Chiropractors who are looking to expand their patient clientele should make an effort to connect with business professionals who would naturally need to refer to chiropractors. One such pipeline is personal injury attorneys. Though ideally Life University-trained chiropractors hope to establish longer-term patients focused on whole health rather than pain management or pain care, many first-time chiropractic patients come into a chiropractic office due to an injury and later continue to seek care as they experience the benefits. The Foundation for Chiropractic Progress outlines what goes into establishing an attorney alliance in their “Attorney Alliances” article.

Cultivating a portion of a chiropractic practice to assessing, diagnosing and caring for personal injuries is a low-cost way to bolster patient numbers and provide a chiropractic office with the chance to serve patients in immediate need of chiropractic care.

How to Grow Attorney Alliances

  1. Create a list of attorney contacts that handle personal injury or workers’ compensation near your office, recommended within a 15-mile radius. Take the time to do a lengthy internet search, as well as ask patients who may already have contacted a personal injury lawyer.
  2. You will need to create a basic script for yourself or a chiropractic assistant to use to schedule a meeting. It will simply introduce the person calling, explain that your office is looking for an attorney to refer no-fault and personal injury cases to, and if the attorney being contacted accepts those kinds of cases, then ask for a meeting. Ideally, you would set a 15-minute meeting that works at a convenient time, perhaps during an afternoon break between patients. Alternatively, some attorneys can be contacted without an appointment by showing up at their office unannounced. If you are told to call for an appointment, send a thank-you note to reception with some business cards. Make a point to remember the name of reception personnel.
  3. When the appointment is made, bring with you a report that outlines your goals for attorney relationships and how they can benefit their business and their clients. Mainly, remind them that in order to accept injury cases related to a wide range of musculoskeletal problems, attorneys are required to provide proof that an injury exists, meets the threshold and represents a permanent condition. Describe how your office can perform objective measurable tests to determine injury severity and, therefore, an attorney-client’s strength of an actionable case. You should have a script of sorts as well to steer your conversation, outlining how you can forge a mutually beneficial professional relationship.
  4. When a patient mentions they are looking for a personal injury attorney, refer the patient to an attorney with whom you want to have a stronger alliance. Encourage the patient to tell the attorney that you were the chiropractor who provided the referral.
  5. Invite attorneys and other professional contacts to visit your office, so they have a better understanding of how you work.
  6. Consider offering a discounted report of findings to attorneys with whom you often want to work. When you do send a report of findings to an attorney, always call to discuss the case and see if they have any questions.
  7. If weeks have passed without any new patient referrals from an attorney contact, call the attorney and ask if they have any questions for you. Be polite, direct, and persistent, but not in an overly obnoxious way.
  8. Additionally, connect with local insurance agents in your area. Offer to give them and their staff a demonstration on the potential injuries present in auto accidents and how Chiropractic can benefit their clients. There may be some potential for referrals in this avenue.
  9. Be sure to nurture your professional relationships with occasional check-ins and appreciation messages on important holidays.