A Moment of Clarity from January 20, 2026: When my high school sweetheart broke up with me, I thought the world was ending. There were tears and gnashing of teeth. 

I’m over it now, but it's what many patients imagine when they contemplate breaking up with you.

Not the theatrics. But since you seem to care about their health so much, they imagine your desperate attempts to talk them out of discontinuing care.

Awkward, to say the least.

Some patients solve this dilemma by making appointments they don’t intend to keep. Which prompts your staff to leave unreturned voice messages. Until the breakup is finally acknowledged.

Tragic, because at the very moment everyone should be in a celebratory mood, the relationship ends with deception and evasion.

Because you lack a consistent “goodbye procedure.”

Without one, you force patients to invent their own. Their clumsy attempt produces enough shame to avoid you in the grocery store and reduce reactivations.

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Bill Esteb, a passionate chiropractic advocate since 1981, brings a fresh perspective to the profession as Patient Media’s creative director and co-founder of Perfect Patients. With 13 insightful books examining the doctor-patient relationship, he inspires chiropractors worldwide as a chiropractic speaker, through his chiropractor coaching program, and consulting. Since 1999 Monday Morning Motivation has been emailed weekly to over 10,000 subscribers, sparking breakthroughs across the chiropractic community.

Email Bill