It’s been long believed that the more engaged you are in something, the more likely you are to stick with it. You feel motivated, energized, and focused. You have a stake in the game – you’re committed.

The same applies to your patients. A patient who’s actively invested in their health is more likely to more fully participate in their healing.

But you already know this –

YOU know they need to be invested.

YOU know that if they knew about you, they’d want to work with you.

YOU know you could help them turn their health around.

But the truth is –

THEY carry the main responsibility for managing their health.

THEY ultimately make the decisions that most impact their health and well-being.

THEY won’t see improvements unless they’re all-in.

So, what do you do when they hold the decision-making power and you hold the solutions?

How do you build the bridge between you and the patient?

In this week’s podcast, Dr. Virginia Irby shares with us how she’s able to reach new patients and showcase her unique skill set. Dr. Irby does this by using an established, credible tool that patients already trust – blood labs.

Below are five ways that incorporating blood labs can benefit your patients and your practice.

1. Blood Labs Get Your Foot in the Door

Blood labs are a standard tool that many patients are familiar with. They believe labs are important and trust that they’re an accurate indicator of what’s going on in their bodies. This makes lab work an effective tool to use in your initial consultation.

By referring to blood labs during your initial consults, you’re letting patients know in a very short time that you are familiar with lab testing and know what you’re talking about. You are not only educating them, but letting them know how you read their labs differently than what they’ve experienced before.

But as a chiropractor, naturopath, nutritionist, or another form of health practitioner that practices holistic and alternative medicine, you are able to show them how the tools in your toolbelt are different. When you do this, you’re not just giving your patients value – you’re giving them hope. You show them what’s possible.

And this conversation begins by referring to and discussing blood labs during your initial consultation.

2. Using Blood Labs Increases Your Credibility

We all know the internet is filled with misinformation. Sources like WebMD and Dr. Google are filled with frightening misdiagnoses and incorrect recommendations that can lead your patient down risky treatment paths.

Education is crucial when it comes to explaining lab work – not just for the patient, but for you as their practitioner. You have the unique opportunity to provide solid, research-backed explanations that are specific and apply directly to your patient. You can start to shape and change the trajectory of your patient’s health simply by helping them understand what their blood labs are really saying.

As you do this, their trust in you grows. They’ll start seeing you as a credible authority who can actually help them.

3. Blood Labs Are Helpful Guideposts

Once the patient decides to see you for ongoing treatment and care, you can now begin getting to the root cause of what’s going on with their health.

As you do that, regular re-checks of their blood labs can be helpful. While you shouldn’t lean on them exclusively, these labs can give you insight into what’s working and what’s not. They can help direct your protocol and guide conversations and recommendations for further treatment.

It’s essential that they see they’re making progress. And blood labs can be a great way to solidify the important work you are doing with them. Seeing improvement can give them added motivation to continue following your treatment plan.

4. Blood Labs Help Keep Patients Accountable

While working with your patient on their thyroid condition, tracking cholesterol levels could be an important indicator of progress. Watching their cholesterol levels decrease reassures the patient that what they’re doing is actually working.

Whether your making dietary change, modifying their supplements, or making lifestyle changes – each of these changes can potentially observed on their follow-up lab tests..

Because of this type of comparison, blood labs help your patients stay on target. There are far too many temptations and old habits that can throw off their progress. Patients need us to help keep an eye on the important things, maintaining the priority of treatment, so they don’t end up completely off course and back at square one.

Accountability is key to long-lasting change, and when it comes to their health, you want your patients set up for long-term success. As Dr. Irby said, “It’s so much less expensive for your patients to stay healthy than it is to get healthy.”

5. Blood Labs Are a Tool to Manage Follow-Up Appointments

Because routine blood labs need to be repeated, they come with a built-in reason to regularly check-in with your patients.

This can be as simple as training your staff to call your patients two to three weeks before their new labs are due. This can also function as a reminder to schedule their next appointment with you.

During these regular check-ins, you can build off the follow-up blood tests to create or tweak your direction, guidance, or recommendations.

In between those appointments, you can also reach out and check in with your patients. This is an additional way to help them feel cared for and stay on track in between their appointments.

Start Using Blood Labs in Your Practice

Patients place a high value on blood labs and which is not likely to change. This makes them a powerful tool to use in your practice – not just for your existing patients but for gaining new ones.

Consider incorporating blood labs as a way to build and strengthen your practice. Not only is it an effective way to differentiate how you can help, but it also encourages your patients to stay engaged and motivated.

For more tips and insights on how you can better serve your patients through blood labs, check out this week’s podcast!