"Hey, is this [First]? — This is Dr. Lazar from Lazar Spinal Care in Ann Arbor. I'm just following up personally on what you've shared with our office about [chief complaint] — wanted to see what's going on for you. Did I catch you at an okay time, or is there a better time to talk for a few minutes?"

"Hey, is this [First]? — This is Dr. Lazar from Lazar Spinal Care in Ann Arbor. I'm following up personally on your inquiry — wanted to see what's going on for you. Did I catch you at an okay time?"

"Hey, is this [First]? — It's Dr. Lazar. I was going back through some records and I noticed it's been a while since you've been in. I just wanted to check in personally and see how you've been holding up since we last worked together. Got a minute, or is there a better time for you?"

"Hey, is this [First]? — It's Dr. Lazar. I was reviewing our records and noticed things kind of trailed off with us a while back. I wanted to follow up personally — not to sell you on anything, just to see what happened, and where you're at now. Got a few minutes?"

"Hey, is this [First]? — It's Dr. Lazar. I was going through our records — looks like we got pretty far with you a while back. We did the consult, the exam, even sat down and walked you through what we found — but you ended up not moving forward. I wanted to follow up personally just to understand what happened. Got a few minutes?"

"Hey, is this [First]? — It's Dr. Lazar. Looks like we did your consult and exam a while back, but we never got the chance to actually sit down and walk you through what we found. I wanted to follow up personally — I think you'd want to know what your exam actually showed. Got a few minutes?"

"Hey, is this [First]? — It's Dr. Lazar. Looks like we started the process with you a while back — we did the consult, but you didn't end up coming back to finish the evaluation. I wanted to follow up personally to see what happened. Got a minute?"

"Hey, is this [First]? — It's Dr. Lazar. Looks like you were on my calendar a while back for a consult and we missed each other. No worries — life happens. I wanted to follow up personally just to see what's going on for you and whether you still want to come in. Got a minute?"

"Hey, is this [First]? — It's Dr. Lazar. I remember you came to one of our workshops a while back. I wanted to follow up personally — I noticed you never came in for a consult after, and I figured I'd just check in to see what's going on for you. Got a few minutes?"

"Hey, is this [First]? — It's Dr. Lazar. I noticed you signed up for one of our workshops a while back but didn't end up making it. I just wanted to follow up personally to see what's going on for you, and whether you'd want to come in some other way. Got a minute?"

"Appreciate it. Before I assume anything about your situation — would it be okay if I asked you a few questions about what's going on, just so I can understand whether what we do here is even the right fit for you?"

"Totally fair. When would actually work better — later today, or tomorrow? If you've got your calendar, I'll pull mine up so neither of us has to chase the other."

If chief complaint known: "So our notes show you've been dealing with [chief complaint]. Walk me through what's actually going on for you — what made you reach out?"

If no prior info: "Walk me through what's actually going on — what was happening that made you decide to reach out?"

• "How long has this been going on?"
• "Was there a specific event, or did it just creep in?"
• "Getting better, worse, or about the same lately?"
• "When you say [their word], what does that actually feel like for you?"

"Got it. And how would you describe — like, if you had to put it in your own words — what the actual problem is for you right now?"

• "What's the part that bothers you the most?"
• "When it's at its worst, what does that look like?"
• "1–10 average day? Bad day?"

"Yeah — and when you say you don't feel right, what specifically is showing up? Physical, cognitive, emotional — or some combination?"

"What have you already tried to deal with this?"

• "How did that go?"
• "What happened that made you feel like it wasn't the answer?"
• "How long did you stick with it?"

"What do you think is actually going to be the thing that fixes this for you?"

"How is this affecting the rest of your life — outside of just the symptoms themselves?"

• "What does this stop you from doing that you used to do?"
• "How's it affecting your sleep? Your mood? How you show up at home?"
• "What does your spouse / family say about it?"
• "What happens at work because of this?"
• "If you imagine a year from now and nothing's changed — what does that look like?"

"What's the biggest reason you want this to get better?"

"When it comes to a decision about your healthcare — is it just you, or is there a spouse or family member who'd be part of that decision with you?"

"If we did decide we could help you — when would you actually want to start? This month, next month, or further out?"

"The people we work with usually fall into one of two camps — either they're at the point where they're ready to invest in actually solving this, or they're earlier in the process and just trying to understand their options. Where would you say you are right now?"

"So just so I've got this straight — you've been dealing with [chief complaint] for [duration], you've tried [things tried], and the biggest reason you want this to get better is [anchor reason]. Did I get that right?"

"Based on what you've told me — I think it makes sense for us to bring you in for a Discovery Visit. That's where we sit down, I actually look at what's going on, and we figure out together whether what we do here is even the right fit for your situation. It's not a commitment to treatment — it's a commitment to getting clarity on whether we can help. Does that sound like something you'd want to do?"

"Good. Let's get you on the calendar. Do mornings or afternoons work better for you this week?"

• "When you say [their words] — what do you mean by that exactly?"
• "How do you mean?"
• "Why do you say that?"
• "What specifically is going through your mind right now?"
• "Where did that thought come from?"
• "Can you tell me more about that?"

"That makes complete sense — and honestly, based on what you've shared so far, I'm not even sure what we do would be any different for you either. Can I ask — when you tried that, what specifically happened that made you feel like it wasn't working?"

"That's a fair question — and I want to be upfront with you, I don't even know yet if what we do is going to make sense for your situation. Before we get there — what made you feel like cost was going to be the deciding factor for you?"

"That makes complete sense — and honestly, I'd want you to think about it too. I'm not even sure yet that we're the right fit for you. Can I ask — when you say you want to think about it, what specifically is going through your mind right now?"

"Totally fair — and to be honest, I'm not sure this is even the right time for you anyway. The people we work with are usually at a point where they're really ready to find an answer. Where are you with that?"

"I can do that — and I want to be upfront with you, I'm not even sure yet that what we do applies to your situation. What I'd rather do is understand a bit more about what's going on with you first, so that if I do share more, it actually means something. Would that be okay?"

"Honestly? I'm not sure yet either. I don't know enough about your full situation to tell you that — and I wouldn't tell you that until I did. Can I ask — what specifically makes you feel that way?"

"Not a problem — what specifically are you hoping to see from it? Just so I send you the right thing.

[listen] … Got it. Before I put that together — it'd help me to understand a little more about your situation, so the info I send actually fits what you're dealing with. Mind if I ask a couple of questions?"

"I appreciate you being upfront with me. Tell me — if money weren't the issue, is this something you'd want to do?
[yes] … Why do you feel it would help you though?
[their answer] … So I can appreciate money might be tight. How do you think you could resolve that so you could actually [their anchor reason]?"