Ep. 67: How Our Maintenance Auto-Draft Program Changed Our Clinic for the Better

This week on Million Dollar Chiro: The Podcast for Chiropractic Practice Owners, we're continuing our honest conversation about virtual assistants with a closer look at what it actually takes to train them successfully. Dr. Duncan is joined again by her lead chiropractic assistant, Makinley, who shares her firsthand experience training their virtual communications team, including the frustrations, unexpected challenges, and adjustments she and Dr. Duncan have made along the way. From training through a computer screen to overcoming technology issues and building confidence with patient communication, they're sharing what they've learned from doing it themselves. If you're thinking about bringing virtual assistants into your practice, or struggling to get the most out of the ones you've already hired, this episode is packed with practical insights. Dr. Duncan breaks down why they're moving from a three-month training process to a structured six-week schedule, the importance of individualized training and clear expectations, and why they're reconsidering the types of candidates they hire. Plus, she explains how the right virtual team can take pressure off your front desk without sacrificing patient care. Tune into Episode 74 for Part 2 of this behind-the-scenes series. Want a copy of our virtual assistant training schedule? Email her at [email protected] and she’ll be happy to share it with you for free! 👀 Follow Million Dollar Chiro on Instagram: @milliondollarchiro 👀 Follow Million Dollar Chiro on Facebook 👀 Follow Million Dollar Chiro on TikTok 💻 Connect with Dr. Duncan on LinkedIn 🥾 Explore courses + resources: milliondollarchiro.co

This week on Million Dollar Chiro: The Podcast for Chiropractic Practice Owners, Dr. Duncan is back with an honest update on her experience hiring virtual assistants. After introducing virtual assistants into her practices earlier this year, she's learned that while the right hires can make a tremendous difference for your team, building a successful virtual communications department isn't always as simple as it sounds. Joined by her lead chiropractic assistant, Makinley, Dr. Duncan shares what happened when they expanded their virtual team, the challenges they didn't anticipate, and why some hires simply weren't the right fit. If you've been considering virtual assistants for your own practice, this episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at the realities of making it work. From managing expectations and addressing reliability issues to maintaining accountability and protecting the patient experience, Dr. Duncan shares the lessons she's learned firsthand—and why she still believes virtual assistants can be an incredibly valuable addition to a chiropractic practice. Tune into this episode for Part 1 of this two-part conversation. 👀 Follow Million Dollar Chiro on Instagram: @milliondollarchiro 👀 Follow Million Dollar Chiro on Facebook 👀 Follow Million Dollar Chiro on TikTok 💻 Connect with Dr. Duncan on LinkedIn 🥾 Explore courses + resources: milliondollarchiro.co  

This week on Million Dollar Chiro: The Podcast for Chiropractic Practice Owners, Dr. Duncan is answering listener questions about preparing your practice for one of the busiest—and potentially most stressful—times of the year. From planning your holiday calendar and marketing campaigns early to staffing up, cross-training your team, budgeting for Q4 expenses, and preparing employees for difficult patient interactions, Dr. Duncan shares how she gets her own practices ready for the holiday rush before it arrives. If you’re a practice owner who tends to hit November and suddenly realize how much still needs to get done, this episode is your reminder to start now. Dr. Duncan also shares what she intentionally stops trying to fix as the year winds down, why some projects are better saved for another season, and how preparation allows her team to shift from proactive planning to simply handling whatever the holidays bring. Tune in this week and start getting ahead of your holiday season today. 👀 Follow Million Dollar Chiro on Instagram: @milliondollarchiro 👀 Follow Million Dollar Chiro on Facebook 👀 Follow Million Dollar Chiro on TikTok 💻 Connect with Dr. Duncan on LinkedIn 🥾 Explore courses + resources: milliondollarchiro.co

This week on Million Dollar Chiro: The Podcast for Chiropractic Practice Owners, we’re taking you behind the scenes with Dr. Duncan for a special bonus episode. Instead of diving into one specific business topic, Dr. Duncan answers some more personal questions about her 11 years of practice ownership, including the hardest lesson she’s learned about managing employees, what people often misunderstand about her leadership style, what motivates her at this stage of her career, and what she would tell herself if she could go back to the day she first opened her practice. If you’ve ever wanted to know more about the person behind Million Dollar Chiro and the experiences that have shaped the way Dr. Duncan approaches business, leadership, and practice ownership today, this bonus episode is for you. Stick around for a fun rapid-fire round and a special offer exclusively for listeners who make it to the end. 👀 Follow Million Dollar Chiro on Instagram: @milliondollarchiro 👀 Follow Million Dollar Chiro on Facebook 👀 Follow Million Dollar Chiro on TikTok 💻 Connect with Dr. Duncan on LinkedIn 🥾 Explore courses + resources: milliondollarchiro.co  

This week on Million Dollar Chiro: The Podcast for Chiropractic Practice Owners, Dr. Duncan continues “What Dolly Knew” with Part 2 of her tribute to Dolly Parton and a deeper look at the business lessons behind her extraordinary career. From being kind without lowering your standards to protecting the assets you’ve worked hard to build, Dr. Duncan explores what Dolly’s decisions can teach chiropractic practice owners about leadership, ownership, education, financial independence, and building a legacy that extends beyond your own success. If you’re a chiropractic practice owner learning to have harder conversations, make bigger decisions, protect what you’ve built, or think differently about what success should ultimately allow you to do, this episode is for you. Tune into Episode 71, “What Dolly Knew: Part 2,” for the conclusion of this two-part conversation and the lessons Dr. Duncan believes practice owners can carry from Dolly’s life into their own businesses. 👀 Follow Million Dollar Chiro on Instagram: @milliondollarchiro 👀 Follow Million Dollar Chiro on Facebook 👀 Follow Million Dollar Chiro on TikTok 💻 Connect with Dr. Duncan on LinkedIn 🥾 Explore courses + resources: milliondollarchiro.co

This week on Million Dollar Chiro: The Podcast for Chiropractic Practice Owners, Dr. Duncan honors the life and legacy of Dolly Parton following her passing last week by looking at what practice owners can learn from an unexpected business icon. In Part 1 of this two-part series, Dr. Duncan looks at where Dolly came from, how she turned her Appalachian roots into an unmistakable part of her brand, and the lessons practice owners can take from the confidence, resilience, and authenticity she carried throughout her career. From growing up with very little to building a life that allowed her to give back to the community she came from, Dolly never let her beginnings make her feel small—she made them a part of her story. If you’re a chiropractic practice owner trying to manage growth and build your brand without losing sight of who you are and where you came from, this episode offers perspective about how crucial authenticity is to both of those efforts. Tune into this week’s episode and then join Dr. Duncan next week for part 2 as she dives deeper into what chiropractic business owners can learn from what Dolly did once she found success. 👀 Follow Million Dollar Chiro on Instagram: @milliondollarchiro 👀 Follow Million Dollar Chiro on Facebook 👀 Follow Million Dollar Chiro on TikTok 💻 Connect with Dr. Duncan on LinkedIn 🥾 Explore courses + resources: milliondollarchiro.co

This week on Million Dollar Chiro: The Podcast for Chiropractic Practice Owners, we're bringing back one of our most popular episodes—our chiropractic business book recommendations. One of the biggest challenges chiropractors face is that we graduate with the clinical skills to care for patients, but very little education on how to build and grow a successful business. In this episode, Dr. Duncan shares the four books that have had the biggest impact on her journey as a chiropractic practice owner and explains how the lessons from each one can be applied inside your own practice. From delegation and hiring to employee retention, leadership, and creating a long-term vision, these books have helped shape the way she leads Simply Southern Chiropractic Center and continues to grow the business. The conversation covers practical strategies from Who Not How, Buy Back Your Time, Never Lose an Employee Again, and You Can't Teach Hungry, along with real-world examples of how Dr. Duncan has implemented these concepts in her own practice. You'll also hear her thoughts on the first hires every growing practice should consider, how to build a team that stays engaged, and why investing in your business education is just as important as continuing your clinical education. If you're a chiropractor looking to become a stronger leader, build a better team, reclaim your time, or simply looking for your next great business read, this episode is for you. 👀 Follow Million Dollar Chiro on Instagram: @milliondollarchiro 👀 Follow Million Dollar Chiro on Facebook 👀 Follow Million Dollar Chiro on TikTok 💻 Connect with Dr. Duncan on LinkedIn 🥾 Explore courses + resources: milliondollarchiro.co  

This week on Million Dollar Chiro: The Podcast for Chiropractic Practice Owners, Dr. Mary Frances Duncan pulls back the curtain on how virtual assistants have transformed the operational side of her practice. In this episode, she shares what prompted her team to begin hiring virtual staff, which tasks are best to delegate first, and how they've successfully integrated remote employees into their day-to-day operations without sacrificing patient experience or team culture. From insurance verification and phone support to onboarding, communication, and creating repeatable systems, she offers practical advice for practice owners looking to reduce front desk overload while building a more efficient, scalable business. If you're feeling stretched thin, struggling to hire locally, or wondering whether virtual assistants could work in your practice, then this episode is for you. Dr. Duncan shares the lessons her team has learned through trial and error, along with actionable strategies for hiring, training, and managing virtual staff in a way that supports both your patients and your in-office team. 👀 Follow Million Dollar Chiro on Instagram: @milliondollarchiro 👀 Follow Million Dollar Chiro on Facebook 👀 Follow Million Dollar Chiro on TikTok 💻 Connect with Dr. Duncan on LinkedIn 🥾 Explore courses + resources: milliondollarchiro.co

SHOWNOTES: This week on Million Dollar Chiro: The Podcast for Chiropractic Practice Owners, Dr. Duncan shares how implementing an auto draft maintenance program has transformed her practice, from improving patient retention and compliance to reducing front desk workload and creating more predictable recurring revenue. In this episode, she walks through how her team presents the program to patients, handles common objections, structures flexible payment options, and manages cancellations, vacations, and missed visits without relying on traditional cancellation policies. If you've ever wondered whether a subscription-style maintenance program could work in your clinic, this episode breaks down exactly how to implement it with confidence. If you're looking to improve patient consistency, simplify your front desk operations, and create more predictable revenue, then this episode is for you**.** Dr. Duncan shares the systems, communication strategies, and lessons she's learned from successfully implementing an auto-draft program that benefits both patients and the practice. 👀 Follow Million Dollar Chiro on Instagram: @milliondollarchiro 👀 Follow Million Dollar Chiro on Facebook 👀 Follow Million Dollar Chiro on TikTok 💻 Connect with Dr. Duncan on LinkedIn 🥾 Explore courses + resources: milliondollarchiro.co  

This week on Million Dollar Chiro: The Podcast for Chiropractic Practice Owners, Dr. Duncan tackles one of the most talked about, but often misunderstood, topics in running a successful practice: team motivation. In this episode, she breaks down what true motivation actually looks like inside a chiropractic clinic and why it’s not about hype or temporary excitement, but about consistency, accountability, and leadership. Dr. Duncan explains how motivated teams operate differently, how to recognize the difference between employees who are truly engaged versus just going through the motions, and why leading by example is one of the most powerful tools you have as a practice owner. She also dives into the common mistakes leaders make that unintentionally demotivate their staff, how to build a culture of accountability that inspires rather than intimidates, and what to do when you have team members who aren’t meeting the standard. You’ll learn practical strategies for maintaining morale, celebrating wins, creating clarity in roles, and sustaining motivation even during challenging seasons. If you’re looking to build a team that takes ownership, operates at a high level, and contributes to the growth of your practice, this episode will give you the framework to lead with purpose and create a culture where motivation becomes the standard - not the exception. 👀 Follow Million Dollar Chiro on Instagram: @milliondollarchiro 👀 Follow Million Dollar Chiro on Facebook 👀 Follow Million Dollar Chiro on TikTok 💻 Connect with Dr. Duncan on LinkedIn 🥾 Explore courses + resources: milliondollarchiro.co