5 Steps to Get More Millennial Chiropractic Patients
And the Changes Millennial Doctors Will Bring to Chiropractic
There are more than 73 million Millennials, those born between 1981 and 1996 (ages 25 to 41 in 2021) [1]. As the largest generation in the US, Millennials can rapidly improve the future of chiropractic if your practice is ready for them.
How you can respond to Millennials’ expectations
A recent article in Forbes Magazine: “6 Expectations Millennials Have for HealthCare” [2], brings together several research studies and uncovers some important findings that will impact all medical professionals, including Chiropractors. Using the Forbes article as a base, here are five steps that should help chiropractors get more Millennials as chiropractic patients.
Millennials do their research. Over half (55%) said the information they find online is as reliable as their doctor [2]. As the first generation to grow up with “Dr Google,” Millennials will put more value in the experiences reported by their peers, when it comes to evaluating which practice to visit.
STEP 1: Chiropractors need to invest in online reputation management. Doctors must implement an electronic system for requesting patient reviews on Google, at minimum. The more reviews the better, and doctors should consider also requesting patient reviews on important medical review sites like HealthGrades, Vitals or Doctor.com. These reviews need to be shown real-time on the clinic’s website. The real-time website update can be accomplished through website plug-ins that are readily available.
In a Kaiser Family Foundation study cited in Forbes, 45% of 18-29 year olds and 28% of 30 to 49 year olds have no primary care provider (PCP), compared with 85% that have a PCP among the older generations. Part of the reason for not having a PCP, as explained by Dynamic Chiropractic, may be that Millennials don’t think they’re able to develop a trusting relationship with their PCP, because the provider does not know them as a unique individual with unique needs [1]. Another reason, posed by the Forbes article, may be the convenience to Millennials of not being tied to a PCP. To underscore this, over 33% of Millennials prefer healthcare from walk-in clinics over visiting their doctor’s office [2].
STEP 2: Chiropractors should offer TeleHealth consultations. And is it going too far for Chiropractic doctors to offer walk-in appointments? In line with the desire for convenience and on-demand, the Forbes article mentions that 60% of Millennials want an option for virtual doctor’s visits and would choose a telehealth visit if given the choice. (We know that adjustments cannot be made over the phone, but confidence-instilling initial consults certainly can be done via telehealth.) Training chiropractic office staff to turn a walk-in Millennial visit to a preliminary consultation may also pay dividends.
It’s no surprise that Millennials want information electronically. 71% of Millennials want to schedule appointments, get appointment reminders online, or have access to their medical records online [2].
STEP 3: Use an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system with a patient portal. If Chiropractors want to be considered a significant part of a patient’s overall care, the practice must have an EMR system. In that way, your chiropractic adjustments and wellness recommendations can become part of the patient’s overall Electronic Health Record. And importantly, as cited in Chiropractic Economics, Chiropractors should use an EMR system “…that allows for a patient portal that can be accessed at home online [and] gives your patients the opportunity to engage more with their health care and find the information they need” [3].
Millennials value transparency, especially when it comes to the cost of services [2].
STEP 4: Chiropractors need to be very clear with prospective patients about their pricing, and what will and will not be covered by insurance. Doctors need to set up their practice management systems to enable quick insurance coverage results, so that pricing info can be clearly communicated in up-front consults.
“Healthy” means more than “not sick.” On average, Millennials have a very different definition of what health means compared to older generations. In an Aetna survey cited in the Forbes article, Millennials were twice as likely as Boomers and Gen-Xers to cite eating healthy and exercising as part of the definition of overall health [2].
STEP 5: Now more than ever, Doctors of Chiropractic need to be open to more holistic non-traditional forms of healthcare. It will be critical for Chiropractors to offer more complete wellness programs that promote both mental and physical health.
Don’t Underestimate the Changes that Millennial Doctors of Chiropractic Will Make to Chiropractic
Millennial physicians and chiropractors have entered the healthcare workforce over the last 5 years. According to Medcitynews.com: “The most important trait of new-gen doctors is that they have similar expectations in matters like information access, transparency, care outcomes, and seamless experiences as their other digital native counterparts.” That article looks for Millennial doctors to mine their patient’s medical health record data, and perhaps add data from wearable technology to enable more personalized care and enhanced health outcomes [4].
As more tech-savvy Chiropractors enter healthcare, all chiropractic practices will have no choice but to up their technology game.
Please Consider How the PulStar May Equip Your Practice for Millennial Chiropractic Traffic
To appeal to tech-savvy Millennials, Chiropractors may want to revisit computer-assisted analysis and adjusting tools like the PulStar. Especially when the PulStar gives doctors HIPAA-compliant before and after reports that can be emailed to your patients with the ability to embed a google review link that helps boost their reviews, an integrated practice management system, and of course, proven analysis and treatment success backed by clinical trials. Just contact us if you would like more information, or watch 6 videos on demand to learn about the PulStar in about 13 minutes..
Sources:
[1] https://www.dynamicchiropractic.com/digital/index.php?i=1263&Page=6
[2] https://www.forbes.com/sites/joeharpaz/2019/08/26/6-expectations-millennials-healthcare/?sh=1fa6f11830ec
[3] https://www.chiroeco.com/marketing-to-millenials/
[4] https://medcitynews.com/2020/01/addressing-the-needs-of-the-millennial-physician/
