What sets you apart from the other acupuncturists in your town?  Are you specialized?  Are you the veteran? Do you have the best reputation? All of these are important things to think about.  Ask yourself  “what has or will make me successful”?

One of the best things that has helped my practice thrive over the years has been my attention to  quality of care.

We pull out all the stops with quality and we take pride in going the extra mile for our patients.  I hear their complaints all the time about the western MDs and other types of practitioners.  Most patients are dissatisfied with the care that they are getting in general.  I have been listening to this complaint for many years and it has caused me to really focus in on what makes my patients feel cared for.

It’s the little things that count.  At our clinic the acupuncturists are trained to provide a comfortable environment for each patient.  We make sure they have the music they like, that the room is the right temperature for them, that it’d dark enough and that they are really ready to deeply settle into the treatment.  We provide a wireless doorbell for each patient who is resting so that they can call on me if they need to. We drape them with blankets and offer eye pillows. We set a really great tone of making their comfort a priority.

We provide toys and drawing paper for their kids in tow, and we get down on the floor when we treat the babies and kids.  We call their rides when they are using a pick up service, and we give directions to other places in town they want to check out. We use Fullscript to send emailed supplement prescriptions right to their inbox. We make copies for them and communicate with their other practitioners.

We try to return their calls and emails quickly when it’s important, and we hold appointment times each week for urgent visits.  Patients truly appreciate the individualized care and thoughtfulness we offer. Above and beyond, one thing that we offer them is that we are very present and we LISTEN to them.  This, above all, is at the top of the list for providing quality.  They want to be heard and to know that we care.

Make a list of what you are doing and what you can do better with your patients’ care.  It never hurts to go the extra mile and it will set you apart from your community.