We're going to cover how digital x-rays can help chiropractors get better results for the patient, creating happier customers overall, and in turn increasing revenue. It is important to note that the decision to order x-rays for a chiropractor really shouldn't be overly dependent on bringing in revenue or focusing on making profit. However, in saying that, it can bring in additional revenue by helping boost the amount of patients that you see.
The second reason to consider is that x-rays will help you to demonstrate how subluxation works to your clients. Over many years x-ray analysis systems have been used to show chiropractic subluxation, using x-ray imaging. Now, with the average cost of a digital x-ray system approximately $575 a month, if you finance it over a 72 month term, it doesn't take very much for you to be able to break even and make money from x-ray.
Why do we recommend digital x-ray for chiropractors?
First and foremost, digital x-ray can give better results for your customers by being able to show them some of the issues that they're experiencing. The old adage that “a picture is worth a thousand words” really is true when viewing a digital x-ray.
With this new digital x-ray technology, you can zoom in on the image and can see whether the patient might have arthritis or a broken bone or a number of different ailments which could be the reason why they’re in pain.
You can also show your patients if their spine is not in alignment; if they have a cervical curve or lumbar curve that is not where it should be. From there you can explain the different procedures or adjustments that you will do with them, and where you want their spine to be at the end of the day. Then after treatment, you can then show them what the adjustments have done to help their spinal alignment.
Not only will this help you provide better care to your patients, but it also makes them happier as they can visually see progression. In doing so, you're going to also help to increase the revenue as a result of bringing in digital x-ray, and it can help grow your practice. That could simply be by having more customers that have faith in your treatment by seeing their digital x-rays, how they're going to get the care that they need, and even being able to see progressions from treatment to treatment.
We hear a lot that a husband will go in for chiropractic care and will come back and talk to his wife about what was discussed, what should be done, and what kind of treatment plan should be in place. By showing them the x-rays as well as some of the line analysis in the drawings that our software does, it really helps to better understand what they're starting, and help them make that commitment going forward. These are really great things to create happier customers.
A lot of chiropractors will take digital x-rays throughout the course of the patient's treatment plan, or as they get adjusted over a period of time. In doing so, you will be able to see changes in the way their spine is aligned. This can boost the confidence your patient has in your treatments and will hopefully have them provide more referrals, which can subsequently bring in more revenue and help you grow your practice.
Digital x-ray during the pandemic
Over the past year, chiropractors have seen a huge increase in patients and office revenue; about 10% increase in patients and about a 20% increase in office revenue. This was reflective of 2020 being a challenging year with COVID-19 redefining the way patients are getting care at their doctors, as well as how they are getting care from chiropractors.
People were searching for solutions to improve their immunity during the pandemic, as well as how to get the right care without utilizing more invasive technology. Many chiropractic practitioners focused on boosting your immune system through chiropractic adjustments and care which could have also contributed to the increase in patients and revenue.
Many urgent care and doctor's offices moved to telemedicine during the pandemic, which meant you weren't always able to see your doctor on a regular basis. Chiropractic offices on the other hand, for the most part, kept their doors open. This opened up the opportunity for chiropractors to treat more than just subluxation, neck and back pain.
Chiropractors who had digital x-ray were able to look at other types of ailments too. Whether it be extremities or other issues that were causing pain, they were able to help diagnose the problem or at least provide the patient with a good referral as a result of using digital x-ray.
This has led to a big shift in chiropractic care; it's become more of a wellness focus. Which is why having a digital x-ray system is more important than ever. You don't want to have to send your patients to an outside clinic to get x-rays when you can incorporate that within your services.
This comes back again to providing better results by being able to show a patient exactly what it is that's giving them pain, and being able to ensure that a patient leaves pain free. With the use of chiropractic digital x-ray technology we now have the capability of being able to do that in-house at a very affordable price.
One of the other things that we hear quite a bit within many of our customers is the amount of chiropractors that find things within digital x-ray that they weren't even looking for. We've heard countless stories of life-saving experiences where they found cancerous tumours, arthritis or other things that are very, very difficult to be diagnosed without using digital x-ray.
Again this shows how digital x-ray can provide better results and create a customer experience where the patient feels like they're getting the ultimate care.
In-office or out-of-office x-rays?
Having a digital x-ray system within your office can give you the ability to take x-rays on an on-demand basis as opposed to sending your patients to an outside clinic. What we've heard from many chiropractors that have utilized both in-office as well as out-of-office x-ray systems is that they seem to be more successful with their practice if they have digital x-ray within their office. They also see a much higher patient retention rate.
When patients have their initial visit, do an x-ray and display the results, and then do your interpretations and reporting with the chiropractic tools. As a result of providing customers with clear, convenient, in-office diagnostic, progress reporting and clear methods for treatment, you're going to have a much higher rate of customers that are going to come in for care and ongoing maintenance.
There's a lot of different types of chiropractic practices and different chiropractic techniques. Everything from upper surgical, CBP, orthospinology or just a diversified chiropractic doctor that's using unique techniques in their own space. Regardless, all of them can benefit from the use of digital x-ray and having it on site.
We have found that many chiropractors that are sending patients to get x-rays at another venue, that they're actually losing patients. This is because they either don't want to go through the hassle of going to an imaging center or to another place to be able to get an x-ray. Many of them just won't come back. Or if they do get an x-ray at another place, it is going to be a lot harder to produce those results and to help the patients. Sometimes, they'll just go to another chiropractic clinic that has all of these services included. So again, having everything all in one location and making it easier for your patients is really beneficial.
In conclusion
These are just some of the reasons why chiropractic digital x-ray is so important. Not only to create better care for your customer, but being able to find things that you might not otherwise find. Also in interpreting things you might already be aware of, showing it in an x-ray is something that is very easy to see.
The focus of investing in x-rays is always to improve patient care, but there are some additional benefits of higher patient retention because you’re offering a suite of solutions. This will help increase the growth of your practice, as well as increase your revenue.
