Table of Contents
Once again the largest group to participate in this year's Upper Cervical Practice Survey was doctors who primarily practice NUCCA (33.12%); which is lower than last year (39.77%). Both Epic and MC2 techniques doubled their presence this year. As one big upper cervical family, it’s always good to see each technique flourish.
The internet is once again the #1 way upper cervical doctors are attracting new patients into their practices from external sources. 37.01% of doctors indicated this was the best return on investment for external marketing in 2019. We saw the same in 2018 (35.67%), 2017 (37.73%) and 2016 (36.11%). We are continuing to see each year that internet marketing is a key method doctors use to get new patients externally.
Patient education was once again the #1 generator of new patients from internal sources in 2019. 60.39% of UC docs reported this as providing the top results in their practices (up from 53.22% in 2018). Every year of our survey, patient education has been definitively #1 for internal marketing. Making sure that you have great UC content that helps your patients “get it” is a huge asset in attracting new patients. Blogs, email newsletters, email blasts, eBooks, doctor videos, new patient orientation classes, health talks, pamphlets, etc are all great tools for you to implement.
By the way, click here if you’d like to grab a free 2019 Marketing calendar and get some ideas for internal and external marketing.
The majority of upper cervical practices in our survey saw 6-10 new patients per month in 2019. Overall, the average number of new patients is about 18/month. This has been roughly the case for the past few years. How does your office compare? What goals could you set for new patients in 2020? How will you achieve your new patient goals?
The average number of patient visits per week in 2019 is just under 150. This is up from 2018 (140 patient visits per week). Since the number of new patients per month has stayed the same as last year, it stands to reason that the increase in patient visits is due to better retention. That's great news! Where would you like to see your practice next year when it comes to patients visits/week? What’s stopping you? What should you implement to get there?
This year, more than 3 out of 4 upper cervical practices have no associates (76.62%). This is up from 68.42% last year. Most likely the reasoning for this is the larger number of newer practices opening up in recent years. Understandably, we also see a correlation with the number of associates a practice has and the number of patient visits/week for the office. Having solid associates on your team strengthens the practice. Hiring an associate can be frustrating, click here or here to listen to two solid podcasts on this topic.
Just about 2 out of 3 upper cervical doctors have 2 or more employees. Interestingly, 1 out of 8 doctors (12.34%) has no one helping them out in the office. We also see a correlation with being a solo practitioner and limited growth.
Ultimately, doctors that have a good support team also have offices that are healthier, growing, and seeing more new patients. When trying to keep overhead low, it can be scary when building a team. Here is a great podcast on how to build a team to grow your practice.
For the 5th year in a row, the #1 challenge facing upper cervical doctors today is consistently obtaining enough new patients. As this remains to be the biggest issue, it makes sense to research ways to have victory in this area. Perhaps consider these 101 Chiropractic Marketing Ideas to implement solutions for the new patient dilemma.
Thankfully, for the 5th year in a row, the majority of upper cervical practices are growing! Specifically, 70.78% of practices reported an improved 2019 year (up from 63.16%)! This is great news and we believe this indicates Upper Cervical Care is growing around the world!
The dividing line between the top 20% of upper cervical practices in the industry and the bottom 80% occurs at around $50,000 in collections/month; just about where it was last year.
1 in 6 docs are bringing in under $10,000/month. Compared to last year, we see a little increase in the percent of UC doctors collecting below $25,000/month. This is most likely due to the increase in the number of newer practices that have yet to gain traction.
What are your collection goals for the new year and would would it take to grow? What are the top UC doctors doing to achieve success?
This is a new question this year as a number of doctors have been asking what other offices charge. Thanks for asking! It's this kind of involvement that helps the Upper Cervical Practice Survey be informative and helpful.
In 2019, the average care plan ran just under $1,500. While more doctors have reported using care plans, 1 in 6 still aren't. Do your fees match your services? Consider your market, what you can confidently stand by, and take in consideration the value of your expert service.
Another new question by popular demand! Average cost of an individual visit for UC offices in 2019 was just over $60. Two thirds of the offices fall between $45 and $74.
Where do your fees fall? Have you found a rate that works for you to best reach the right people? The new year might just be a good time to make an adjustment.
Roughly half (44.81%) of all upper cervical chiropractors have 100% cash practices. 4 out of 5 doctors reported at least 75% of their practice is cash pay. Compared to last year, we're seeing more cash patients.
Typically, doctors that have a high percentage of patients paying cash see better collections overall and improved retention. We attribute this to patients being more personally invested in their health (paying out of pocket) and committed.
This tool helped many UC docs crush it last year...it can help you too!
