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Lisa Rohleder licensed acupuncturist (LAc), took the time out of her busy schedule to discuss social inequities and her strategy to meet the challenge of integrating holistic medicine into the Portland community. Lisa is far from intimidated by obstacles, and as a leader within the acupuncture community, she has clearly paved a path for others to follow with her book: The Remedy: Integrating Acupuncture into American Health Care. Here are a few gems detailing how she continues to make her pet-project, Working Class Acupuncture, a smashing success.

Reach out to your community. Become an integral piece of the puzzle making your practitioner-patient relationships feel more familial and genuine.

Actions speak louder than words. Connections and communication draw people to your medical practice, and of equal of importance, it is your principles and values that keep patients coming back for more treatments.

Gain the trust of your community. Possessing keen perception skills and an effective treatment plan will enable you to deliver quality care to your patients. This builds unshakable trust. Word-of-mouth is the strongest referral system and will naturally occur if you are consistently present, listening to the needs of your patients.

Tighten standards for your patients. In order to meet continual demand and increased influx of patients, create a sustainable infrastructure so that every patient has a satisfying visit. This entails consistency among practitioners and a code of ethics that everyone follows, from the initial greeting by front staff to the medical practitioners who perform the treatments.

Think long-term. Grow as a seed would, developing your practice in a sustainable manner, so that you can reliably depend upon your business despite the inevitable winds of change.