Homeopathy and profit ... incompatible?

Hey all,

Just wondering if any of you have noticed the paradox of successful prescriptions and slowed income?

My last couple of weeks have been really slow with follow-up appointments. I was trying to figure out why, so I went back through my files and looked up all new patients I had seen 4 weeks prior. Well sure enough the majority of them had called me with their 2 week telephone check-in and most of them had experienced very positive results from the remedy.

In my literature to them when they leave the office, as well as verbally, they are asked to book a 4 week follow-up and are informed about the importance of case management. But what happens is that they are doing well enough to not need a follow-up. That makes me happy and very satisfied but my wallet isn't as happy

Hopefully those patients will recommend my services to friends and family (and sometimes they do) but that can take some time to come to fruition. I have many patients who have had remarkable results and I have yet to see a referral from them. Health can be a very private issue for some and therefore referrals just don't happen.

Do you guys ever fear that we will all become such solid prescribers that we will put ourselves out of buisness?

Cheers

Thanks for bringing this up Jack.

I am only a year almost into practice and am experiencing a lot of fluctuations in patient load. So far, knock on wood, I have been getting good results. So, after a month or two, most of those patients don't need to come as often. I have gotten a few referrals but thought the slowness of fruition had to do with me being newer in practice and perhaps the economy.

I find patients do refer but it takes a long time for people to come. I have a few patients that are great about follow-ups but many don't come back for follow-ups.

I didn't chose homeopathy to become rich- but a little more money would be great.

My greatest desire is to be an excellent prescriber followed closely by wanting to just do homeopathy for the rest of my life. I am hoping that the money will come.

What is everyone else finding right now?

Rebecca

This discussion is very important to all of us who are working at earning a living with Homeopathy and I appreciate any comments people may have.

Sounds like I am doing what others are doing; at the end of the 1st consultation, booking a follow up appt. in a month as well as a telephone follow up two weeks (or earlier) after. I also have found that after the first follow up, if a patient is feeling better, they come back only if they are having a relapse, and or an acute. Patients have provided some referrals, and I have been fortunate to have had quite a few new patients in the last few months. But many others have said they have told a number of people about me, but I have not heard from them yet. In addition, I have noticed a definite increase in referrals since taking Hahnemannian Prescribing these past 9 months. My confidence has grown as well as patient cures. For me, I know it has been an increase in my focus and energy levels in my practice.

However, there are definitely fluctuations.....I have been quite busy for the past few months, but am looking at next month and appts. are sparse. This does make it difficult to budget, and make plans. I am wondering if I would be better working within a "group" office that has other healing modalities. I am hoping that it is simply summer arriving, holidays/vacations and people often feel better when it is warmer??? The economy is definitely playing a role, as I have had patients ask if they can have a reduction in fees (due to their limited resources). I advise that post dated cheques are acceptable, and this has worked out so far with the exception of one patient. I am far away from recouping my investment in school and additional courses, books, software, programs etc. I have purchased over the past 9 years.

I am a forever optomist, and am planning on staying . I believe this subject comes back to public perception about Homeopathy and of course educating them about what we can do. We absolutely need to be more united and have a stronger political voice .


How is everyone else doing?

To get referrals you definitely need to ask for them. Take the slow period to reconnect with those believers that you have treated successfully. Send them some points of interest, or a brief article highlighted with relevant information for them or for health in general and above all ask for a referral.

It is called preaching to the believers - make them think about you the possibilities of homeopathy for them and those that they know. Use snail mail or a brief phone call to reconnect and pass on your message - this is much more personal than a newsletter or mass email.

Nick

I was given this excellent advice by a very successful marketing professional

My story is much the same, much ebb and flow, but I also examine how I run my practice and realize that I do not do a good job of keeping the momentum going with my patients.

I believe that results will drive your practice - one of our very esteemed teachers has told me that when things get going she has more people to see than she has time to see them. Meaning that when she expands her hours she finds that it fills up very quickly due to the results that she gets with her patients. I can't say that I have near the success in prescribing that she has although I am not discouraged from learning to do better.

Who knows why the come and who knows why the go...

Do you guys remember the disappointed patient I had where I posted my response to her? Well, after 3 years of antianxiety meds and no healing and only 2 months of homeopathy and complete removal of anxiety, I guess she still is not able to believe in homeopathy even though she really wanted to as she says as I've not heard from her. Oh, well.

As for referrals...you need a blabber-patient who's done really well with Tx. Lisa told me that 1 of her patients is responsible for about 80 new ones!

As for updates after a Rx, I do a 1-week telephone update...if no changes, I investigate for new stresses and other possible antidoting factors...if there are changes, I find it a great time to quickly get the Sx's down, esp. minor aggravations like a little tiredness, as what a patient tells you a month down the road is not always the same.

This is a really important discussion. I have been really really fortunate in this. From observation, it is definitely word of mouth, from patient to friend etc that is how this grows. Raymond's entire practice is built upon one patient he saw over 15 years ago...she is still sending him patients after all this time.

I am experiencing a similar thing and yes, it is all results-based. Also, if your patients are in communities i.e. Ray's is part of a tight-knit South American community and patient zero is a hairdresser in that community...well, there you go. My patient zero is a therapist and she has sent me almost all of her clients and friends. I also do volunteer work using homeopathy, the social workers observe and ask if they can come...I charge them.

So, bottom line, word of mouth. I have not seen any marketing strategy that works as well (except yours, Jack).

I have patients with me who keep coming regularly after 4 years now...I can't explain it as just good results, which is part of it, but not the whole story.

Like Rebecca, I am not in this to make my living just from this. I have decided I do not want to do homeopathy full time, a good decision for me. But I will it for the rest of my life, for sure. It is bonus income at this point.
And I love it!

Andrea