Become a Clinic Master with Dr Rob Scranton DC – Chiro Hustle Podcast 310

I graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1999. During my schooling, I’d made my way to various offices around the country to observe how an office was run and how to offer my future patients the best care. It became clear to me that I needed to open my office as a cash practice. I heard a lot of stories about the headaches with insurance. I talked with staff that was overwhelmed by the paperwork and doctors who had lost their focus and passion because of PPOs and HMOs dictating patient care. They all said that if they could start again they’d go the cash route. So I took their message and the experience to heart.

In early 2000 I opened my doors, a fledgling chiropractor with a vision and an antique credit card terminal. I didn't know what I know now but I quickly learned. I didn’t change my vision I changed how I said what I said. I soon learned that it wasn’t an obstacle and found myself very busy and at times with a waiting list.

If you offer quality care it won’t matter to most whether you are a PPO or an HMO it will only matter that you are a D.C. and an excellent one at that. I’ll admit that I made mistakes but I learned from them. I was a PPO with a certain insurance company for a little while but as the headaches mounted and my staff started to complain we got out quickly. I’ve done family plans and care plans and discounts and like my mistakes, I learned what really works and what doesn’t.

One of my greatest joys was helping students from Palmer. I opened my office to any students who wanted to observe how an office was run. Talking with them and helping them cast a vision for their future office was a passion. It helped me down my path and I wanted to give back. In 2011 I was asked to speak at our state chiropractic association’s annual convention. The topic, how to run a Cash Practice? I had an overwhelming response. The dream of being free from insurance co-pays and deductibles resonated with so many doctors. By cutting down on insurance we cut down on paperwork and the amount of time spent filling out forms and reports. It restores to us the joy and passion for treating the chiropractic patient instead of bowing to the insurance company’s rules. After speaking at the convention I had my first official client and in 90 days they were insurance free. More soon followed with the same positive results.I love it. My passion is helping you find freedom from the insurance companies. Giving you freedom to spend that extra time with your family or on your favorite hobby.

In 2012 I had a chance to cash out of that first practice for a tidy sum. I had purpose-built my practice to be sellable. That is a bizarre thought to most of my chiropractic colleagues. We typically only open a practice with the idea of selling it when we are ready to retire. Unfortunately, if you don’t build it with the intention to sell it, you will never sell it. Statistics bear this out. Over 90% of chiropractic offices will never be sold except for offloading the equipment for pennies on the dollar. My family bought an RV and we traveled literally all across the USA for 2 months and went to Australia for 5 weeks. This was the great pause. Mini-retirements that I need to keep life from speeding by to quickly and my kids growing up too fast.

I continued coaching other doctors how to have the success in practice that I had and about the financial strategies that had allowed me to retire for the first time now at 43.
During this two-year sabbatical, we decided we wanted a little more adventure in our life and we moved to Utah to enjoy the outdoors, the five national parks, and the skiing. While there I had several epiphanies about how I could practice to fit both my income and lifestyle needs even better. (It ain’t bragging if ya dun it ) So I decided to put all these ideas to the test and I’ve got the screenshots from our practice software to show anyone who wants to see. We did $55,000 all cash in collections in our first 5 weeks we were open. We opened that brand new clinic in April 2014 and by close of business that year we had done over $500,000 and hit 1 Million a year after the second year. We did all this while cutting back our hours and seeing fewer people and charging significantly more for our services. This is in an all cash practice of course.

I found that this created a lot of interest from other DC’s as to what exactly we were doing to make that happen.

Over the next two years in 2014-2015, I was speaking at Continuing Education events all over the country on the science of Chiropractic Philosophy in Nashville, Houston, Spokane, Seattle, Kentucky. In 2016 I was asked by a chiropractic consulting company to put together four 2 day marketing mastermind events throughout the year and I had the fun of presenting those in Dallas, Minneapolis, Denver, and Atlanta. Some of their members gave feedback that this was the single best boot camp and material that they had ever sat through at one of their events. I am married to a wonderful woman (who gets more beautiful every day) and we have 3 fantastic boys. We love to travel and typically take 6-8 weeks of vacation a year to enjoy our passions.

I am the President of the Fibromyalgia Centers of America, a national group of doctors who are trained to treat patients suffering from Fibromyalgia. I love to play volleyball, tennis, and golf. Before graduating from Palmer in 1998 I traveled on a clinic abroad mission trip to India as a student doctor and in 2008 I returned with Palmer as an adjunct professor back to India on another Chiropractic mission trip. An incredible experience.

We are involved in our church and have taken several missions trips. I have adjusted orphans in China and Mongolia, and hospital workers in Russia. If you ever want to see the power of an adjustment, void of insurance and stereotypes, you have to travel abroad and serve. Life-changing and empowering. Before Chiropractic college I attended the University of Illinois and became a Financial Analyst before a shoulder injury turned me toward chiropractic.