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02/19/2010

Leading the Country in ChiroVoice Sign-Ups

With the activity around national health care reform heating up in Washington, D.C., the American Chiropractic Association's race to amass a database of 1 million chiropractic patients has stepped up. ACA delegates and state association representatives are working hard to motivate doctors of chiropractic nationwide to sign up patients who will strengthen the profession's voice in the halls of Congress. This database can help the profession greatly now and in the future, but we really need the strength of numbers right now during this period of health care reform.

Alabama has ranked No. 1 in ChiroVoice enrollments for several weeks. Ohio ranks No. 2! This may come as a surprise to some since Alabama is a smaller state, but those involved in the ChiroVoice campaign there say success comes down to commitment, not population. "I think that we simply made it a major priority statewide and had a singular message," says Brad Russell, DC, ACA's Alabama delegate. "I think one of the most effective things we have done has been to encourage our doctors to first sign up themselves, their families and staff to ChiroVoice, and then to sign up their patients by having a staff member at the front desk fill out the ChiroVoice application form for them and enter it in the computer. All patients have to do is sign the form," he explains.

Keeping It Simple Is Key
Making the sign-up process as simple as possible, and then being consistent and professional in interactions with patients is crucial to increasing the number of patients involved in the ChiroVoice campaign, according to Rick McMichael, DC, of Canton, Ohio, a member of ACA's Executive Committee and an OSCA past president. He should know; the district where Dr. McMichael practices has signed up as many patients as the remainder of the state put together. Dr. McMichael credits colleagues Jeffrey Fedorko, DC, and Ronald Vargo, DC, for being a big part of Ohio's success. "We are blessed with a district association that takes the initiative to lead with critical efforts like ChiroVoice", he said.

The first step is developing a simple message articulating the importance of the ChiroVoice campaign. In the context of national healthcare reform, DCs are reminded that the chiropractic profession is competing against groups with much deeper pockets that are spending millions on lobbying and media campaigns. As such, the message is simply put: "We're leveling the playing field," says Dr. McMichael. "We're gathering and activating our patients and other supporters in the ChiroVoice database to make up for the monetary resources that the chiropractic profession does not have." 

In addition to helping patients fill out the ChiroVoice sign-up forms, Dr. McMichael says that it's important to emphasize that their privacy will be protected. The personal information they share will not be used for any other purpose than to communicate to them about ChiroVoice and healthcare reform through occasional legislative alerts and a monthly newsletter that also offers health information and tips.

Dr. McMichael recommends putting the ChiroVoice sign-up sheets on a clipboard and placing one in each treatment room. He notes that his sons, Doctors Ryan and Aaron, have really gotten behind the project in their office. "The doctor should take just a moment with each patient to ask them to complete the form and sign it, explaining briefly that we need their help in sending messages to Congress to ensure patients' freedom to choose their own doctors and to choose chiropractic care."|

Better yet, place a laptop computer someplace visible where patients can sign up for the database directly at www.ChiroVoice.org.

Some doctors have already signed up 200, 300, or more....and continue to sign people every day.  If just 50% of the profession would get involved in this effort and sign up 100 family members, friends and patients, we could quickly surpass the goal of 1,000,000 chiropractic supporters on the ChiroVoice database...ultimately, 3 to 4 million voters supporting the freedom to choose chiropractic. ChiroVoice is currently generating thousands of chiropractic messages to members of Congress.  Imagine what we could accomplish with a million or more messages being sent to the Hill with each Action Alert.