Chiropractic + Naturopathic Doctor • January-February 2021 • 2021 business trends

As a small business clinic owner responsible for 14 health professionals and five frontline staff, 2020 was a very unpredictable, stressful business year. With no “pandemic business blueprint” available, clinic owners and health care practitioners had to navigate through a gauntlet of business obstacles. There was the risky move of investing in a generation of new business while patient numbers were down as much as 60%. Maintaining and scheduling staff while the clinic was only seeing a total of six patients a day. How were we going to pay rent, do we have reserves saved to cover overhead costs, can the business qualify for another loan? These were scary times, and they continue to be.

The health care industry, supported by government, has continued to stay open during lockdowns and managed COVID screening in the best possible way. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and as an industry delivering high-quality care, we need to look forward and pick out what business successes and trends can help us push health care delivery to our patients for 2021.

Here are, in my opinion, three business trends that clinic owners and health care professional should consider using in 2021 to deliver business success. (A quick disclaimer, I have no monetary affiliations to any of these products or services, these are my opinions.)

Online webinar platforms should be one tool in your business toolbox that you should have ready to go at any time. The free versions of these software have limitations, so invest in the best. For example, Zoom is only a $200 per year subscription, but can deliver hours of marketing fun. For $200 you get hosting for up to 100 participants, group meetings, social media streaming and recordings of your sessions. Here is a quick scenario to consider: On one Zoom webinar, we had 15

potential patients. We got two patients from that call, and one of those patients paid for that Zoom year subscription. The next webinar delivers more patients and profit. There are no overhead costs, no tea or fruit platters to provide, and no rent to pay. This one is a no brainer.

There are still clinics and practitioners who don’t utilize an electronic medical record (EMR) telemedicine software, or patient management software system. Time is money. When you are spending hours wasting time completing written notes, you are losing out on time to do things like being creative and developing new ways to bring in more patients. There are many software solutions that will fit your needs: Some systems do both EMR and patient management (sending automated email reminders to ensure compliance and attendance), while others do EMR, patient management, telemedicine and your accounting, think about all the time you would save.

Everyone has a smartphone and uses apps so invest some time and ask patients what apps could help them. Personally I enjoy an app called “Sleep Watch” that helps track sleep, while “Waterlogged” reminds me when to drink water. Game-ify your patient’s life with an app and make health fun. The intention of using an app is not to consume your patient’s time, but to get your patient’s results.

We want to use the newest and trendiest software and apps to help both our clinic and patients achieve success. Consider your return on investment when you make the decision to put in software systems, do your research, ask your friends and trusted colleagues, and consult your team to figure out what their needs are.