What Is a Report of Findings? Definition for Chiro and PT Clinics
A report of findings is the conversation, right after the exam or on the second visit, where the clinician explains what they found, what it means, and the recommended plan of care and cost.
A report of findings is the part of the first or second visit where you explain what you found and recommend a plan. In a chiropractic office it is often a separate sit-down on day two: here is what the exam and imaging showed, here is why your back keeps flaring, here is the 12-week plan, and here is what it costs. In a cash PT clinic it usually happens at the end of the evaluation. Either way, it is the moment the patient decides whether they are buying a plan of care or just a visit.
What happens in a report of findings?
A report of findings walks the patient through three things in order: what is wrong, what fixing it takes, and what it costs. Good ones connect the findings to something the patient cares about, such as getting back to running or picking up a grandkid, not just a diagnosis. Then the clinician recommends one plan, not a menu of five options. The price comes in plainly, usually as a package, with the payment choice made before the patient leaves. Whatever you recommend should be written down as the plan of care, so the patient and the front desk see the same thing.
Should the report of findings be on the same day as the exam?
It depends on your model and your patients. A separate visit gives the clinician time to review findings and makes the recommendation feel considered, which many chiropractic offices prefer. Same-day works better for many cash PT clinics, because the patient is already there, already in pain and ready to decide, and a second trip is one more chance to drop off. Our view: if your arrival rate on day two is weak, move the report to day one and test it for a month, the same way you would test a change in a training block.
How do you know your report of findings works?
You know it works when your case acceptance rate is high and patients finish the plan they agreed to. Track acceptance by provider. If one clinician closes 80% and another 50% with similar patients, the gap is in how the report is delivered, and the stronger one should teach the other. A report that wins acceptance but leads to drop-offs by visit four oversold the plan. For how recommendations turn into ongoing care, see chiropractic membership plans and patient visit average benchmarks.
Questions owners ask
How long should a report of findings take?
Long enough for the patient to understand the problem, the plan and the price, and short enough that it does not turn into a lecture. Time yours and compare it against your case acceptance rate.
Should the front desk present the price instead of the doctor?
Some clinics have the doctor recommend the plan and a team member go through payment options. That works if the handoff is smooth and the price is not a surprise when the patient reaches the desk.
Do physical therapists use a report of findings?
The term comes from chiropractic, but cash PT clinics do the same thing at the end of the evaluation: explain findings, recommend a plan and present the package.