Chiropractic Office Software

Greetings DCs!

Another week is just about wrapped up. I hope it was filled with at least a few new patients and many of your returning friends

As a reminder, please expect this newsletter about every 2 weeks and add alex@quick-charts.com to your address book.

A doctor shared a really great article with me this week and I had to include it in our newsletter. It is called “The 5 Chiropractors you will meet in heaven” and I encourage you to read it and really consider the message. At the end of the day, we do what we do to help people. It isn’t about the money or the power; it is truly about making a difference in someone’s life.

When is the last time you remember truly making a difference in someone’s life? I think of this like baking. The recipe is simple, however it takes years of practice to become good (try baking some cinnamon rolls this weekend from scratch and you will understand what I mean- my attempts have always been more like hockey pucks).

The recipe I am referring to is the ability to give more than you take and expect nothing in return. If we learn this early in life we have mastered the true meaning of like. Being a servant to our fellow man/woman might be what life is truly about.

In this month’s issue you will find:

• The five Chiropractors you meet in heaven
• Chiro QuickCharts New Screen Tour

Have a great weekend,

Thank you!

Alex Niswander

Chiro QuickCharts //  515-967-3002 // www.quick-charts.com

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The Five Chiropractors You Meet in Heaven

Robert Frieman, D.C.

Back in 2004, journalist-turned-novelist Mitch Albom’s debut work of fiction, The 5 People You Meet in Heaven, made publishing history. This short, satisfying book became the best selling first novel in history, lingering for 95 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. It’s the story of an everyday man who’s killed in an accident late in a life many would consider unremarkable. But through dialogues with five other souls in heaven — he comes to realize how much his seemingly insignificant life actually meant to those it intersected with…

I mention this novel today because more than any other work I’ve ever read — and apparently more than any other work in history — The 5 People You Meet in Heaven changes the way those who read it feel about the impact their lives have on the lives of others. The book is about redemption of a type, and the positive impact that even those who may feel ordinary or ineffectual can have on the people who enter and exit their respective circles of life. I think this is an important message for chiropractors to hear, for as a consultant to the profession, I hear a variation of this same question from many of my contemporaries: “How do I know if I’m a good chiropractor or not?”

To answer this question, ask the 5 chiropractors you’ll meet in heaven…

The first will no doubt be Hippocrates himself. Though not a chiropractor in the literal sense, as the father of “doctor hood,” I believe he will be there at the end of this mortal life to take a special interest in healers of all types. And he’ll ask each of us: “Did you do your very best to help each person under your care in any and all ways that you could, to the fullest extent in your power?” Not patient, person. Each soul who comes to your office is a multi-faceted individual with a unique set of wants, needs and quirks. They are not simply a set of therapeutic problems to be solved, or a group of medical conditions to be treated or healed. Your solemn duty, as a doctor, is to help each person you see achieve optimum health. The whole person — not just their spine or their joints. If that day of reckoning with the father of medicine were today, how would you answer his question?

The second chiropractor you’ll meet in heaven is either D.D. or B.J. Palmer. Whichever one greets you first will ask you, as a practicing chiropractor: “Were you always faithful to the mind-body connection?” The cardinal rule of chiropractic is that the body heals from above, down and from the inside, out. Both the Good Drs. Palmer taught us that the way to optimum health is in restoring the body’s state and function to as close as possible to the natural. Do you always keep foremost in your mind that human beings are self-regulating mechanisms that need no help to flourish, just no interference? When you meet D.D. and B.J., will you be able to assure them that your approach to patient care was one that emphasized not only natural normalization of the spine, frame, and joints — but the centering of the mind, the affirmation of the soul, and the nurturing of the person as a whole?

The third chiropractor you’ll meet in heaven is your mentor — the doctor that most influenced you to become a D.C. yourself. The care, guidance, and time that he or she gave you was their earnest investment in the future of healing. And the question they’ll ask you is this: “Did my investment in you pay dividends to the science of chiropractic?” You are your mentor’s legacy, his or her manifestation in the present and future. You’re also the next link in the century-plus chiropractic chain. Would he or she be proud of you, and with what you did with their profession? Did you do anything to build upon what your mentor gave you?

The fourth chiropractor you’ll meet in the hereafter is an amalgam — an abstract combination of every other doctor of chiropractic you know. These are the professional contemporaries that you talk to, and talk about, in the course of practice. Here’s what they’ll ask you: “Did you do everything you could to help us to be colleagues united in successful healing — or did you see us only as competitors to be bested?” Now that you are in heaven, do you have any regrets about how you treated your fellow chiropractors? Could you have done more to help the profession grow, and not simply grown your own practice?

There’s one more doctor of chiropractic you’ll meet in the Great Reward — but it isn’t for a while yet, most likely. You sit and wait for what seems like just a few hours. But when the fifth chiropractor you’ll meet in heaven looms into view, you can tell by his or her face that it’s been 20 or 30 years. It’s someone you know well: The D.C. you inspired to take up practice. You may have mentored this person intensively, you may have partnered in practice with this person for decades, or you may have merely said or done something in the long ago that stirred them to a new direction in life that ended with a life in chiropractic. You may even have given birth to this person. As the doctor walks up and embraces you, their entire life passes into your consciousness in an instant — you see it all, from the moment you met to the moment of their death. And here’s the question you hear in your ear: “Did I make you proud — and did I do my part to heal faithfully to our profession?”

One day, we’ll all reach our own end on this Earth — and with hope, will all meet again with those who have impacted our lives in whatever version of heaven we believe in. But whatever each of us believes heaven to be, or even if some of us don’t necessarily believe in any typical conception of “heaven,” it’s still important that we think about how we’d measure up in the eyes of the five healers I’ve talked about here. Thinking about what you’d say to them, and what they’d say to you, is how you’ll find your own answer to the question, “Am I a good chiropractor?”

One thing to keep in mind, though: In heaven, I’m betting you won’t be talking to the 5 chiropractors you meet about insurance companies, billing hassles, difficult patients, long hours, or making money…

You’ll talk about making a difference, which you will have done — if you’re a good chiropractor.

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About the author

Dr. Robert Frieman has been practicing in Maryland since 1990.  He has continuously been and remains a member if the MCA. He has been involved in personal and professional growth as well as practice management for nearly 2 decades. He is now CEO of Frieman Consulting and is available for private consultations and practice coaching. Dr. Frieman can be reached at 410-456-4455

Chiro QuickCharts New Screen Tour

We recently created a new picture tour showing our newest screens. Please take a moment to check them out:

Here is a new Screen Tour: Click here to see the new screen tour.

Here is a new 2 minute video: Click here to see the new video.

Remember- great software can be easy to use, easy on the eyes and easy on the pocketbook. We are about $4,000 with training and 1 year of upgrades – a great value!

*** QuickCharts is now endorsed by Doctors John Brimhall & John Donofrio.

Greetings DCs!

We are now bringing back our monthly newsletters. These will cover many important topics in Chiropractic. My goal is to keep these short and to the point, and to keep the sales pitch to a minimum. This first newsletter will be sent next week.

If you are a DC and have information you wish to share with other DCs, please send it to me and I will evaluate for an upcoming newsletter.

Important EMR/EHR Stimulus Information

I do want to share an update on what is going on with the stimulus & federal requirements regarding EMR/soap notes/EHR (or whatever fancy term the sales person throws at you).

EMR (Electronic Medical Records) has become a huge topic and the changes this year are leaving many confused.

To help clear up confusion, I have posted some questions and answers below.

Am I required to become electronic for patient notes?

Yes…at some point. Currently only 2 states have mandated this for 2010 so I recommend asking your state board about your state’s rules for this year.

Will I qualify for the stimulus money that is being promised?

I wish there was a clear answer. The best answer is going to be ‘maybe’- and a big maybe at that. If you have enough Medicare volume, if you fill out your application correctly (keep in mind this doesn’t even exist yet) and if you are using a certified product, then I think you will be able to qualify.

Which companies/ software will allow me qualify?

Chances are likely that all of them will. Think back to electronic billing.  Are there just 2 companies you can use? No, you still have all the choices and all of them allow sending of E-claims.

If you are currently searching for software, then make sure to ask questions and to feel comfortable with the answers. If someone is promising you they will be certified, or guarantees that you will get the stimulus money if you buy their product.. then – BE CAREFUL!

If someone tells you they will work to become certified once the government makes the decisions, then chances are you dealing with an honest company who will take good care of you long term.

Why are some companies promising that their system will get me the stimulus money?

I wish I knew the answer. I think honestly they see it as a way to sell more software today. Will it bite them later…perhaps. But don’t let it bite you now.

Always be cautious and do your homework before buying a system.

Remember, If something seems to good to be true.. it usually is!

Should I buy a system now, or should I wait?

This one is a case by case. If you were already thinking of getting software for doing your notes, then yes, continue to look and when you find the right system for you- go for it.

On the other hand, if you are happy in the stone age (and I mean that kindly) and were not planning on buying a product for your practice, then continue the paper trail – you will be much happier. Perhaps 2011 or 12 or 14 will be your time to move electronic on notes.

I hope it helps to know you are not alone in the confusion at the government’s next move. I will share any breaking information on the topic.

Thank you,

Alex Niswander (owner)

Midwest Software

www.quick-charts.com

*** Now endorsed by Doctors John Brimhall & John Donofrio.

We have very recently made some great changes QuickCharts. If you curious as to just how easy an EMR system can be.. please watch our short video (it is less than 2 minutes!).

Here is the video:
http://www.quick-charts.com/watchdemo.html

Please reply and let me know if you would like a copy of our brochure emailed or mailed out to you. We also have a promotion for this month I would like to tell you about.

We are are now recommended by:

John Donofrio, DC  /     Joe Thomas, DC

John Brimhall, DC    /     Dave Smaldone, DC

Thank you and have a great weekend,

Alex Niswander

Chiro QuickCharts

515-967-3002

Throughout our y practice we forget to sit back and re-evaluate our practice and the proper functioning of it. Let look at a simple software log in system and how it can completely change your practice. Lets use a quickcharts chiropractic softrware as a example: It number one checks the patients into your office and then number asks them a number of questions.

What does this do some much more than you can imagine. Lets look at the the whole picture:

1)  Chiropractic software saves the office time by checking patients in. Lets say 30 seconds.

2) Software will take a history and subjective findings from the patient before they are even seen. Lets says it saves you 20 seconds.

3) It automatically charts what was found last visit so you only have to chart whats has changed. This  saves you about 70 seconds of writing in the patients chart.

So with simple math we can see how this is not only a chiropractic software, it’s a life changer. With each patient your chiropractic office can save about  two minutes; Hence, if you see 30 patients a day you save a whole hour everyday in which you could be doing something else. Never mind the time you save your staff saves tons of time not checking in patients all day.

Chiropractors ask me all the time. Is it worth buying chiropractic software? I  tell them you can’t afford not to.

The Aug. 17 /PRNewswire/ reported a story about professional golfers using chiropractic on a regular basis.  Dr. Tom La Fountain is a chiropractor who travels with the PGA tour and regularly provides chiropractic to the pros.  Dr. La Fountain reports that up to 85 percent of the injuries on the PGA Tour and Senior Tour relate to the spine, and about 70 to 75 percent of those golfers receive regular chiropractic care.

The August 21, 2000 issue of the Salt Lake Tribune reported that senior pro golfer, Doug Tewell was delayed entering the Senior PGA tour due to spinal problems.  Tewell injured his back while playing a round of golf with his son in Oklahoma.  The injury kept him in bed for three days and required the use of a walker for two weeks.  On the recomendation of fellow pro Bob Tway,  Tewell decided to see a chiropractor.  His comments in the Tribune article summed up his reactions,  “the most incredible thing,  just a few little jerks,” Tewell said. “I thought I had met Oral Roberts.”

Professional women golfers also utilize chiropractic.  Dr. David E. Stude, a chiropractor and associate professor and faculty clinician at Northwestern Health Sciences University, lectures across the country with Lisa Masters, an LPGA golf pro, emphasizing the importance of chiropractic care for golfers.  Dr. Stude states, “Normally, each vertebra in the spine moves independently a certain number of degrees when our whole body is involved in an activity.  If that is not happening, for example, if two or more segments move as a whole unit, rather than moving independently, it can lead to one kind of vertebral mechanical dysfunction.”

Find this and other similar articles at http://www.chiropracticresearch.org
Take charge of your patient’s notes.

Visit our websites today to find out more about chiropractic practice management software.  http://www.quick-charts.com and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_NKRYl2mSE