Your Step-by-Step Guide to Working with Remote Patients
Are you considering adding telemedicine (remote visits) to your business? Or perhaps you are just starting your business and plan to serve your patients remotely? Either way, this article is for you.
Many wellness professionals offer remote visits. In fact, at SHAPE ReClaimed founder, Dr. Todd Frisch’s daughter, Abbie Belliston, had a completely remote SHAPE business from 2014-2019. In this article, Abbie shares details on how she ran her business along with some helpful tips for adding telemedicine to your practice.
Step 1: Send client a welcome letter, health history form and pricing.
After connecting with a client by phone or email, I sent an email with the following attachments (you can find all of these attachments here):
- Welcome Letter
- Health History and Informed Consent forms
- Price List
Info on pricing: As a remote practitioner, I preferred charging a package price over charging per service. This way I didn’t have to discuss payments at every visit; I simply sent an invoice every 4 weeks. I started most clients with weekly appointments for the first 4 weeks. If their urinalysis results normalized by the fourth visit, we would switch to every other week for another 4 weeks. Then, we would only meet once every 4 weeks unless the client needed/wanted additional support. This kept my schedule open for accepting new clients and kept the program affordable.
I always kept an itemized price list for my own use. Occasionally I would have clients come to me who had done the program previously, so they already had a guidebook or needed a different follow-up schedule. Having this itemized list handy helped me quickly adjust the startup package price for these return clients. I charged $40 for a 30-minute appointment, but appointments rarely went longer than 15 minutes. They also had 24-hour access to me via phone and email.
You do not have to set the same prices as I did. When determining your prices, consider your skillset, services offered and your target market. SHAPE ReClaimed sets retail prices for the products, but what you charge for an appointment, urinalysis and your other services (facial diagnosis was one of mine) is adjustable. You want the program to be affordable but reflective of your value. What you offer as a wellness professional is unique, special and absolutely life-changing.
Step 2: Send invoice.
Receiving the completed health history and signed Informed Consent forms let me know the client was ready to begin the program. After evaluating their health history, I sent an invoice for their startup package which covered the first 4 weeks. I used PayPal to send my invoices, but there are more services available now like CashApp, Venmo and Square.
Step 3: Send startup package.
After receiving payment, I sent the client their startup package. A USPS Regional Rate A box works well for sending one Program Guidebook, one Phase I Cookbook, one bottle of SHAPE Drops, six urinalysis strips (baseline, four weekly follow-ups, plus an extra just in case) and step-by-step instructions on what to do next.
It is important to clearly communicate the importance of doing a baseline urinalysis BEFORE they begin the program. This is absolutely vital to rule out underlying issues, particularly diabetes, and start the client on the right foot. Also, make sure you establish a schedule for follow-up visits and urinalyses.
A note on facial diagnosis: I started doing a facial diagnosis because I wanted to learn the skill and the best way to learn was to practice on as many faces as possible. I also figured it would be a quick and simple way to get to know my clients on a deeper level, especially as a remote practitioner where I wouldn’t be able to be in the same physical space. Eventually, facial diagnosis became an absolute necessity. Through facial diagnosis, I could see underlying health issues and start my clients on the right foot, which helped them be much more successful. Also, clients love it. I highly recommend adding facial diagnosis to your services if you haven’t already. Lucky for you, there’s a book that teaches you exactly how to do it! Check it out here.
Step 4: Prepare their file.
I had a very low-tech operation, so I used actual file folders and paper to organize my clients’ information. If you prefer doing everything digitally, do that. Find a system that works for you. Here are all the elements of my client files:
- Payment information
- S.O.A.P. notes
- Urinalysis chart
- Shipping receipts
- Health History form
- Other important documents: facial diagnosis report, lab work, important email or text exchanges, etc.
Step 5: Change lives!
Step 5: Change lives!There is nothing more rewarding than watching peoples’ lives change. I saw weight loss, reduction in pain and prescription medications, fewer food intolerances, an increase in energy and clients who started to feel whole for the first time in their lives. This is what you get to see every day as a SHAPE practitioner because this program works so gosh darn well.
Click here to find out more about this outstanding program.
If you have any questions about working with SHAPE patients/clients remotely, feel free to reach out to SHAPE Central! Email customerservice@shapereclaimed.com or call 636-484-8444.
If you are not a SHAPE practitioner but want to get started with telemedicine, Ashley from Vitality Consultants, LLC can help you get started today! Email ashley@vitalityconsultantsllc.com or text/call 314-799-0216. Or feel free to jump on Ashley’s calendar for a free 15-minute consultation to learn more!
