A Patient's Point of View

Category: Practice Growth

Author: William D. Esteb

We have all had the experience of getting poor service at a restaurant. We would like to tell the owner what is wrong with his establishment. William Esteb does that for the chiropractic profession in his book, A Patient's Point of View. The subject is how to make a practice grow and then maintain high levels of production and collection. It is practice building the old-fashioned way. No gimmicks, no giveaways, no external search for new patients. The methods he outlines are for stable, long-term growth and productivity. This is accomplished by viewing your office through the eyes of a patient so you understand their needs and wants.

Is practice growth important to the practicing doctor? Isn't that why many of us have and still pay thousands of dollars to practice management companies in the hope of finding the magic elixir of practice growth? Here is a book that costs very little and is packed with the same ideas some pay thousands of dollars for. The only difference is that you have to read the book, not have it spoon fed to you. The material is vital to you and your practice. Invest the time to learn what you can.

William Esteb has been a chiropractic patient for years. He now teaches practice management, but unlike some practice management companies who tease us with come-on speeches, articles, and books, Mr. Esteb puts his best ideas down on paper so we can buy them, study them, and learn to use them on our own. His words are thought provoking and insightful. They will motivate changes in your office.

The book is quite well written. One criticism is that it did develop a little slowly in the first few chapters, but then it came alive and held my interest like a good spy novel. Each idea was followed by more good ideas and it makes you want to read on. One good idea is the patients' sixth sense about whether the doctor is truly committed to them or is in it for the money. The doctor cannot fake the commitment to the patients. Mr. Esteb explains what your commitment needs to be, why, and how to develop it. The ideas begin there, and then get very specific about what to do, how to attract patients, and where to get them.

How valuable is this book? Is the price worth it if you get one idea that brings in one patient? What if you get one new idea that brings in many new patients? You are depending on me to tell you if it is not only worth the purchase price, but is it worth your time to read it even if it were free.

Well, it is a very good book. It changed my practice in several ways. Two weeks after I read it I got three new patients directly from the things I started doing that I learned in this book. All I did was talk to my patients differently while they were in the office and those patients I talked to referred those three patients because of what I told them. I have a high opinion of Mr. Esteb's book. It should be read and then reread every three months just to keep us on our toes. The name of the game is service and this book tells us how the patients perceive the service we offer them.