An acupuncture practitioner is only as good as the staff that is behind him or her. If an acupuncturists have excellent staff that works in conjunction with them, that practice will thrive. However, even a good practitioner with a lazy or unproductive staff will definitely feel the pinch in the wallet when things do not go well.

So the first rule of patient retention is to have all staff members on the same page. Have regular meetings with staff and let them know what is expected of them.  Tell them what you expect from them and show them how to be proactive with patients rather than reactive.

Here is an example. Mr. Brown leaves the treatment room and has been instructed to return in two weeks. The receptionist should say to Mr. Brown, “I see you are returning in two weeks, I have Thursday at 3:00pm available.”  If the patient hedges, she should say, “I know you like the late afternoon appointments and they do book very quickly” to let him know this time might not be available later.

That is an example of how a patient should be handled. An example of how it should not be handled would be the receptionist asks Mr. Brown when he would like to come back.  This offers the patient an easy way to postpone booking the return appointment.

Another way to improve patient retention is to have your staff take down the names and phone numbers of patients who do not rebook for the next acupuncture treatment at the time they are in the office. Have them call to remind the patient that they need to come in if they have not scheduled and get them to schedule at that time. This has proven to be much more effective than sending out postcards or other correspondence.

In order to have a successful practice, a acupuncturists must have a steady influx of regular and new patients coming into their practice. There are several marketing strategies that can be utilized in order to make this a reality for any practitioner. Here are some strategies that are proved to be working.

First, give new patients the personal touch. Send them a hand written thank you card for using your services. Have someone from your staff call them to inquire as to how they feel after their treatment. This makes the patients feel special in your eyes, shows that you care about their health, and want them to feel better. This goes a long way toward keeping patients on your table.

Second, in a struggling economy some patients may have issues with paying out of pocket for CAM treatments. Since most acupuncture treatments are ongoing or long term, it might be wise to offer your patients a discount on a set number of treatments or on a monthly basis for payment up-front. This is a win-win situation for you and the patient. You receive money up-front and are assured of bookings by that patient. The patient will definitely use the service if they have paid for it.

Give satisfied patients cards or coupons to give to their friends or loved ones. This with their world of mouth referral will go a long way in bringing in new patients, thus improving your patient numbers. Word of mouth advertising is still the best way to sell anything today so do not hesitate to use it as a marketing strategy. You can also ask satisfied patients to give you a testimonial to use in a newsletter or quarterly email newsletter.

A study done by the Children’s Hospital of Boston followed children for a year while they were treated with acupuncture for painful conditions such as headaches, back pain and other illnesses that caused them to experience moderate to severe pain. At the end of the study 70% of the children reported that they benefited from the treatment.

The recommended acupuncture treatment for children over the age of 8 is the same as an adult receives with the fine needles that are inserted at different points of the body. These needles are placed into designated acupuncture points which are responsible for flow of energy or Qi. Acupuncture works on the premise that the body can and will heal itself if the Qi is able to flow freely. Once the energy blockages are removed, the body will heal itself in time.

For children under the age of 8, or any child who is unduly fearful of needles, there is an acupuncture procedure which is called Shonishin. This is a session that is performed with instruments that are tapped or pressed over the acupuncture points. This method incorporates brushes, magnets, light electrical stimulation and cupping in its session and takes about twenty minutes to perform. The tools used in Shonishin are rounded, not sharp and are massaged on the child’s skin; they and made of silver, gold, or stainless steel. Great example of Shonishin instrument is a silver teaspoon. This method wields the same results without the use of needles. It is even safe to use on infants. Shonishin is Japanese in origin and was developed several hundred years ago in southwest Japan.