AcupunctureHealthScreening Ebook

ACUPUNC TURE
HE ALTH SC RE ENINGS
By Jeffrey Grossman, BA, L.Ac.
Acupuncture Health Screenings eBook
By Jeffrey Grossman, BA, L.Ac.
1870 NE 169th St.
Shoreline, WA 98155
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Copyright © 2011 Jeffrey Grossman, L.Ac. and Acupuncture Media Works
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(866)696-7577
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Practice How-to eBooks: Acupuncture Health Screenings for Practice Success
Welcome to Acupuncture Health Screenings

for Practice Success.
My name is Jeffrey Grossman, and I have been in private practice for over
fourteen years. I have come to learn that in order to be a successful practitioner
in Acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine, one of the things we really
need to have, which we are not taught in school, are strategies to have a
constant, steady flow of new patients. If I could give you a faucet that you
could turn on, and patients would just flow right out of it, I would do it. However,
nothing like that exists.
What I’ve come to learn over the years is that Acupuncture Health Screenings
provide a flow of new patients every time you do one. I do two to four
screenings per month, and I get three to fifteen new patients each time. Let’s
say I average eight patients every time I do a screening. Four screenings per
month will bring in 32 new patients. Not bad from screenings alone.
I can not stress to you enough how important I believe health screenings are.
They are one of the pivotal ways to develop a successful and prosperous
practice in Acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine. If you have
questions that are not answered or suggestions, feel free to email me.
Go through this eBook at your own pace. Hopefully, you will be able to take
some of the ideas here, apply them to your own practice, and be successful in
bringing this wonderful medicine to people who need it and will benefit from it in
various and possibly profound ways.
Thank you! I wish you health, joy, peace and prosperity.
Jeffrey Grossman, BA, L.Ac.

Acupuncturist
President of Acupuncture Media Works, LLC
jeffrey@acupuncturemediaworks.com
www.acupuncturemediaworks.com
1 Copyright © 2011 Acupuncture Media Works. All rights reserved

Table of Contents
What is an Acupuncture Health Screening (AHS)? 3
Why do and AHS? 4
How to prep for your AHS 8
How to set up and effective AHS 10
Tips for a more successful AHS 13
The Survey: An important tool for your AHS 14
Getting the WOW factor 18
Getting patients into your clinic 20
How a health pass can help 22
A few pointers for creating your Health Pass 24
Increase your success 24
Click on the chapters above to jump to the page you want.

What is an Acupuncture Health Screening?

First, let’s talk about what an Acupuncture Health Screening is
Aside from being a great way to generate new patients, an Acupuncture Health
Screening (AHS) is a way to reach out to the community and bring attention to
your practice. Everyone that I meet at an AHS is pretty excited to see me. They
either have a friend or partner who has tried acupuncture, or they’ve recently
heard something in the news about it. Maybe they’ve even tried acupuncture in
the past.
Everyone has a genuine curiosity about what acupuncture is and what it can
do. In today’s day and age, we have the opportunity to educate and inform
potential patients about the benefits of acupuncture beyond the scope of pain
management. An AHS can help you facilitate this education.
Acupuncture Health Screenings allow people to:

• Meet you in person
• Learn what you do
• Learn why you do what you do
• Learn what you may be able to do for them as an acupuncturist
Almost every person I meet at an AHS has some sort of question:

• Are you a pain specialist?
• Do you deal with depression?
• Do you help with infertility?
• Do you work with families and children? How about pets?
• Do you treat people with autoimmune diseases?
• Do the needles hurt?
This gives you an opportunity for face-to-face meetings with prospective
patients. I guarantee that they will have questions for you. And if you don’t
seize this opportunity to educate them, they may never get their questions
answered. They may even get the wrong answers if they ask other people and
practitioners who don’t know a thing about what we do.
An AHS gives you a powerful way to educate your
community about the far-reaching benefits that
acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
have to offer. While you’re doing this, there’s a good
chance you’ll grow your practice as well.

Why do an Acupuncture Health Screening?

The reason is simple—You need to grow your practice
Hopefully you didn’t spend four years in school only to
open your office, hang your shingle and pray that people
come running through your door. You need to actively get
out and grow your practice.
I know that’s easier said than done. As acupuncturists,
we consider ourselves healers, not marketers. Many
of us shy away from the very idea of marketing and
selling ourselves. But we have to cultivate that side of us
in order to be a successful practitioner -- even if our goal
isn’t to make a ton of money, but to help heal the world
one person (and one or two needles) at a time.
I’ve tried many different ways to market my practice and found that health
screenings are one of the greatest ways to get people from the outside world
into my clinic. The more screenings you do, the more people you meet and the
more your patient volume—and your practice—grows.
A big benefit of health screenings is that they allow you to meet a large
volume of people at once. I’ve been to events where there were lines of 15
to 20 people waiting to get a screening from each practitioner present. While
not every event draws as big of a crowd, during the last twelve years I’ve
discovered that screenings are one of the best and quickest ways to grow your
practice.
Here’s what an average month looks like for me

Each month, I attend an average of three health screenings and through them:
• I meet and greet about 80 prospective new patients.
• Through those meetings I wind up with about 30 patients scheduled for
a first-time introductory visits.
• Out of those, more than 75% of them become new patients.
That’s roughly 22 to 24 new patients per month, just from three AHS events.
Not bad. Combine that with other community outreach events and you should
have no problem keeping busy.
You can teach people about acupuncture and wellness

As I mentioned earlier, health screenings also allow you to teach people about
acupuncture and wellness. Most people know that acupuncture can help
with pain, stiffness and other common physical problems. Not many of them
know that acupuncture can be good for depression, anxiety, stress, menstrual
irregularities, migraines and digestive problems. We understand these things
because we studied them in school and we treat those conditions every day,
but the general public doesn’t have the same understanding. An AHS gives you
the opportunity to bridge this gap and bring greater awareness about the many
benefits of acupuncture to the public.
You may be nervous about this...so was I

Truthfully, when I started doing health screenings, I hated them. I felt desperate
and needy, and I hated having to “sell” myself and my practice. That energy
probably transferred from me to the public. Not many people stopped by or
gave me the time of day.
Then one day I decided to shift my mindset from “selling” myself and my
practice, to educating the public about the depth and breadth of this wonderful
medicine. This is when something incredible happened. I began to view health
screenings as a way to bring an awareness of acupuncture to the community.
Suddenly I was able to share the benefits and examples of clinical success to
the public in ways that got me, and the people I met, excited about acupuncture
and TCM. Not only did I feel more confident, I began to look forward to these
events.
When you show people that you can treat more than just pain or headaches,
you get the message out that acupuncture can help them regain their health in
many ways. You become an ambassador for acupuncture – and for good
health. When people find out that acupuncture can help them in ways they did
not realize, they get very excited.
Dispel myths and fears

Another reason I do health screenings is that they help to dispel the myths and
preconceived fears that people have about acupuncture.
Every time I am at a screening, at least one person comes up to me and says,
“I hate needles! You will never get me on the table.” At least once a month,
somebody who’s told me that ends up becoming a patient. Screenings give me
a chance to let them know that because I have a fear of needles myself (yes,
really), I am extremely cognizant of how I needle and will be very gentle with
them. I will also show them the needles. I’ll explain that they are very small
and that they bend and twist, and I’ll even take the needles out and bend and
twist them. I also like to make a distinction between Western needles and
acupuncture needles. I show the person how I can put five or ten acupuncture
needles inside a syringe. Then the light bulb goes off. They realize that
Western needles are much larger and are designed to remove fluids from or
administer fluids into our bodies. They see that acupuncture

needles are much smaller than they probably imagined and
have a completely different function. Finally, I explain that
acupuncture needles are about the size of a cat’s whisker,
which dispels one of the greatest fears that people have
about our profession.
Also, there are different myths about acupuncture:

• What it can or can not do?
• Where does it come from?
• Does it work?
Meeting people face to face at health screenings also gives you the chance
to dispel any other myths and allay any other fears they may have about
acupuncture.
Increase your visibility

Obviously, doing an AHS increases your visibility in your immediate community.
When you venture out to your neighborhood health food store, supermarket
or gym for a health screening, you get a chance to meet neighbors who may
not have known that you were right down the street from them or a mere mile
away. The convenience factor alone may be what convinces some potential
patients to schedule a first appointment with you.
Doing a health screening also shows your commitment to your community. I let
people know that I give health screenings as a free outreach service to my
local community. I also let them know that if they have any questions or health
concerns, I’m there to help. I of course let them know that I am located down
the block or in the building.
Give them something that makes them come back!

A number of people I meet at these screenings come to my clinic by way of
a free or discounted service. When I am finished screening a patient at an
event, I’ll give them a special discount coupon.
A Very Special Gift of Health For You...

To:
This special gift entitles you to:

From:
Date:

The coupon entitles them to receive the following services for only $57:
• A comprehensive acupuncture evaluation
• A treatment
• A follow-up report of findings
Normally this visit would cost them $167. When I present prospective patients
with this coupon at a screening event, I list all the diagnostic procedures the
discounted visit includes:
• Checking their tongue and pulse
• Doing some muscle strength testing
• Doing a computerized electromagnetic energy
evaluation using Miridia Technologies AcuGraph,
and so on
I require patients interested in scheduling this discounted appointment to do
so on the spot. I set aside a few blocks of time in my clinic for new patients I
meet at my health screenings, and space for these discounted appointments
is limited. This is the best way to ensure the people you meet and screen will
actually come in for an appointment. While some practitioners offer “freebies”
to get people to come in, I prefer to have some compensation for my time
because the appointment lasts about an hour.
Future patients can evaluate you

Finally, screenings give people a chance to evaluate you. If they don’t already
have a rapport with you, not every new patient will come into your office and
tell you the details of their personal life: what stresses them out, what their
stool looks like, how they’re sleeping or the quality of their sex life and libido.
Doing a screening gives you and your prospective patients a chance to build
a rapport and forge a relationship. They probably will make some judgments
about you, and you’ll probably form an opinion about them as well. You may
even start to do a little diagnosing, realizing that this one might have spleen
deficiency or that one might have a kidney deficiency. But most importantly,
health screenings allow prospective patients to evaluate you and see whether
they feel comfortable enough to seek your care.

How to prepare for your AHS

One of the first things you need to do is develop a portfolio
Approaching businesses or larger corporations with a professional portfolio will
get you in the door more easily and give you a greater measure of success.
A portfolio should include:
• Pictures of you and your clinic
• Your bio (including your education information and a list of your
accomplishments as a practitioner)
• A copy of your screening flyer advertisement (come up with a flyer that
represents the screening, what you will do, the dates and times, names
and logos of any participating providers, etc.)
• Letters of recommendation
• If you’ve never done a health screening before, include some patient
testimonials about how you have helped them throughout the years.
• You can also include some statistics, research or articles on how
beneficial acupuncture can be. The idea is to show evidence of your
stellar reputation—and that of acupuncture itself.
• If you accept insurance in your practice, find out what health benefits of
the company you are soliciting offers to their employees. If you accept
their insurance carrier, be sure to say so in your portfolio.
After that, you need to develop a location list

Once you have the portfolio nailed down, you need to develop a location list. To
me, any place is fair game.
• Schools
• Nursing facilities
• Police and fire departments
• Trade shows like the Home Show or the Boat show
(these are great because not too many health care
practitioners will be there and you will stand out in a
good way)
• Corporate events (like company picnics)
• Gyms or malls
• Grocery and health food stores

• Banks
• Real estate agencies
• Special neighborhood events like swap meets, ski fairs, block parties,
farmers markets and craft fairs
It shouldn’t be too hard to come up with a list of targets in your community.
Develop a vendor list

When I conduct health screenings, I’m not the only provider setting up a table
and connecting with the public. The health fairs I put on feature other types of
practitioners too, including:
• Chiropractors
• Massage therapists
• Eye doctors and dentists
• Representatives of Costco, a local gym and an organic food delivery
service come to my events.
By networking with other practitioners and bringing an entire team of healthcare
providers to an event, you offer much more value to the companies you contact
about hosting a health fair.
When I started doing health screenings, it was just me, my acupuncture
meridian guide, my business cards and a really colorful tablecloth. Not only
did I initially have a hard time selling my practice, I hated doing these health
screenings on my own. But once I began to bring other vendors along,
everything changed. Offering organizations and businesses a health fair
featuring half a dozen practitioners and vendors gave them something more
solid and tangible to offer their employees and customers. It also gave me
some people to collaborate with, which besides boosting my confidence, gave
me some company on the day of the event.
Schedule a date
Once you come up with your vendor list and get the hosting organization to
buy in, you need to set a date for your event. Schedule it
about three weeks to one month in advance so you have
enough time to market it.
You have to market your event.
• Send an email announcement to the HR department of
the company where the event will be held so they can
forward it to all of their employees. My clinic does an

email blast to our patients telling them that they can bring friends and
family to meet me and get a free health screening at any public event
I do. We also put posters up in the clinic’s reception area, treatment
areas and the restrooms. Patients love to see you out in public, and
especially enjoy introducing you to their family and friends.
Offer FREE services

Another excellent thing my collaborating providers and I do at
health screening events, is provide free services. A massage
therapist who works in my clinic will often attend, and she
offers a free 10 or 15-minute massage. She offers her services
in one of two ways depending on the venue. She provides a free
10 or 15 minute massage or she will have people pay $1 per minute
of massage. As you can imagine, people are very interested in getting a
massage, especially a spontaneous one that’s free or only costs ten dollars.
We also offer a free glucose, blood-pressure and bone-density checks. For
a glucose check, you might have to go online and purchase several diabetic
self-check kits. When we use these kits, we don’t puncture the patient. We
have a little tool that lets them puncture themselves and put a little of their
blood on the test strip. Then they wait a few minutes for the results. As for the
blood-pressure and bone-density checks, usually the gyms that attend the
health screenings bring the equipment they need to offer these free services.
The beauty of working with other providers is that in four hours’ time,
employees can get:
• AHS
• Check their blood pressure
• Check their bone density
• Get some free food
• Learn about local providers like dentists or eye doctors, both
of whom do contract with us at our events
It’s a win-win for both the providers and the employees.
How to set up an effective AHS

Finding the right venue is another important aspect
As mentioned in the previous section, finding the right venue for your AHS is
important. Some of my most successful screenings are at businesses with
more than thirty employees or at large corporations. For one thing, more

employees mean more event attendees, and because people will often take
any excuse they can to escape their desks for a few minutes, we usually get a
good turnout at these events. For another, many corporations and businesses
offer health insurance benefits to their employees. And event attendees with
insurance benefits that cover acupuncture are more likely to become patients
(provided that you accept insurance). Of course, businesses like health
screenings as much as we providers do. After all, it gives them a free event to
offer their employees.
If you live in a smaller town and don’t have access to larger businesses, I
recommend trying the local health food stores, gyms, malls and anywhere else
that has a lot of people moving through each day.
Find the best contact person

Once you’ve chosen a venue to target, you need to contact the right person.
Don’t pitch your event to the receptionist or front-desk person because they will
probably tell you that they are not interested.
Instead, find out who is in charge of the HR department (at smaller companies,
this may be the business owner or principal). If you are contacting
a business, let them know that you have something to offer to
their staff. If you are contacting a shopping mall, let them know
that you want to hold a health fair that will benefit the shoppers
that pass through their establishment. The lure of free health
screenings may even entice more customers to come to the
mall that day. Let them know that you are a professional and that you
will only bring professionals from the community to interact with their
patrons.
Develop a script
Before you make the call, have an idea of what you want to discuss so that
you are not wasting their time or yours. The following are some scripts that
have been helpful to me in gaining access into great venues. When calling an
employer, ask to speak with someone in HR Employee Benefits. When you
reach somebody in that department, you can say something like this:
“Hello, my name is _____________________________ and I am
conducting a 60-second survey about your employee benefits. I only
have four questions. Can you help me?
• Do you provide employee benefits?
• Who is your insurance or HMO provider?
• Does the employee health plan include acupuncture benefits?

• Have you ever done or do you intend to do an employee health fair?

At this point, they may ask you what an employee health fair is. You can tell
them that an employee health fair is an event where four to eight healthcare
providers offer free health screenings, such as blood pressure, blood glucose,
acupuncture, massage and chiropractic.
If this is your first contact with the HR person and they seem interested in
having an employee health fair, the next step is to set up an appointment with
them. This allows you to build a better rapport with your contact and to scope
out where the event will be held. Be sure to bring your portfolio to the meeting.
I usually conduct health fairs in large meeting rooms and company lobbies.
I’ve put together some fairs that were held outside in the late spring and early
summer. As you can imagine, these were a lot of fun!
Getting people to your event

Following is a script for contacting potential vendors to attend your health
fair. Use the Yellow Pages or internet to gather leads for other healthcare
professionals: chiropractors, dentists, massage therapists, eye doctors or
anyone else that you feel comfortable inviting to attend a health fair. Call them
and say:
“Hello, my name is __________________ and I’m with (company/
clinic name). I was wondering if I could speak with your marketing
director or the person in charge of practice development.
We are doing a health fair at a local company and we are looking for
somebody in your field to participate. Have you done health fairs before?
We are looking for 4 to 8 health practitioners who want to develop their
practices will be there, offering free or low-cost health services to the
company’s employees.
Is this something that would interest you or someone in your clinic?
The event will be on (date of event) at (time of event), held at (location of
your event). We have sent out invitation to (number of people coming to
the event).
For participants, we are asking for small fee of $150 to cover administrative
costs.”
Many practitioners have not done a health fair before. But when they hear that
you already have a location and date set, as well as the number of attendees
(potential clients) expected and the type of insurance that the hosting business
offers its employees, they recognize this as the win-win situation.

Market your event

The next step in an effective health fair is to market yourself and the event.
• Make sure that you send promotional information to the HR department
of the company hosting the health fair.
• Market the event at your own practice with your current patients – they
may have friends or family that work for the company hosting the
health fair.
• Try to get as many people as possible promoting the health fair.
Generate some energy and excitement about the event in your clinic.
• Try to get as many people as possible promoting the health fair on
your behalf, including the other participating health practitioners and
vendors.
Let your current patients and clients know that you are available to do a health
fair at their office as well. Perhaps they have the name of the HR person you
should contact to discuss putting on a health fair. If you are working with a
client whose insurance is paying for their treatment, you’re already a step
ahead of the game.
Gather your event materials

The last thing to do before a health screening, is gather your materials.
• Bring signs, brochures and flyers to make your table look appealing.
• Make sure that you bring a survey, as that is one of the best ways to
collect information from potential clients (more on surveys shortly).
• Remember to bring your meridian model so you can better explain the
work you do to the attendees.
• Also bring a tablecloth, not only for you, but for the other
vendors. If you are organizing this health fair, you need to
help them look good too. Plastic reusable tablecloths are
fine; plus, they’re easy to clean.
In the next section, I’ll give you some more ideas for props you
can bring to help attract attendees to your table.
Tips for a more successful AHS

Get them to your table
You need to be proactive if you want to attract people to your table at an
Acupuncture Health Screening. People usually won’t walk up to your table, they

have to have a reason to interact with you. It’s your job to get out from behind
your table and make conversation with the attendees.
Have something that can get them involved
Ask if they’ve ever had their Qi checked or if they’ve ever had an acupuncture
health checkup.
• You can even ask if they have any health concerns they would love to
get rid of.
• You can also hold a drawing for a free acupuncture checkup, massage,
herb sample or gift certificate to a local restaurant.
Bring a colorful sign that will attract people to your booth

When you ask people if they’ve ever had an acupuncture evaluation, many will
not even know what that is. Explain to them what the screening involves. To
help, I usually have a large meridian man model, a colorful table-top sign that
says “Free Acupuncture Health Screening”, various symptom-specific patient
education cards and brochures, and my computer with my AcuGraph electro-
meridian imaging software on it.
Create the WOW Factor

When you do a screening, you want to give attendees what I call the “WOW”
factor. In other words, you want to give them something – for example, a
tongue review or an AcuGraph scan -- that makes them say “WOW” and gets
them interested in learning more. In the past, I’ve given people the “WOW”
factor by doing muscle testing of their Ashi points. All I needed was an Ashi
location chart and my meridian man model.
I find muscle testing and electro-meridian imaging the most effective ways to
give health screening attendees the “WOW” factor. Often they say something
like, “WOW! Why did my muscle go weak?” or, “WOW! What does that mean
when my energy levels are like that?” The point is, you need to get them
involved. Asking if they’ve ever had an acupuncture evaluation is a great first
step, but it’s not enough. Find a way to get attendees to interact with you
and get them curious about how acupuncture could benefit them. Offer them
something that gets them excited about coming to your office and letting you
help them.
The survey: An important tool for your AHS

Earlier, I suggested bringing copies of a survey for potential patients to fill
out at your AHS. This will help you gather valuable information in order to
follow up with potential patients in the future and give you talking points for a
conversation with them about their health and how you may be able to help
them.
In the survey, ask for:

• Gather contact information (name, address, telephone number)
• Ask if they have had an acupuncture evaluation.
• Ask their occupation. This will let you know if they may be prone to
physical trauma from lifting or moving heavy and large objects, or
develop problems from sitting too long. All of these things are talking
points for you to point out how trauma can affect the flow of Qi in the
body.
• Include a check-off box where they can indicate if they want to know
how to improve their health. If they mark “yes” you can send them
future information about how they can improve their health. The more
information you send to somebody, over time, the greater the likelihood
that they will become a client, even if they do not sign up to meet with
you right then and there.
• A health commitment scale (see next section)
• Include a check box on the survey for them to indicate whether or not
they want to know how to improve their health. If they mark “yes,” you
can send them future information about how acupuncture can help
them. The more information you send to somebody over time, the
greater the likelihood that they will become a client, even if they don’t
make an appointment with you right then and there.
One of the most important goals of a health survey is to find out what is
bothering the potential patient. So be sure you include ample space for them
to describe any health problems, pain, digestive issues, allergies, problems
sleeping or other physical problems they may be experiencing.
Below is a sample script I use when I talk with potential patients and give them
my survey to fill out:
“Hello, have you ever had an Acupuncture Health Screening?”
“No.”
“I am here to help educate the public on the far-reaching benefits
of acupuncture, and today I am offering a free screening. Would you be
interested?”
“Sure!”
“Great, fill out this simple survey and then we’ll get right to it.”
As you notice what symptoms they list, ask them:

“If there was a way you could leave all your physical problems
behind, would you want to?”
Most people will say, “Yes!”
If, however, they say they are not interested in fixing their health problems,
you know they are not very engaged in their health at this particular moment.
Explain that you are at the health fair as an ambassador of acupuncture and
that you’re letting people know how acupuncture can help them get well and
stay healthy. Hand them a business card and let them know that if in the future
they’re under the weather, in pain or in some sort of accident, they should feel
free to contact you.
If they are interested in learning more about acupuncture, here’s what
I say:
“I’ve worked with many people who have similar problems and I’ve
been able to help them. I might be able to get you back on the road to
feeling healthy and well again too. How about I screen you now and let you
know what I find?”
Health Commitment Scale

Another important thing I include on my health survey is a health commitment
scale.
• 0 means “Not Committed at All”
• 10 means “Totally Committed to My Health.”
I’m looking for people who give themselves a 5 or higher. If they mark
anywhere from 5 to 10, they take their health seriously. Anyone who rates
themselves in the 0 to 4 range is not that interested in their health right now.
They might look you up at some point in the future when they are really out
of balance and not feeling well, but right now they aren’t committed to feeling
better.
When I’m at a busy health fair, I don’t spend much time talking with those
people. I have other people to take care of and don’t have time for the people
who just want to debate acupuncture with me. I give them my business card
and some information and invite them to contact me if they have questions.
Start the screening

Let’s assume you are dealing with a person who’s just filled out your survey
and is committed to their health. Now it’s time to do the actual screening. As
I mentioned earlier, the more you show the attendees the tangible benefits of

acupuncture – and the more you deliver the “WOW” factor -- the more likely
they’ll be to schedule an appointment with you at your practice.
As acupuncturists, we know that the TCM concepts of Qi and the meridians
are somewhat “out there” for the general public. We’ve devoted four years
of education to the practice, but the average person usually does not
understand the work we do. In your screenings, you need some way to validate
acupuncture for people, some way to boost the credibility of the screening—
something that makes them say “WOW!”
Regardless of whether you are doing muscle testing, using the electro-meridian
image scanner or doing a tongue or pulse reading, remember that the goal is
to get the person involved and convince them to make an appointment for an
office visit. You do that by helping them understand how the screening findings
relate to a potential physical imbalance. In other words, when applicable, you
describe how the imbalance you’ve found in their meridians or their active
alarm points relates to the symptoms that they’ve complained of on their health
survey.
Different types of screenings

There are a few ways I’ve chosen to screen people that seem to be the most
effective.
1. Checking the Twelve Ashi points on the body
2. Electro meridian scanner, also called an Acugraph
3. Tongue and/or pulse reading
I usually use the AcuGraph—a computer application that reads the
electromagnetic energy flowing off the body’s meridians—at my screenings.
You simply place probes on the person’s skin, and the probes pick up
electromagnetic energy and translate it into a visual graph you can give to the
person. People like this for several reasons. Offering a visual representation
of Qi flow in the body gets people excited and involved. Plus, the AcuGraph
makes sounds and displays colors that attract people who would otherwise just
walk by. And because the AcuGraph is pretty accurate in depicting where an
imbalance may exist in the body, people get insight into what may be wrong
with them and which meridians need to be treated.
All of the computerized bells and whistles add up to a lot of “WOW” factor for
screening attendees. Yes, purchasing an AcuGraph was an investment, but
it’s been well worth it. If you are still a student, I recommend buying one now;
I think you can find one for about $600 or $700 dollars. For practitioners, it’s
about $2,100.

Getting the WOW factor

Ashi point testing and the O-ring test
I used to use Ashi point testing at my health screenings because it was quick,
easy, effective and free. It also created a very large “WOW” factor. Often
prospective patients will say, “WOW! What did you do to me?”
When I do the O-ring test, I have the person put their thumb and pinky together.
Then I check the Ashi points: Lung 1, CV 12, Liver 13 and so on. Then I check
the strength of the O-ring. If you want to learn more about this technique, read
Donna Eden’s book, Energy Medicine. The book also includes great tips and
self-care techniques to give your patients to help them get well and remain
healthier.
When tested in the clear—meaning no Ashi point was rubbed—and then
tested after the point is rubbed, the O-ring may or may not go weak. If it goes
weak, there may be an imbalance in that meridian system. If the test shows a
weakness, I’ll retest again, using both the tonification point of that meridian and
the Ashi point: Rubbing the Ashi point and tonification point at the same time,
I’ll retest the strength of the O-ring to see if there is any change. Usually, the
second test is stronger. This indicates that acupuncture may be helpful for the
person.
At this point, the prospective patient will be very curious and want to know what
happened. They’ll usually say, “WOW, what did you do to me?” Or, “Why did I
get so weak?”
Below is a simple script I use to explain how I conduct this AHS test:
“If it’s alright with you, I would like to press specific acupuncture
points that relate to various meridian pathways and organ systems
on the front of your body. OK?
These points relate to each of the acupuncture pathways in the body. If
there is an imbalance in any of these pathways, the strength of your pinky
and thumb will change. That imbalance might be causing some of the
symptoms or issues you told me about.”
During the test, as I rub the Ashi points, I let them know which meridian and
organ system each point relates to and some of the symptoms or issues that
could occur if there is an imbalance. I press each point in consecutive order
and note which ones are “active” (they are pretty painful when pressed).
As much as I enjoy muscle testing and as effective as it is, I moved away from
using this technique at public health screenings because some of these points
could be uncomfortable for a person who’s had some physical trauma (or
even emotional trauma linked to touching specific areas of the body). I still use
muscle testing in my clinic. But I don’t do it in a public setting anymore because
I don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable or self-conscious about having
these points touched.
That said, the great thing about using Ashi point testing at health screenings is
that it definitely cranks up the “WOW” factor and there is no cost involved. For
new practitioners who can’t yet afford a pricey piece of computer software, this
is a great alternative.
Electro-meridian imaging
But let’s say that for the sake of argument you’d like to go for the ultimate
“WOW” factor by using AcuGraph testing at your health screenings, like I do.
Here is what I tell people about the AcuGraph screening:
“This is an electro-meridian imaging device. It’s a scan that lets me
see where there may be a blockage of the body’s vital energies that
could be causing some of your issues and symptoms.
This probe is placed on specific acupuncture points on your body and picks
up the electromagnetic resonance coming off these points. If there is too
much or too little energy coming off a particular point, that could indicate
a potential disharmony and blockage of energy in the body. When there is
a blockage of energy in the body, this can lead to different symptoms and
issues.
This scanner tests twenty-four points on the body. At the screening today,
I will only check twelve of them. If you like, we can talk about bringing you
into the office for a more comprehensive exam. For now, let’s just check
the first twelve points.”
I have nothing negative to say about using electro-meridian imaging or
AcuGraph software. As I mentioned earlier, the program costs somewhere
between $1000 and $2100, but it is a worthwhile investment. Some
practitioners use it solely for diagnosis and treatment; I use it mostly for my
health screenings and as an adjunct diagnostic tool. I don’t use it to make a
specific diagnosis; instead, I use it to add credibility to my overall diagnostic
procedures and to give patients a visual representation of the Qi and energy
patterns in their body.
Tongue and pulse scans

The final way that I’ve screened people in the past is by doing tongue and
pulse scans. This is another low-cost screening method. Your only purchase
is a hand-held mirror that the potential patient can use to look at his or her

tongue. After they fill out the health survey form, talk with them a little bit. As
they are looking at their tongue in the mirror, point out what you see. I like to tell
potential clients:
“The tongue is a barometer of your overall health. When there is an
imbalance in the body, it will often show up on your tongue.”
Let’s say you see tooth marks at the edge of their tongue. So you ask them
if they are having digestion problems. If they have liver-Qi stagnation of the
tongue, you can ask if they are having problems with anger, irritability or
menstrual irregularities. Be sure that you ask appropriate questions; you don’t
want to get too personal in a public setting. The idea behind the tongue scan is
to get potential patients involved and to come up with a quick overall diagnosis.
I’ve personally stopped using the tongue scan at health screenings because I
found it to be off the mark in my assessment of a person’s physical issues. That
said, I know some practitioners who are very successful with doing this quick
check at public health screenings. My advice is to find what works for you and
what you are comfortable doing.
Some practitioners do a pulse diagnosis by checking the person’s pulse and
talking about any imbalances they find.
Another thing you can do at health screenings is give the person some Shiatsu
at their pressure points. As you press the points, you can educate them about
each point and what they do. This often helps pique their curiosity about
acupuncture.
I know of some practitioners who have needled acupuncture points on people
in health screenings. I don’t do this for two reasons: One, I don’t have a full
health history of the person, and two, I don’t have a relationship built with
them yet. If they have a bad response to the needling (for example, if they
get a hematoma, they get too spacey or we activate the energy in a way we
didn’t want to), the person has no relationship with me and won’t call me for
suggestions or help. Because this could create a negative association with the
entire concept of acupuncture, I stay away from doing actual needling at health
screenings.
Getting patients into your clinic

So you’ve given the person a health screening and explained how you practice
acupuncture by showing them the meridian pathways on your plastic meridian
model, and you’ve explained the theories of your testing method, be it muscle
testing, tongue or pulse reading, or EMI scan. Now what?

Here’s what to say next. I call this the million-dollar close:

“So, Mary, from the look of your screening, there may be some
serious imbalances going on in your body. If it were me, I’d want
to get more information about what’s going on, and I’d want to be
examined more thoroughly. Wouldn’t you?
I think it would be a good idea to have you come into the clinic so that we
can conduct a more thorough exam for you. I have what I call a Health
Pass for you. It’s good for a [free/low cost/$ ____ value] examination so
you can see if acupuncture may be able to help you. I only have a few
with me today, so if I give this to you, I have to make sure you will use it.
Otherwise, someone else may be able to benefit from it.
This exam is designed to tell me a couple of things: the TCM diagnosis
of what is really causing your problems, and whether acupuncture can
help you. Normally, I charge $167 for this type of visit. What we are doing
today is offering it for $57 through the health fair. I’ve set aside six of these
passes today. Do you think this is something that would interest you?”
If Mary says yes, I immediately open my schedule book and schedule her
appointment. When doing this, remember to write down the patient’s name
and telephone number. Validate the Health Pass for her by writing down the
appointment date and time on it. As you hand her the pass, tell her that the
pass is now validated and that your front-desk person will be calling her a day
or two before her appointment to remind her. (I’ll give more details on how to
create a Health Pass in the next section.)
If none of the dates or times that you suggest for an appointment work or she
says that she is not interested in coming in, say:
“Okay. If you are ever in need of acupuncture in the future, give me a
call. I can’t offer you one of these health fair passes because they are
only good today and I only have a few available. But feel free to take
one of my business cards. I offer free 15-minute consultations to anyone
who wants to meet face to face. You can come to the clinic and see where
I practice. You’re more than welcome to give me a call any time.”
Let’s take a closer look at some of the things I said

It’s important to go over the findings of the person’s health screen and relate
them to the symptoms and issues that they listed on their health survey.
Whenever possible, you want to relate any imbalances showing up on the Ashi
test, EMI graph or tongue scan with the health complaints they’ve indicated on
the survey. Then you offer them a Health Pass.

I make the Health Pass valuable by not giving it to everyone. Some people
have a hard time understanding why I assign value to my Health Passes. If I’m
just giving them away like candy, people won’t take them seriously. But if I offer
a limited number of passes and set aside specific appointment times for new
patients who sign up through health fairs, it creates more urgency and value.
I’ve just created an added incentive for the person I’ve screened to become an
actual patient.
I’ve done Acupuncture Health Screenings in many ways over the last twelve
years, and this is what I’ve found to be the best method of getting people to
my clinic. When I invest my time in a health fair, I’m there to get new patients.
Sure, I want to increase awareness about acupuncture, but first and foremost,
I’m there to build my practice. If I weren’t signing up any new patients at these
health fairs, I’d have stopped doing them long ago.
One thing that seems to help activate people—move them from the health fair
and into the clinic—is creating value and excitement around the Health Passes.
The fact that the passes are not free and that people have to sign up for an
appointment right then and there, creates value.
You’d be surprised how many people will do this.
Remember to bring your schedule with you to
screenings. With any luck, you will need it! Also
remember to block the names of any other
patients in your schedule book so that you
remain compliant with HIPAA.
How a Health Pass can help

A Health Pass is a great tool for getting prospective patients through your door.
It’s a card that features special rates, freebies, discounts or consultations—
whatever new-patient incentives your heart desires. Each time you hand out a
Health Pass, you take a stand for our profession, spreading the idea that health
can be achieved naturally through acupuncture care. This alone should be
enough to make you want to hand a Health Pass to everyone you meet.
You can use the Health Pass concept in a variety of ways. Your existing
patients are your best source
Friends & Family Health Pass
of referrals, and they will likely This pass entitles the holder to a FREE health evaluation compliments of:
welcome the opportunity to give You will have an opportunity to speak with our acupuncturist about your health concerns and receive a brief
consultation to see if acupuncture may be right for you. This visit is primarily informational and you are
their friends and family members under no obligation to receive any care. Our desire is that you learn all
you need to optimize your health and vitality.
Find out if acupuncture can help you!
a Health Pass containing a Call today to reserve your free, no obligation appointment.
special offer from you. You can

also hand out Health Passes at © 2008 All rights reserved. Acupuncture Media Works. www.acupuncturemediaworks.com • 866-696-7577. Offer expires:_________________

screenings and any talks you give, or give them to your networking partners
to distribute to their own patients, clients and customers—the possibilities are
endless.
One of the best times to ask a patient for referrals is when he or she is feeling
an improvement from their initial complaint. They’re already praising you and
your care and their energy is high, so you may as well tap into it! Here’s a
sample script you can use with your existing patients when handing them a
Health Pass:
“Wow, Mr. Jones, I am so glad to hear you are recovering so well and so
quickly. It’s nice to see how effective acupuncture care has been for you. I
really enjoy working with you. You know, since you have been getting such
great results, I was wondering if you would like to help me out?
I bet you could name a dozen people who also may be able to benefit from
care at this clinic. I have these three Health Passes that I would like to give
to you. Would you be willing to hand them out to your friends and family
members?
Because I enjoy working with you so much, I would love to help your
friends and family too. And since you’ve gotten such great results, why not
share a good thing with those you love?”
Then write your patient’s name on three Health Pass cards (so you know
where the referral came from) and give them the cards.
During a screening at a health fair, if a prospective patient doesn’t sign up
for an appointment right away, it is extremely important to give them a Health
Pass. Don’t just hand it to them -- create urgency and value. The Health Pass
is how you close the deal after you’ve talked with them and given them a
screening. It’s how you get them through your clinic door and onto your table.
Remember, before you hand potential patients a Hand Pass, it’s

important to:
Become acquainted with their health complaints and show them your concern.
“So, Mary, you’re losing four days a month to migraines? That must be
terrible.” Or, “Wow, Bobby, so you’re saying that you can’t get out of bed
like you used to? How does that affect your life and make you feel?”
Introduce them to acupuncture.
“You know, Mary, over the years I have treated several people with a
similar complaint rather successfully. You don’t have to suffer like that.
I may be able to help if you come in for an appointment.”

Or:
“Bobby, if I told you that you wouldn’t have to struggle to get out of bed in
the morning anymore and that you’d regain some of the energy you’ve lost,
what would you say?”
A few pointers for creating your Health Pass

• Offer either a free 15-minute consultation or a free (or reduced-rate)
initial examination, whichever you feel more comfortable with.
• Make your offer very clear and state it in as few words as possible.
• Include the normal cost of the incentive item so your prospective
patients will see the exact value you are offering them.
• Include the words “no obligation to make an additional appointment”
or “no obligation to purchase additional services or products” or
something similar. This allays those skeptics who might think your offer
is too good to be true or that there’s some hidden cost or catch.
• Include a clear call to action. My Health Pass says “Call today to set
up an appointment to begin on your road toward health.” The idea is
to encourage prospective patients to take the desired action—in this
case, calling you to schedule an appointment.
• Have an expiration date. Limiting your offer to a specific time period
generates a sense of urgency to call and make the appointment before
the time runs out. Don’t make the expiration date too far into the future
because you want to generate momentum early. The longer your offer
remains valid, the easier it is to forget.
• If you’re printing up a bunch of Health Passes at one time, include the
words “Offer expires on” and leave a blank area where you can fill in
the expiration date by hand.
• Try printing your Health Pass cards on heavy card stock and placing
them inside a red lucky money envelope. This makes for a nice
presentation and is also good Feng Shui.
Increase your success

Here are a few tips to help increase your success at an Acupuncture Health
Screening:
• Take pictures. Every time you do a health fair, have someone take
photos of you doing screenings. Also take pictures of your display and
table. You can add these to the portfolio that you use to solicit new
venues.
• Write thank-you notes. Be sure to send thank-you notes to the HR
department or the people who hosted you. It’s good to give back and
let people know that you appreciated the opportunity to be there. Ask
for corporate thank-you letters or testimonials to add to your portfolio
too.
• Follow up. It’s very important to call the patients who schedule an
appointment with you and follow up with them. It may be three or
four weeks from the date of the health fair until their first appointment
with you rolls around. You need to remind them that they have a visit
scheduled with you.
• Plan the next event. If this event wasn’t as productive as you
would have liked, don’t get discouraged. Initially, health screenings
might seem very difficult. But if you stick with, you’ll find they can be
extremely rewarding. After you have done a few events, they’ll become
second nature and you’ll begin to appreciate them. I look forward to my
health screenings now. I try to do one screening a week. My practice is
full because of this flow of new patients.
• Dress for success. Most people consider acupuncturists beacons
of health. It’s good to dress and play the part. First impressions are
important, and creating a professional and healthy image is important
for your practice growth.

Congratulations!
You now have all the tools you need to plan and hold a successful Acupuncture
Health Screening. Add this to your arsenal of community outreach efforts, and
you should see an increase in new patients in no time.
Feel free to call me at 866-696-7577
or
email me at jeffrey@acupuncturemediaworks.com.
If you have questions, concerns or insight – anything that can help you achieve
success, please contact me. Good luck. May you find prosperity and happiness
through these health screenings. May the new influx of new patients flood
your office in a prosperous and beautiful way. Again, call me if you have any
questions. Peace. And remember to smile!
There are people out there who are certainly hurting. If we do not get this
message out there through screenings, they won’t be able to meet us. They
may end up taking serious drugs and/or undergoing potentially dangerous
surgery. As an acupuncturist and an ambassador to get the information out
about the effects of acupuncture, I encourage you to really embrace this idea
of health screenings. Educate the public. Do it for your practice, but do it for the
medicine itself. The more people know about acupuncture and different ways
of getting healthy and staying well, the greater chance we have of transforming
this world one person at a time.
Be happy, be well, and keep stirring up that good Chi!
Photo credits: [iStockphoto]/Thinkstock. [Thinkstock]/

[Comstock]/Thinkstock. [Stockbyte]/Thinkstock. [Hemera]/
Thinkstock. [Jupiterimages]/[Goodshoot]/Thinkstock.
[Dynamic Graphics]/[liquidlibrary]/Thinkstock. [Medioimages/
photodisc]/[Valueline]/Thinkstock. [Bananastock]/Thinkstock.

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Copyright © 2011 Jeffrey Grossman, L.Ac. and Acupuncture Media Works

All rights reserved. Manufactured in the United States of America. No part of

Welcome to Acupuncture Health Screenings

Jeffrey Grossman, BA, L.Ac.

1 Copyright © 2011 Acupuncture Media Works. All rights reserved

2 Copyright © 2011 Acupuncture Media Works. All rights reserved

What is an Acupuncture Health Screening?

Acupuncture Health Screenings allow people to:

Almost every person I meet at an AHS has some sort of question:

3 Copyright © 2011 Acupuncture Media Works. All rights reserved

Why do an Acupuncture Health Screening?

Here’s what an average month looks like for me

You can teach people about acupuncture and wellness

You may be nervous about this...so was I

Dispel myths and fears

administer fluids into our bodies. They see that acupuncture

Also, there are different myths about acupuncture:

Increase your visibility

Give them something that makes them come back!

A Very Special Gift of Health For You...

6 Copyright © 2011 Acupuncture Media Works. All rights reserved

Future patients can evaluate you

7 Copyright © 2011 Acupuncture Media Works. All rights reserved

How to prepare for your AHS

After that, you need to develop a location list

8 Copyright © 2011 Acupuncture Media Works. All rights reserved

Develop a vendor list

9 Copyright © 2011 Acupuncture Media Works. All rights reserved

Offer FREE services

How to set up an effective AHS

10 Copyright © 2011 Acupuncture Media Works. All rights reserved

Find the best contact person

11 Copyright © 2011 Acupuncture Media Works. All rights reserved

• Have you ever done or do you intend to do an employee health fair?

Getting people to your event

12 Copyright © 2011 Acupuncture Media Works. All rights reserved

Market your event

Gather your event materials

Tips for a more successful AHS

13 Copyright © 2011 Acupuncture Media Works. All rights reserved

Bring a colorful sign that will attract people to your booth

Create the WOW Factor

The survey: An important tool for your AHS

In the survey, ask for:

As you notice what symptoms they list, ask them:

Health Commitment Scale

Start the screening

16 Copyright © 2011 Acupuncture Media Works. All rights reserved

Different types of screenings

17 Copyright © 2011 Acupuncture Media Works. All rights reserved

Getting the WOW factor

Tongue and pulse scans

19 Copyright © 2011 Acupuncture Media Works. All rights reserved

Getting patients into your clinic

20 Copyright © 2011 Acupuncture Media Works. All rights reserved

Here’s what to say next. I call this the million-dollar close:

Let’s take a closer look at some of the things I said

21 Copyright © 2011 Acupuncture Media Works. All rights reserved

How a Health Pass can help

special offer from you. You can

22 Copyright © 2011 Acupuncture Media Works. All rights reserved

Remember, before you hand potential patients a Hand Pass, it’s