Moment of truth 5 of 13: from free to fee.

Most practices offer a consultation at no charge. If the patient is a chiropractic case and they wish to proceed, there's a transition from a free service to a paid service.

Manage this poorly and you invite misunderstanding or worse, lost revenue and chronic one-star reviews.

Explaining the cost of your care recommendations after your report is a different matter. Here, the goal is to avoid surprises and obtain the patient's consent.

"The next thing up is a physical, orthopedic, chiropractic, neurological and radiographic examination designed to uncover the underlying cause of your current situation. Many tell us it's the most complete workup that they've ever had. The cost for that is $XXX.

"Then, if we proceed with your first adjustment, there is an additional charge of $XX for a total for today's visit of $YYY. Shall we get started?"

Bill Esteb has been a chiropractic patient and advocate since 1981. He is the creative director of Patient Media and the co-founder of Perfect Patients. He’s been a regular speaker at chiropractic gatherings since 1985. His 12 books explore the doctor/patient relationship from a patient's point of view. His chiropractic blog, in-office consultations, patient focus groups and consulting calls have helped hundreds of chiropractors around the world. Since 1999 Monday Morning Motivation has been emailed to over 10,000 subscribers each week.