Limiting Mindset #2:

“It’s Not That Bad…YET”

In our last blog piece, we covered Limiting Mindset #1 which was “Tolerations”. We all know that when it comes to their health, people sometimes tolerate as much as they can … as long as they can get by with it … until they get a wake-up call one day.

The mindset of “It’s not that bad … yet” is a very common one that people take on with their health. In the Activate DNA-Based Weight Loss world, we observe people doing the same thing with their weight.

We frequently share a particular story – and will continue to do so – because it blew us away when it happened. Interestingly, we have come to realize it is actually a very common example of the way people think – whether it is about WEIGHT LOSS or, as we are addressing here, about BUSINESS. It is a very common LIMITING MINDSET. Please allow us to share the story once again.

Not long ago, one of us had a new weight loss client share about how her bloodwork and lab numbers had all been good for years and years despite the fact that she was overweight all along (okay she was actually morbidly obese). Then, at her most previous “wellness check-up” with her medical doctor she was told that some of her numbers had gotten “out of whack”.

As is so often the case, it was her cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure which now finally required what SHE KNEW WAS COMING: prescription medications. She was also told she was now “borderline diabetic”. Boom! All at once her life was different.

But, was it really “all at once”?  This lady then made a comment that we found quite interesting. She said …

“I realized that I was no longer a healthy fat person”.

Wow! Isn’t that type of thinking some patients have just hard to grasp? As a health & wellness provider, you certainly (hopefully) realize there is NO such thing as “a healthy fat person”!

We all know that obesity IS a diagnosable condition. In the ICD-10 coding system, E66.9 means “Obesity”. That is when your patients’ Body Mass Index (BMI) is 30 or above. Even being “Overweight” with a BMI of 25.0-29.99, IS a diagnosable health condition (E66.3).

So, what’s the point?

How might this all relate to YOU … and your BUSINESS (practice)?

It’s simple. When patients clearly demonstrate visible, measurable and evident signs of poor health, they often deny they have a problem … until it’s too late. Even when they pretty much know it’s an issue and know they should make a change, they do not. As long as they can get by with it, they refuse to make that shift. And, here’s the TRUTH:

We see the SAME mindset with doctors and wellness providers in business!

• They know reimbursement is getting worse and worse and worse, but it hasn’t gotten “too bad” for them … YET.
• They know their compliance is not up to par, but it hasn’t caught up to them … YET.
• They may realize their coding is questionable (at best), but they’ve never got audited … YET.
• They know they really should implement NON-insurance based services and begin to educate patients to invest in their health from their own pocket, but they haven’t confronted that fact … YET.
• They know a whole bunch of their patients need and want and NEED a sensible, science based weight loss solution, but they haven’t added one … YET.

Patients need to know: If something shows up in the physician’s diagnosis coding system, it IS important and serious – even if it may not YET manifest in symptoms or require a medication or procedure. If a patient has NOT YET been diagnosed with any of the chronic conditions associated with or caused by being overweight or obese (such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke and even several kinds of cancer) they must be made aware:

They may very well be like a TICKING TIME BOMB.

And here is what doctors need to know: If you are sensing any obvious, visible or festering signals within your business (i.e. those bullet points above) – even if nothing has happened “YET” … your business may also be like a ticking time bomb!

We don’t want to sound TOO blunt or TOO alarming here, but whether it is a patient OR a business owner, many people need someone to tell them straight on!

You see, it’s really all the SAME! For a person to live for years and years carrying around dozens of excess pounds … OR for a practice owner to do business for years and years disregarding the principles of healthy and growing business is essentially the same. There is no such thing as a healthy fat person. And there is no such thing as a healthy stagnant and dysfunctional business. To continue to live as if that’s not the case is A VERY LIMITED AND INACCURATE WAY OF THINKING.

As a provider, you know there are numerous measures and protocols that can help patients get an idea of the TRUE severity of their current condition. Science and technology allows us to differentiate between just a “weight issue” and a real HEALTH ISSUE … hopefully BEFORE a more serious diagnosis is made. Once again, the same is true in business for practice owners and managers.

Please don’t get caught up in the LIMITED THINKING that “it’s not that bad … yet”. Take things serious NOW before something does happen. We can help. We AWLAYS take the health & wellness of your business as a serious matter. And, we know a congruent, science based clinical weight loss program is exactly what many practices need. Click or call today!