Even for chiropractors who are not quite gadget-geeky enough to have a bathroom like the one pictured above, the writing on the wall is clear: the future of all business, including healthcare, is becoming increasingly dependent on technology.

I have met the rare bird who refuses to use a computer, cell phone or debit card and I am sure they have good reasons.  But for most of us who don’t want to go the route of the dinosaur, we must embrace at least some technology that can make our practices better, more profitable or more efficient.  And there are many tools and strategies available now to help you improve your chiropractic business.

That said, I will also admit that I am NOT in favor of every new gadget or idea that comes sailing over the internet or raved about by the blogosphere.  As a whole, I have found that most chiropractors are actually not on the cutting edge of technology. Fortunately, since our main tools of our trade are our two hands, we don’t have to be.  But we can pick and choose which gizmos can really help us and not just look pretty. Here’s my short list of things you need to consider:

Get Your Stimulus Money While It is Still Available:  The much-talked-about stimulus dollars actually materialized into chiropractic hands at the end of 2011. So, yes, the government did make good on at least one recent promise.  And, if I were you, I would try to catch those dollars while you can.  Not everyone is eligible.  Not everyone should try.  But if you (a) see Medicare patients more than once every blue moon, it may make sense; (b) if you are already using a certified EMR/EHR, you are more than halfway there; (c) if you are considering getting EMR/EHR, now is the time to shop as the potential for government stimulus (i.e. money back for using your EMR/EHR) may ease the burden of that purchase.  If you are in any of these three categories, you should strongly consider taking a FREE Stimulus Webinar to learn more. 30 minutes can help you earn thousands. The webinar is sponsored by ACOM — not me. But since they were the first company to get a chiropractor stimulus money, I will defer to their expertise in this matter.

Check Your Web Presence.  For those of you who actually have a website up and running, congratulations!  Now is the time to make sure it is being put to good use.  Don’t bother answering any of the spam emails that start with “I noticed that your website is not ranking well with Google…” There are many FREE tools and resources to start with.  One is Alexa which will give you your website rank and a few keywords that people are using to find your site.  For a more detailed analysis, look into Google Analytics – its FREE as well. If you notice that when you Google yourself, all kinds of sites except your own come up first, you’ve got problems and may need some advanced help.

Advanced Web Strategies.  If you are prone to write incessantly (like me), getting a blog for your chiropractic website can boost your search engine rankings as you are now viewed as producing new content as opposed to having a static, online equivalent of a business card; Chiropractic Blog Designs makes this quick, easy and painless.  If you don’t like writing (or even if you do), consider incorporating video onto your website which feeds the search engines well. Chiropractic Traffic makes an excellent and simple to use site that incorporates this strategy.  Finally, if Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc) is your thing – or if you want it to be – perhaps a course from Pat MacNamara’s  “Club 365” Chiropractic Social Media Training will bring you up to speed quickly on how to use these strategies.

Cool Tools For Your Patients:  Once patients are in the door, you can also show them that you and the 21st century have met.  Frustrated with patients who won’t even take a walk? Make it fun (or even competitive) with Fitbit, a wireless activity tracker that allows your patients to track the number of steps they walk, distance, calories burned, stairs climbed and even their sleep patterns.  Even better, they can track their progress online and even compete with friends.  For those patients who exercise on the treadmill some but need a technology boost to make it more fun, also have them look into iFitLive which turns their treadmill into a running excursion up the “crookedest” street in San Francisco or allows them to take a jog in Paris – without the plane fare!

Tech Savvy Tools for You: Let’s face it — we’ve all made some hiring mistakes.  Technology can help us bridge the gap where good judgment seems to leave us in the lurch.  One of my favorites is a basic, inexpensive background check offered by Direct Screening and probably dozens of other companies.  A stellar-looking resume fails to uncover the fact that your newly hired employee is actually an ex -convict who is going to be front and center in your office taking patient’s money, handling credit cards and depositing money into your bank.  Wouldn’t it be nice to know if she were previously found of a crime in her last job?  Similarly

21st Century Billing Strategies:  Got deadbeats?  Returned mail, no return phone call patients who have appeared to drop off the planet?  It’s amazing how you can find these folks online! For about $25, you can track these folks down and find their current whereabouts using People Finders.  Similarly, if bad checks keep coming your way, get your patient onto autodebit quickly!  Your bank account may allow you to do this or use any number of online tools such as First ACH which I have been using for years now to allow patients to make payments without the hassle of sending checks, making calls, etc.

Extra Credit for the Truly Ambitious:  Want to really impress even the most tech savvy patients in your practice?  Instead of a handout with some exercises on it, have them download your customized i-phone App!  With Bizness Apps, you don’t need any design skills, just tell them what you want and they help build the App for you and it’s amazingly cheap!  Or create an app that makes it easy for patients to schedule appointments or contact you with Chiropractic Apps !

One Last FREE Bonus:  Sometimes you just have to think outside the box (or copy someone else that is) and consider a new angle to promote your services.  Case in point: many of you have been bugging me to get on Facebook for years.  Despite all the rave, I just couldn’t think of a way to make Facebook fun AND productive, without being a time robber.  But what if I could use Facebook to REWARD my loyal readers, web visitors and random web surfers by offering something of value such as a FREE ebook or “secret” offer only available to those who can find it?  Bingo – we have a winner that sounds worth pursuing.  Can you do the same?  Put your creative brain to work, have some fun and build your chiropractic business! BTW, check out my first Facebook fun attempt, now, while it’s still there.  Go to my Facebook page and download a FREE copy of Secrets of the $1250 Per Hour Practice!  (Yes, you need a Facebook account to get it, but maybe this will start that ball rolling for you…)