Another year down and what a year it was.  Every year I like to sit down and write and reflect on the previous 12 months in the offices.

Knock on wood, we did not have to close down this year due to COVID.  We have tried to do just about everything possible to keep Marty, Carol and myself safe during the year.  Sure we had random allergies and colds but as far as we know COVID never crept into the office on a personal level.

Laser therapy and most recently decompression tables were added to the offices this past year. We feel that this will add a dimension to the office, patients that are looking at potential surgery for back and neck pain along with chronic pain patients that have tried just about everything.  We have gotten to a point where both offices have the exact same equipment that I like and prefer in order to achieve the results I would like to see coming out of the offices.

DOT physicals, we do plenty and don’t really want to do them all day but always room for more growth.  We are changing the payment structure of these, as we have been getting eaten alive with credit card fees. Cash, check & fleet accounts won’t be affected but people paying with credit cards for this service will see a slight increase in price.

We changed our hours in the spring and have no intention of changing them back at this time. I initially called the change the “summer of sanity” and it really did turn into that.  I truly enjoy having my Friday afternoons off, most of the time I’m able to catch up with paperwork or just enjoy some down time.  But the greatest thing about it is the fact that we are able to get out of town a couple hours earlier if need be to get back to see family when necessary.

The past couple of years have been kind of interesting in regards to growth, sure we have been growing and seeing more patients in 2021 than we did in 2020 & 2019 this has been while shaping the business how I would like to see in the future while continuing to practice like I have been.  When you purchase a practice, I’m a firm believer that you need to know what you are buying in the first place and don’t change everything on the first day.

The most frustrating aspect of the office is probably dealing with the ever changing aspects that insurance brings to the office. We are in-network with just about every insurance company that is offered in the state of Nebraska.  The marketplace this year is coming out with a couple of new products, as far as I know we are in-network with all of them.  The first couple of months of every year is trying to figure out what each insurance company wants and we spend a lot of time in January through March figuring this out, it’s not new but frustrating.

In summary, the year ended up being a pretty good year with no major hiccups or complaints. As we trek through the years, we are constantly evolving our “why.” This is a little bit of a thoughtful process as I’ve become big into, I know what I do and I know how I do it but figuring out why I show up to work every day is a constant ebb and flow.

I know that I am a chiropractor and I know that I like to help people rid themselves of pain but as the years go my “why” is turning into: providing patients an alternative to the traditional healthcare system by enhancing options that keep people comfortable and moving throughout the stages of the individual life.  It can be all encompassing but I feel that being thought provoking can be a wonderful process for most businesses.

We look forward to seeing everyone in the new year and can’t wait for what lies ahead both personally and professionally.