Handling, Reminders etc
There are small differences in this versus New Patient processing.
Step 4 - The Payment Process, Receipt Process and Cash/Check/Credit Card payment management
1) Point of Sale System
You need a "point of sale" System. That can be as simple as a piece of paper with a list of payments, a carbon copy receipt book, a DIY Software Solution or another digital system.
When it comes to digital systems, your Point of Sale System should NOT be tied directly to your credit card processing system nor your primary accounting system. This again is a hard pill to swallow for rising aspirants who "just know" there must be some great all in one systems out there. There are several very good reasons for keeping these separate for long term stress relieve (Software Bloat, Software Buyouts, Commercial Capture, etc)
2) Receipt Process
You need a way to provide receipts and if you are using a digital system, you need a way to provide paper receipts in the case of power outage or technology burps. A small paper, carbon copy receipt book is sufficient for backup, as are individual pieces of paper, as long as you also have a way to track the sales for yourself.
3) Cash / Check / Credit Card Processing
a) You need to know how to manage a cash drawer and you need systems for making cash deposits that are efficient.
b) You need a system for check deposits and there are three or four to choose from.
c) You need to understand how Credit Card processing works. Most doing more than a handful of transactions a month should open a dedicated checking account for credit card sale deposits with a manual sweep to your operating account weekly or monthly.
Step 5 - Tower Management, a Desk with open space below, and an Office Supply cart, and r Daily, Weekly Monthly Organization
1) Tower Management - You need to become familiar with a stacked bin system for office organization and you need to use it from day 1
2) A desk with open space below - Keep it simple and maximize your space. You need this for flexibility that will be required that most are unaware of right now.
3) Office Supply Cart - You need to purchase a small Supply Cart with wheels for your office item needs that fits under or near your desk.
Step 6 - Commercial Literacy (Bookkeeping, Accounting, Financial and Technology Literacy as an Intro Bundle)
You need to be literate in Bookkeeping, Accounting, Finance and Technology. Literacy does not mean proficiency nor mastery. This is critical to your long term financial success or failure both as a Small Business Person and a Person engaged in the Game of Life via your own Commercial Play. See Krump Academy for this information.
The Technology Literacy for Small Business is very relevant. You MUST understand the current technology situation FIRST to understand the idea of employing others for front office support or other. This gets VERY TRICKY fast and it's the technology that makes it harder to employ a front office or admin person than easier.
Step 7 - Business Literacy (an Extension to Commercial Literacy at a Deeper and Broader Level )
80% of Business is just Business.
The core tenants of Business can be summed up via an acronym.
FAMMSOIT/bELS
Finance, Accounting, Management, Marketing, Management Science and Operations, Information Technology. (business) Ethics, Legal and Strategy
Literacy does not mean proficiency nor mastery. That comes with time. See the 220 Clubs Soul Proprietor Guide Website for this information
Step 8 - Communication Literacy and "Appropriate" Sales Skills
Some of you are blessed with the Gift of Gab, others are not. Those that are often use it too much and those that aren't often talk too little or out of context.
Listening is a more important first skill. Observing and feeling with the other senses is an equally important first skill.
Learning how to properly communicate sales related information with compassionate and empathy is foreign to many of you unless you've been a client of wellness practitioners for along time too. For those not swimming in money, It sucks to pay for health related corrections. Keep that keenly in your mind.
Many people who can communicate can be poor at delivering services and products and remain in business for a long time, with a revolving door of new clients. Those with great trade skills, but without communication, will typically struggle or fail.
Toastmasters is a great place to go to get better with public speaking, on-the-spot dialogue and basic interpersonal communication.
With regards to Sales, there are many "expensive" practice management programs that teach you how to sell packages and systems. Those are not for everyone and not a favorite of ours, although lucrative for those who like them and are good with them. We are currently seeking a referral for very good sales, oriented communication courses.
Step 9 - Proper Continuing Ed for your Wellness Trade
The world is filled with wellness systems. You're only becoming literate in yours even if you are granted the title of Master or Doctor. Most will be shocked at what they didn't learn when they start to practice.
Seek out those ahead of you and find those programs which most resonate with your idea of commerce, business lifestyle and desired business profits.
Step 10 - Proper Continuing Ed for your Business Practice
Mastering your commercial world will take many years but the first 80% can be had very quickly. Get through that hump quickly. Secure a basecamp much higher up on the mountain than others before you have and then explore more creatively, knowing a failure doesn't take you back to the bottom of the mountain, just to your last solid base camp which is much higher than most today if you implement the Best Practices suggested above.
The Soul Proprietor Guide will be sufficient for quite a long time for most of you. If you outgrow all that, let us know.
Looking for more information on this?
We are working with the folks who provided this information to figure out how to offer the next level down in this curriculum. It may be offerred from us or it may be offered by them from another website. TBD...