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Tough practice management times
are convincing more and more
practitioners in the healthcare pro-
fessions to seek the advice of prac-
tice management consultants. Some of the
most talked about and controversial
services are offered by Sterling Manage-
ment Systems, Stellar Management, Hol-
lander Consultants, Irons, Marcus & Valko
(IMV), Transformation Technologies, and
MSIA (pronounced Messiah), among
others. They recruit clients from the ranks
of dentists, chiropractors, veterinarians,
pod{atrists, opthalrnologists, and general
businessmen by word of mouth, aggres-
sive direct mail campaigns, and inexpen-
sive "introductor2,' seminars."
Although these firms are privately
owned, most are licensees of an entity
known as WISE. Transformation Techno-
logies is an offshoot of Werner Erhard's
EST cult, which gained notoriety in the
seventies for its personality encounters.
MSIA, according to press accounts, is oper-
ated by the Mystic Traveler Consciousness
group, a little-known metaph~ical entity.
These consultants are not cheap. Before
you're through, you might easily spend
$5,000 to $50,000. The bottom line, how-
ever, can be impressive and definitely
worth the investment, according to several
successful podiatrists. Others, however,
have found that some of these consultants
have engaged in pressure tactics, even
classic blackmail, to sell more of their high-
priced services. Moreover, signing up for
a seminar is not infrequently the first step
toward religious recruitment.
WISE is an acronym for World Institute
of ScientoloD.' Enterprises, an integral part
of the Church of Scientology, according to
what purports to be a Scientology com-
mand chart obtained by Podiatry Today.
Scientologists believe, in part, that
Earthlings are actually outcasts from the
planet Helatrobus, and that fetal experi-
gnces govern later life. Leaders and mem-
bers of the organization have been
convicted of burglarizing the IRS, the CIA,
and the FBI, defrauding the government,
and conspiracy. The group maintains an
extraordinary litigation record, suing the

likes of Reader's Digest, a Florida
newspaper, and a number other publish-
ing entities that have written about their
organization.
It is understood by many in the media
that writing about Scientolog3..' is virtually
a guaranteed lawsuit. In 1987, a BBC
viewer magazine declared: "In the United
States... only a handful of the bravest and
richest newspapers or TV networks dare
mention Scientolog3.', fearing the inevitable
legal hassle."
In 1986, Forbes reported the complaint
of a Han. ard psychologist who testified
against the Church and says he was
harassed for ten years thereafter. Intense
media intimidation by Scientologists is
based on L. Ron Hubbard's alleged suc-
cinct advice about the media: 'Always
attack. Find or manufacture enough threat
against them to cause them to sue for
peace. Originate a black PR campaign to
destroy the person's repute and discredit
them... Be very alert to sue for slander at
the slighest chance so as to discourage the
public presses from mentioning Sciento-
1ogy. The purpose of the suit is to harass
and discourage rather than to win."
That was for the media. Their precept
toward Church. enemies in general:
"[They] may be tricked, sued, or lied to, or
destroyed ."

~t's important to remember that
church affiliation or identification for
a business does not mean that the
company is not legitimate and
cannot s~qd on its own independent feet.
For example, the Moorties of the Unifica-
tion Church own a successful fishing
industry, Newslink (the largest American
independent news production finn), and
Tbe Washington Times, which regularly
breaks some of the most important stories
of the day. The Church of Christ the Sci-
entist, whose members refuse most medi-
cal treatment and blood transfusions.
publishes the prestigious Christian
Science Monitor.
Of course you don't have to be Roman
Catholic to enjoy church-owned Christian
Bros. wine. Nor did you need to be a


SCIENTOLOGY

member of the obscure Arearia Christian
sect to appreciate its fine communally-
manufactured refngerators. (The appliance
line was recently sold to a private firm.)
But Arearia Christians didn't recruit
believers through their freezer sales, and
Christian Bros. doesn't package dogma
along with its wine. Not onlv does WISE
funnel money into the Church of Scien-
tology, it ks also part of what members ret~r
D as "the bridge" (the ~xly of Scientology
or the Scientology program).
"The Management Technology for
many people is simply a stepping stone
into the Church and its costly series of
courses and training for spiritual
improvement," says Hana Eltringham
Whitfield. She ought to know. A member
9fthe Church tbr twenty years, she was in
on the ve~ birth of WISE in 1978. Today
Whitfield is an "exit counselor," helping
people leave the organization.
Clearly, the L. Ron Hubbard Manage-
ment Technologies work for some and not
for others. Many say their precepts are a lot
of overpriced common sense. Some
embittered practitioners me the day they
ever got involved. Yet nearly every
physician has probably heard of a
colleague who avers that a WISE-licensed
management firm has been the secret to
his or her success.
"Paying attention to business" is the real
secret, says Dr. William E Hineser, a triple
board certified Denver podiatrist with
twenty years of practice experience and a
client of Stellar Management of Atlanta.
After a year with Stellar, Dr. Hineser
concedes, "It puts you under a lot of stress
--you work harder at your iob." Sterling's
main practice guide, Management by
Statistics, adds Dr. Hineser, "is a constant
push. Your statistics constantly have to go
up."
Stellar, Sterling, Hollander, and IMV all
use variations on the same basic source
material, the Hubbard Management
Technologies, written by L. Ron Hubbard.
If this name sounds somewhat familiar, it
is probably because Hubbard is also the
author of the 1950 bestseller Dianetics:
The Modern Science of Mental Health, and
the founder of the Church of Scientology.

Practicing What They Preach
First of all, what do these firms offer?
According to Connecticut podiatrist V~ter
Gurski, DPM, (see Profile, page 53), who
has taken a number of Hubbard Manage-
ment Technology courses, 'lt's almost like
a cookbook. They give you basic outlines

24 PODIATRYTODAY MARCH 1990

and then .you apply them to your partic-
ular situation."
For instance, the Hollander materials
include a volume dedicated almost solely
to job descriptions. Another is full of
sample memos, coupons, ads, and patient
letters that can be copied and used
verbatim, as well as word-for-word scripts
for handling patients in a multitude of
circumstances. This has proven to be very
appealing to healthcare professionals who
must hire and supervise employees,
purchase equipment, keep books and
Financial records, and manage comfortable
incomes, but v,,'ho have little or no
business background.
Sterling Nlanagement Systems is itself a
model of success. Ranked number 119 on
lnc magazine's December 1989 list of the
500 fastest growing companies in the
nation, the fu'm was only rounded in 1983.
Yet within a year its annual sales were listed
by lnc as having reached $946,000. That
figure leaped to $19 million by 1988.

"The Management
Technology for many
peop!e is simply a
stepp,ng stone into
the Church and its

costly series of
COUrSeS:'

Sterling executive Larry Wiley cites a
growth rate of 4 ,000 percent over the past
five years.
Direct mall is used to advertise intro-
ductory seminars in major cities across the
nation. Some of these are free; others cost
from $75 to $150. IMM previously known
as Singer Consultants, actually conducts a
practice evaluation right at the initial
seminar.
'~fter we find out they want to go to the
seminar, we send out a ten-page practice
evaluation," says IMV service consultant
Mark Thomas. "They fill out this evalua-
tion and we tell them to bring it to the
seminar. [At} the seminar one of the trained
senior consultants here at Irons, Marcus &
Valko looks it over and they know within
fifteen to twenty minutes what the prob-
lem is and how to improve it. They sit
down one-on-one with the person and
work it out."
If the doctor proceeds, he generally
signs up for courses held at or near the
company's headquarters in Clearwater,
Florida. Clearwater, the headquarters for
many Scientology enterprises, is the
Church's spirmal center, known as the Flag
Service Organization.

Most FkrmS offer both a short course and
a full-length curriculum. The difference
resides in both duration and cost. A short
course, costing from $5,000 to $7,000,
usually takes place over a long v-:eekend.
The complete program generally takes
eight to ten days and costs between
$10,000 and $15,000. Those who are not
interested in continuing on after the
introductory seminar are approached
repeatedly, warns Dr. ',X'hrren Abbott, a
Topeka, Kansas, podiatrist.
"I received a tlyer [from Sterling
Management Systems] here in Topeka,"
recalls Dr. Abbott. "I paid the money,
heard what they had to say, and then a rep
talked to me about my needs. They tried
to enroll me in the long course. When I
would not consent, they went down to
the short course. Then, when I wouldn't
consent to that, they offered to sell me
some books [written by Hubbard}. When
I wouldn't {buy them}, that was the end of'
that. It was not a full hard sell," says Dr.
Abbott, "but pretty firm. They talk to you
and find out what your barriers are, and
then overcome your objections--standard
sales tactics."
Persistence often pays off for these
firms. "I went home [to Topeka} to think
about it, and the' called me," says Dr.
Abbott. "I ended up taking the short
course3'

Reading, Reading, Reading
"It was quite an experience," says Dr.
Gurski, recalling his involvement with
Sterling in the fall of 1988. "On the gust clay
I was assigned a consultant. We discussed
my particular management problems. He
had a pretty good picture of what was
going on through the package of informa-
tion sheets I had f'filed out and sent in.
From 8:30 a.m. to 10:15 p.m., he described
the problems, told me ways to solve those
problems, and assigned me a package of
eight courses designed to help me handle
those problems: 'The fust thing they. teach
you is how to study," recounts Dr. Gurski,
"even though the room is full of doctors.
They point out why people have difficulty
learning: you must know the meaning of
every single word you read. This accounts
for about ninety percent of why people
do not learn when reading." Dr. Gurski
points out that lack of mass and missed
gradients also contribute to learning and
communication difficulties.
"Then they give you a little booklet and
you start in the classroom. Every person
has a custom class schedule." Dr. Gurski
says that when he was in class, people
came and went, but that there were
usually twenty-five to fifty persons in the


SCIENTOLOGY

room at any time "There was an 8:30 a.m.
roll call," Dr. Gurski remembers. "They
described the various programs people
were taking, and set goals to get through
material---even by the hour. They dateline
you on how long it should take you to get
through a course." Breaks and meal times
are set by the staff.
"You sit there and read the whole time,"
continues Dr. Gutski. While there are
some lectures and description, there are
no teachers during reading time---only
monitors. "They can tell if you are not
learning by your body language," says Dr.
Gurski.
"When you finish," Dr. Gurski contin-
ues, "the head monitor leads you down
the hall to take an exam on what you have
read. He corrects it in front of you. If there
is anything incorrect, he teaches it to youZ'
Dr. Gurski refers to this process as "clearing
up your rnisunderstoods so you can totally
cognate on eve~.~g" Then, he says, you
go back and start on the next course.
Dr. Stephen Weiss, a podiatrist from
suburban Chicago, who, along with his
wife, enrolled in a Sterling "minicourse"
puts it succinctly. "Classes are: working by

.vourseffon their premkses, from 8:30 a.m.
to 10 p.m., for five to eight da~Y
"lt's hard to disagree with what they're
saying," says Dr. Hineser. "It's broken
down into basic statements, basic truths.
You think, 'that's true, but no one in
medical school ever told me.'"
On the down side, Dr. Hineser says,
"There's a very rigid format for learning

"There's a very rigid
format for learning
what they have to
present. A lot of
people do need that,
but others don't.
It's somewhat
demeaning:'

what they have to present. A lot of people
do need that, but others don't. It's some-
what demeaning." Reflecting a moment,
he adds, "The material is written in an
obtuse manner. I could have written it and
made it clearer. lt's over-sold and over-
priced."

A certain number of consulting hours
are also usually part of the package. For
instance, Dr. Weiss' Sterling minicourse
included m,'enty hours of consulting time.
but he "used up a good deal of that during
the time in Glendale [California, where
Sterling is headquartered]."
One full day of the Hollander program
consists of "an in-depth analysis of the
practice," says ~ Silver, co-owner of the
Portland consulting gum. "Clients also talk
with consultants on a weekly basis. Thev
call in their three main statistics: produc-
tion, collections, and new patients. Each
consultant has a computer terminal and a
program that graphs those statistics." Then
the statistics are analyzed. "Follow-up
occurs with clients over a period of six to
tone months," states Silver. This follow-up
can be costly.
A Colorado podiatrist claims this con-
sulting time cost him $175 a.n hour. John
Hearsey of Uptrends, a f'um offering the
Hubbard Management Technologies pri-
marily to computer professionals, quoted
his hourly rate as $150, but added that it is
often discounted to $125. Dr. Hineser says
he purchased a package deal worth twenty
hours and thinks he paid Stellar about $120
an hour. Stellar's administrative secretary,
Emie Lehman, refused to divulge the per


SCIENTOLOGY

hour cost of consulting through his firm,
stating that it is "not expensive. but not
cheap--like lav,3'er's fees."
Additional weekend seminars. or sym-
posia. designed for staff to attend are also
conm-~onlv offered. Dr. Gurski has already
taken his staff to two weekend sessions and
plans to attend a third. Although Dr.
Hineser's wife and office manager, Carol,
opted to attend one seminar, he has re-
frained from further involving his staff.
Sterling includes the cost of these staff pro-
grams in the cost of the course, while
Stellar charges an additional $600.
Another component of the Hubbard
Management program is personal coun-
seling. This is usually based on an
extensive personality test, taken by the
doctor as well as staff. which contains
questions one podiatrist has termed "silly:'
EveS' fifth or sixth question is similar, and
questions include items such as: "Do you
feel bad for the worm when you fish?"
says the practitioner. "Low" scores on tile
test indicate a need for personal counsel-
ing. Low scores am apparently almost
universal, and provide the consultant not
only with information on problems which
may be affecting the practice, but also with
a convenient way to recommend Church-
sponsored counseling, called auditing.
AuditDzg--a quintessential facet of
Scientology--is confessional in nature and
by definition reveals a great deal about a
persoffs private life. Whirfield charges that
information from such Church auditing
sessions has been shared with consultants
to leverage doctors into paying additional
monies and complying with other
requests.
In July 1984, Whitfield was working in
a dentist's office as a Sterling Management
Systenls consultant. "The dentist had done
a little auditing:' she recalls. "Because
Scientolog3.' at that time had a bad repu-
tation, dentists had to be given a taste of
auditing. Then, and only then, could they
be introduced to the Church:' she notes.
"The dentist wrote a $35,000 check to
Sterling, then headquartered in San
Francisco," she sa.x,'s. "However. during the
auditing process, which the dentist
believed to be confidential within the
Church, he had revealed some misdeeds.
When these were quoted back to him by
Sterling, he saw the fia~" alleges Whitfield.
"He realized he had signed the check
under extreme pressure, that it was not
budgeted. So he put a stop on the check.
"The phone calls started that day in
July" recounts Whitfield, "pressuring the
dentist to take the stop off the check,

threatening him. Other Scientologists
from San Francisco arrived to make the
dentist change his mind, threatening legal
action and so forth." This incident proved
to be the "final straw" for Whitfield. She
left the Church shortIv thereafter.
She has since discovered other unethi-
cal uses of information divulged during
auditing sessions. For instance, in late 198"
a letter written by one of the consultants
to an East Coast veterinarian threatened to
inform the IRS of tax fraud the vet had
admitted during confessional auditing
sessions if he didn't "behave;'

What Is WISE?
Little is known about the entit.x: WISE
president Harry Rostig declined to answer
questions posed to him in a telephone
interx'iew Questions posed in writing (per
his request) have at press time gone
unanswered. But he has been quoted as
calling WISE "a member organization."
Uptrend's John Hears~, refers to it as the
licensing arm of the Church for L. Ron
Hubbard materials, "designed to maintain

A former consultant
charges that private
information from

auditing sessions has
been usual to leverage

doctors into paying
additional monies.

the integrity of the technologies used:'
According to a Scientology command
chart obtained by Podiatry Today, WISE
is one of sLx "tactical" segments of the top
management of International Scientology.
The entity was established, according to
Whitfield, once the Church legned how
much a Scientologist businessman in New
York was grossing on Hubbard Manage-
ment Technologies. The Church decided
it deserved "a share." Thus was born the
concept of Church-franchised practice
management, claims Whitfield.
"It's like a McDonald's:' offers Ernie
Lehman of Stellar Management. According
to Hearse.',; his Connecticut consulting
business is only one of more than one
hundred firms or individuals licensed by
WISE to offer the Hubbard Management
Technologies. However, Podlarry Today
was unable to confirm this figure.
The grandaddy of them all seems to be
Sterling Management Systems, headquar-
tered in Glendale, California. Founded in
1983 by Dr. Greg Hughes, D.D.S., Sterling
initially marketed phmarfiy to dentists, but
has since branched out considerably and

now caters to all of the healthcare profes-
sions, as well as other types of businesses.
Singer Consulting was founded in the
early 1980s by Dr. David Singer, an ener-
getic. charismatic chiropracter. In 1986,
Inc. ranked Singer as the 208th fastest
growing private company in the United
States, with revenues listed at nearly $8
million. Then, about two }'ears ago, Dr.
Singer reportedly split his organization
into two distinct corporations. In an Open
Letter published in the October 15, 1988,
issue ofDyna~nic Cbiropractic. Dr. Singer
admitted he had "crossed the line between
church and state," apologized, and an-
nounced the new corporate restructuring.
Todav David Singer Enterprises. according
to employee Pat Hilllard, offers lectures to
chiropracters but does not use any
Hubbard technologies. Three Scientolo-
gists purchased the other part of the origi-
nal corporation, and renamed it after
themselves: Irons, Marcus and Valko. IMV
does offer seminars based on the Hubbard
Management Technologies.
Hollander Consultants, founded eight
years ago in Oregon, initially catered to
practices in the Northwest. Now it is
international in scope, reaching into
Canada and targeting the entire United
States. According to co-founder Larry
Silver, however, Hollander's current game
plan is to cut back, stay small, and market
horizontally in the Northwest again.
Uptrends, the smallest of the firms
contacted by Podiatry Today is located in
Concord, New Hampshire, and targets not
healthcare practitioners, but computer
professionals--although one dentist is
included among its clients.
According to Silver and Wile}; each of
the WISE firms pays licensing fees as high
as ten to fifteen percent of the monies paid
for courses, seminars. and other services.
Thus, if Sterling actually did enjoy the $17
to $19 million in revenues last year cited by
Wiley,, then in 1989, more than $1.8 million
from this fu'm alone would have been paid
to WISE and, by extension, flowed into
Church of ScientoloD,' coffers.
The connection between the Church of
ScientoloD' and the six WISE Group ftrms
this reporter contacted is not always made
clear to inquirers. When contacted by
Podiatry Today, only Sterling offered the
fact that Hubbard developed the manage-
ment courses provided by the firm. It
possible to speak with IMV employees for
nearly thirty minutes and never hear the
words "Hubbard" or "Scientology;'
Hollander's Larry Silver only reluctantly
mentioned Hubbard and was the most
insistent about not having a relationship
with Scientology.
"We don't have anything to do with Sci-

MARCH 1990 PODIATRYTODAY 29


SCIENTOLOGY

entology whatsoever:' Silver states empha-
tically. "We go to extreme lengths to keep
these things separated out because we do
not want religion having anything to do
with practice management. XX~ just are not
the Church of ScientoloD.'. We're a pri-
vately held company that's licensed to use
the system." Silver says the fact that
Hubbard is credited as the author of the
materials ks announced at the introductory
seminars, and that information is con-
tained in the contract, as well. He main-
tains that information on the Church and
auditing is not offered unless someone
specifically asks.
Uptrends co-founder Hearsey says,
however, that those who attend the
Hubbard Management Technologies
courses become involved in Scientolog3.'
"twenW to thirty percent of the time." He
adds, "We'll recommend it to executives.
Ira guy's not happy in his mareage or with
himself, that has a direct impact on his
ability to mn his organization." Hearsey
admits he is a "very strong advocate of
Scientology," and that it ks "more common
than not" for people to ask, "What about
this book Dianetics?"
Similarly, guesses Sterling executive
Larry Wiley, "Maybe around twenW-five
percent...would look into it [Sdentology]
in some way or another:' Once a request
for Scientolog3.' information is made, you
may never stop hearing about it. "They
will really push people they feel they can
get into the Church," states podiatrkst Dr.
Hineser. He speaks from experience. Last
year he was scheduled to go to Atlanta for
further Stellar courses, and reports a top
Scientology. auditor from Florida was
flown in for the occasion. "I felt they. were
pressing me while I was there, and I came
down on them with both feet," he recalls.
Describing himserf as "religiously cunous:'
he nonetheless ended up being audited.
"If someone who wrote the program
happens to be a Scientologist, or a
Catholic, or a Methodist, I don't care,"
argues Dr. Gutski. "It works, that's all I care
about." But Curski also admits to not hav-
ing researched the Church of Scientology
to any degree.
"I learned about the Church of
Scientology in Chicago during the free
seminar," says Dr. Weiss. "I had concems.
I learned that the Church of Scientology
is not really a church or a religion at all.
They said Sterling was begun later, that it
utilizes Scientology and L. Ron Hubbard
materials, but that they're no longer
related, that it's strictly a business
relationship."

A Turbulent History
Just what is Scientolo~? Its history has
been turbulent. In 1950 L. Ron Hubbard.
a prolific science-fiction writer during the
1940s. published the best-seller Dianetics:
Tt.~e Modern Science of ,1Iental Hectltb.
Two vears later he published Scientologv:
A Histo~Zl, of Man. In 1954. he established
the first Church of Scientology in
Washington, D.C.
There are at least two versions of the
events surrounding Hubbard and his so-
called religion--one endorsed by the
Church, and another. very different from
the first, supported by historical fact.
According to the official church biograph.x;
Hubbard was an engineer, scientist,
explorer. World ~r 11 hero, renowned
literat3.' figure. and respected Renaissance
man. The secular version portrays him as
a pulp sci-fi writer and serf-made man who
came up with the idea to found a religion
as an easy way to make a fortune. "lf a man
really wants to make a million dollars."
Hubbard is reported to have said at a 1949
writers' convention, "the best way would
be to start his own religion."
His official biography is staunchly
defended in the hook, The Hidden StoO'
of Scientology, as well as in numerous
other accounts of Hubbard's life, the
majorit}.' published by Bridge Publications
Inc, the Church of Scientology publishing
house. That same biography ks systemati-
cally debunked as lies, exaggerations, and
inventions of Hubbard himself in the
book, Bare-Faced Messiah: The True
Sto0, of L. Ron Hubbard, by Russell Miller.
as well as in L. Ron Hubbard: Messiah or
Madman? by Bent Corydon and L. Ron
Hubbard Jr., Hubbard's son.
A few of the less savor5,' events and
allegations which bave punctuated the
Church of Scientology's short history are
worth mentioning. It is doubtful that an.,.'
of these events are accepted as facts by the
Church itself; yet all can be documented
as having occurred over the years.
ú In 1966, Hubbard apparently created
his own "intelligence organization," which
he called the Guardian Office (GO).
According to a Ma~ 1980, Reader ~ Digest
article ("Scientology: Anatomy of a
Frightening Cult"), the GO training
program included instructions on "how to
make an anonymous death threat to a
journalist, smear an antagonistic clergy-
man, forge phony newspaper clips, plan
and execute burglaries."
ú In 1976, the IRS found $2.86 million in
cash aboard Hubbard's flagship .4pollo.
That same year, the FBI discovered a
Scientology intelligence operation that
involved forging credentials and stealing


SCIENTOLOGY

tens of thousands of government docu-
ments. Eleven highly placed Scientology
officials, including Hubbard's third wife,
Ma.6.' Sue Hubbard, were eventually found
guilty of theft and conspiraQ'. Charges
included infiltrating and burglarizing the
IRS, the FBI, the CIA, and the Justice
Department.
eln the late 1970s, Hubbard was con-
victed of criminal fraud. In 1983, fifteen
Scientologists and the Church itself faced
a variety of charges stemming from a 1983

police mid in which about two million
allegedly stolen documents were seized
from Church offices in Canada.
ú In 1988, seventy-one Scientologists
were detained in Spain, and eleven of
them were jailed. Charges reportedly
include tax evasion, currency violations,
coercion, and fraud.
On January. 24, 1986, Hubbard appar-
ently died of a stroke at his Creston,
California, ranch. However, a great deal of
mysteD' surrounds his death (or disappear-
ance). Some claim he is still alive.
As for the groups' religious or spirtual
character, Dr. Hineser is perhaps on target

when he declares, "lt's more philosophical
than religious. There are no meetings. 'xbu
can still be a good Catholic and be a Sci-
entologist." Indeed, a Church represen-
tative in New York recently told two
people who attended the New York
Clinic'al Conference that ScientoloD' d~s
not require relinquishing one's original
religion.
Dr. Hineser, who says it took him three
months to "plow" through Hubbard's
book Dianetics, calls 5cientology
"basically a form of psychotherapy;'
Ironically, Hubbard repeatedly attacked
psycholo~,.' and psychothcrapy during his
lifetime.
In a nutshell, Dianetics claims that all
mental aberrations (neuroses, psychoses,
psychosomatic illnesses) as v.,'ell as such
physical conditions as the common
cold--even diabetes and cancer--are
caused by engrams. Engrams are said to be
perceptual recordings made when the
'analytical (or conscious) mind ks tumcd off
by pain or a painful emotion and the
reactlye (or unconscious) mind is at work.
The most troublesome engrams are
recorded before birth by embryos.
.~:cording to Hubbard, life in the womb is
quite traumatic.
Later in life, a painful experience
resembling a dormant engrarn will "key it
in" and cause illness, low IQ, and a variety
of other problems. Auditing involves going
back along a personal time track to early
engram-forming experiences. The earliest,
known as the basic-basic, is supposedly
the most powerful and is said to be formed
within weeks of conception--although
Hubbard Later expanded the engram bank
to include experiences which took place
during previous lifetimes. A device called
an electropsychometer, or E-Meter (in fact,
a rudimentary lie detector or battery-
powered galvanometer), is used during the
auditing process.
When Hubl~ard transformed Dianetics
the science into Scientology the religton,
it became intergalactic. Hubbard claimed
to have traced the existence of human
beings back seventy-four trillion years, and
suggested that life began on Venus.
Humans are merely manifestations of
thetam, or spirits, which are reincarnated
over and over again, he said.
Elite thems are heros of a long4ost
civili:,=tion slaughtered by evil forces on
the planet Helatrobus about forty trillion
years ago. Those who were defeated were
exiled to Earth. Recruits to Scientology can
supposedly be audited into supernatural
Operating Thetans who can make long
space journeys and retum to the body at
will. This latter dogma, however, is not
continued oft page 64


Practice Management Seminars/Consultants*

Innovative Management Sys-
tems. Dr. PatrickJ. Shelton, 212 N. State
College BIrd., Annhelm, CA 92806.
1-800-782-2027. A two-y'ear-old company
started by Patrick Shelton, DPM. Offers
both a full-day seminar and a One Day Ad-
vancod Workshop on Medical Practice
Marketing and Medical Practice Manage-
mont. During workshops, complete
marketing and management plans are
designed. Cost: about $250, less if
through a state podiatric medical associa-
tion. Half-day podiatric assistant program
also offered, as well as a two-hour risk
management presentation. Both video
and audio tapes will be available soon.

Robert Levoy, Great Neck, NY, (516)
482-5959. No information available.

Lawrence M. Rubh~. >744 Dempster
St., .Morton Grove, IL 60053, (708)
966-7988.
Offers one-and-a-half day Medicare
Management seminars. Rubin has been a
consultant to Medicare since 1972.

Langer Biomechanics Seminars,
11 E. Industry Court, Deer Park, NY
11729, 1-8OO-645-5520. Periodically spon-
sors seminars with Innovative Mangemerit
System at locations around the nation.
Also conducts '~Smoragasbords" in con-
junction with EDG workshops. Call Linda
Smith at Langer for dates and cities.

WISE Group Firms, using Hubbard
Management Technologies

This partial list of WISE groups in-
cludes only the largest and/or those wbicb
cater to healthcare professionals. ,,:lore
than 100 firms and/or indit'iduals are
currently licensed ~ WISE to offer these
technologies, according to Uptrends co-
founder John Hears ~ey. Podiatry Today
was unable to confirm this number

Hollander Consultants, Inc,. 621
S.W. Alder, Suite 200, Portland, OR 97205,
(503) 227-5404. Founded: 1982 by Alan
Hollander & Larry Silver Employees: 40.
Current/active students: 300. Graduates:
"00. DPM clientele percentage: 15% to
20% Program costs: Introductory
seminars-- free, management program-
S7,000 to $15,000. Revenue: 12 to $3
million annually. Growth rate: N/A. Offers
1-2 free introductory seminars per week
in cities across the nation. Analyst stays in
town for a week following each seminar
to analyze practices.

Irons, Marcus & Valko, (formerly
Singer Consultants), 1ool Myrtle
Ave., S. Clearwater, FL 34616, b800-
221-0385. Founded: early 1980s as Singer

Consultants by a chiropracter, DE David
Singer. Bought out two years ago by Irons,
Marcus & Valko. Employees: N/A. Current/
active students: 300. Graduates: 1,000.
DPM clientele percentage: N/A. Program
costs: introductory seminar--S75, man-
agement program~N/A, consulting cost--
N/A. Revenue: N/A. Growth rate: N/A.

Stellar Management. 3334 Planta-
tion Way, Duluth, GA 30136, (40,~)
476-2222. Founded: 1986 by Grog Barnes,
D.D.S. Employees: 22. Current/active
students: 300 to 500. Graduates: N/A.
DPM clientele percentage: "One of our
larger groups." Program costs: $4,300,
staff seminars--S600, consulting cost:
N/A. Revenue: N/A. Growth rate: about
30% annually.

Sterling Management Systems,
520 North Central Ave., Glendale, CA
91203, (818) 241-1144. Founded by Dr.
Greg Hughes, DDS. Employees: approx
180-190. Current/active students: 1,100.
Graduates: 5,000 from major management
program; iust under 20,000 from
seminars. DPM clientele percentage: N/A
("Probably our smallest group.") Program
costs: seminars $80 to $100, Practice
Booster Program $6,000, Sterling Manage-
ment Program, $12,500. Consulting cost:
N/A. Revenue: $17 to $19 million annually.
Growth rate: 4,000% over past 5 years.
Although still called Sterling Manage-
ment Systems, corporation was bought
out by Kevin Wilson and Randy Emery,
and is now the Emery Wilson
Corporation.

Uptrends, 228 Louden Rd., Suite 6,
Concord, NH 03301, (603) 224-7114.
Founded: 1988 by Pat Lusey and John
Hearsoy. Employees: "Just a couple of
guys." Current/active students: 10.
Graduates: 250. DPM clientele percentage:
none known. Program cost: 1400-$900
per course. Consulting cost: $150 per
hour. Revenue: $100,000 annually.
Growth rate: N/A. Markets primarily to
computer professionals.

WISE International (World In-
stitute of Scientology Enter-
prises), 6331 Hollywood BIrd., Los
Angeles, CA 90028-6313, (2t3) 960-5540.
"A member organization" according to
president, Harry Rostig. Licenses use of
Hubbard Management Technologies to
the WISE Group firms "to maintain the in-
tegrity of the materials used."

* Podiatry Today makes no recommenda-
tions about any of the firms or programs
on this partial list.

SCIENTOLOGY

usuallv introduced until one reaches the
highest levels of the Church--a rather
costly process, as the auditing required to
reach these upper echelons is quite
expensive.
"Scientology is not what it represents
itseft to be;' charges Whitfield. "It is not a
benign organization interested in spiritual
advancement. It is really a money-making
scam organized by Hubbard right from the
word go," she claims. However, "Sciento-
Iogy does contain enough beneficial
procedures and techniques to act like
carrots." That's how practitioners are
attracted to the organization, and then
begin reaching for more, she says.
"Some end up with psychological after-
effects from having been under the influ-
ence of tra.ncednducing techniques,"
claims the former Scientology auditor
who sags she has witnessed titis process in
herself and others. Indeed, Whitfield
insists that in extreme cases, "Logical,
critical thought faculties are gradually shut
down to the point where the individual is
unable to think for himserf:'
The unwritten deftnit. ion of Scientology
is: "The only known way to a better
world;' sags Adrian Greek of the Positive
Action Center (Portland, Oregon). It is this
axiom which nudges the Church out of
the realm of minor religious sect and into
the cult category, asserts Greek. "It makes
anyone who questions or doubts it, any-
one who is against it, effectively against a
better world. Such people are labeled sup-
pressire by the Church, or PTS [potential
trouble source].
"Unquestioning support is one of the
characteristics of a destructive cult
organization," adds Greek. "It is the key to
manipulating a person's ability to think
clearly about the organization and his or
her involvernent in it." At least one
podiatrist has contacted the Positive Action
Center for information and advice on
Hollander Consultants, and many other
healthcare professionals have contacted
these cult awareness organj2ations during
recent years. The Cult Awareness Network
(CAN) in Chicago, in fact, has both a
"SterLing Management" and a "Sciento-
1ogy" packet all labeled and and ready to
send out because so many requests for
information are received.
"Three types of people contact us
regarding these management programs,"
says CAN executive Cynthia Kisser. "The
first type is the person who is directly
involved in the organi.zation and who feels
threatened. They usually want to know
more about what they are getting into,


SCIENTOLOGY

what Scientology is all about. We also hear
from spouses who are worried about the
large sums of money being spent, ofzen
without discussion, the debts that are
being incurred, or personality changes in
a person they thought they knew. Finally,
we also get requests for information from
employees of doctors involved in the
program. These people are often afraid
they will lose their jobs fithey don't go to
the seminars and become as involved as
their bosses."

That fear may be rounded. "People who
contract with these organizations as their
business consultants must follow the sug-
gestions totally' s.ays Greek, "or the organ-
ization says, 'you're not doing it properly;
[and} we take no responsibility' So they
[the consultants] run the practice, not the
doctor. The doctor loses control of his
own business. And;' continues Greek,
"because the doctor has to be in total
agreement, he or she ends up influencing
people who have not chosen to be a part
of this--both employees and patients."
Lawsuits andApt administrative complaints
against the doctor can be the result. The

Equal Employment Opporrumt.v Com-
mission has already ruled that a staff
assistant cannot be compelled to undergo
practice management training with a
religious undertone.

But For Many It Works
Not one of the podiatrists interviewed
knew anything about the background or
training of his or her consultant. Yet, the
strongest argument to counter the critics
is that for many the Hubbard .Management
Technologies simply work. "',Xi:'ve more
than doubled our practice," claims Dr.
Gutski, attributing this to his help from
Sterling. Success stories like this are not
uncommon.
"They have revitalized me," says Dr.
Stephen Weiss, referring to his experience
with Sterling. "I was suffering from
burnout after twenty-nine years in
practice. When you go to [most practice
management] meetings and come back all
hyped up, that hype doesn't last. But they
[Sterling] have developed a method that
revitalizes you and your employees, a
method of keeping track and organizing.
I have less than a month under my belt, so
it's hard to say--but I do feel it will be an
asset in my practice."
Most of the techniques designed to
increase production (as building up a
practice is termed) are essentially common
sense and things that most podiatrists
Beady do to one extent or another. For
instance, the use of coupons and ads is
recommended, as is the reactivation of
former patients by phone or mail.
But then there is the use of something
called the tone scales and the "Care to
Share" program that are not in and of
themselves unethical, but which some
could call an invitation to overurili7ation or
over-aggressive selling of medical sen'ices.
Using tone scales merely puts a pseudo-
scientific face on the common practice of
trying to make,others feel better. It is part
of the communications aspect of the
Technology, and teaches doctors to
evaluate the tone of a patient according to
Hubbard's scale, which ranges from
Exhileration (8.0) to Death (.01), with 1.2
equivalent to "covert hostility," and
recommends techniques to bring patients
up the scale. This can be done by some-
thing as simple as telling a joke, or by
employing one of the many elaborately
wrought scripts developed by Hubbard.
Care to Share treads some of that same
tenuous ground. Here, referral cards are
given to clients, who are encouraged to
circulate them to friends. This is, of couty-z
a cogon and ethical practice. But cash
incentives are also being offered to both
employees and patients if these cards


actually bring in patients. In some cases,
while patients are still at the doctor's office
for treatment, they are encouraged to call
friends who are potential referrals. The
economic bonus creates a slippery ethical
slope.
DE Hineser says he has kept in touch
with some of the other doctors who
attended the Stellar courses at the same
time he did. A number of them seem to
have benefitted as well. "I think it helped
me, but I'm not sure how much. My
practice did get better," he says. But then
he wonders, "Would it have gotten better
anyway?" Why does it work?
Management by Statistics, the Hubbard
Management Technology course referred
to as "the crux of the program" by Larry
Wiley of Sterling, teaches doctors to
maintain daily, detailed statistics on
virtually every aspect of their practice.
That requires, as Dr. Hineser puts it,
"paying attention to business" day in and
day out, and recording every little detail of
a practice. It also offers the "reward" of
being able to actually "see" the graphs and
charts on the wall.
But why are these same techniques so
disastrous for others? One podiatrist, who
is currently contemplating litigation
against one of the WISE Group firms and
who has thus requested that his name not
be used, claims he was "sold a bill of
goods:'
"I followed their guidelines and I'm
greatly disappointed," he says. "I did the
program last summer and I still don't have
~i meaningful set of statistics. I've sent out
close to 1,000 Care to Share cards; less than
one percent have come back. I've taken
doctors out to lunch and given lectures.
I've purged my files for old patients to
reactivate, but I took care of them like I was
supposed to so they're ftne. They said my
phone would be ringing off the hook and
that my practice would double I went into
debt to do this, and it's not working. I've
got to get my money back:'
"Your ability to benefit from what you
learn [from the Hubbard Management
Technologies] has a great deal to do with
who you are and what you are as a per-
son," explains Dr. Hineser. '~. hard-sell
approach does not necessarily work for
everybody, and you have to be inventive
with what they give you."
For whom does it seem to work? Those
who: already use most of the techniques
endorsed; feel comfortable with the
relatively hard sell tactics taught and keep
them under control; and are able to cull
the useful from the ridiculous and imple-
ment according to their own standards.
Additionally, those who study cults
assert that an emotionally vulnerable time

is the wrong time to contact one of these
organizations. Hence, if you are in the
midst of a mid-life crisis, experiencing
doubts regarding the direction of your
personal or professional life, if you have
just experienced a tragedy of some sort,
the lines between practice and spirtual
management may easily become blurred.
On the other hand, if you are interested in
hearing the Church of Scientology's
answers to your questions (for a fee), this
is one sure way to do so.

Caveat Medicus
If you feel you are one of the persons who

would benefit from the Hubbard Manage-
ment Technologies. bear in mind the fol-
lowing:
*Bev~o. re of involving your staff. Two
potentially dangerous situations can be the
result. First, staff can feel as though they're
being forced to attend, and since Scien-
tolog}.' is a religion, this can open the door
to lawsuits against you. Second, if an
employee resists any aspect of the pro-
gram, that person could be labeled
suppressive and the doctor could be
advised bv his consultant to fire the
employee. This, too, is an invitation to
litigation.


SCIENTOLOGY

eBe aware of the fact that you will
probably not be allowed to disagree with
any facet of the program. This is one of the
aspects of Scientology which categorizes
it as a cult. Per Church protocol, you will
be labeled suppressive; you will be told
that this is the cause of your practice
downtrends and the program's lack of
effectiveness.
ú Beware of asking questions about the
Church of Scientology or L. Ron Hubbard.
You're liable to get an earful. Do your
research thoroughly on your own time via
other avenues. Many of these firms' em-
ployees are Scientologists. They obviously
believe in Scientology. It might be wiser to
consult your local public library, and,~r call
a cult av~areness organization for the inside
track on Scientology.
,Beware of deciding to buy more
courses or consulting time while still on
the "high" of the first course package.
Deep discounts and package deals are
offered before the doctor even has a
chance to implement the program to see
if it works. Remember, these techniques
seem to work better for certain types of
doctors than for others.
ú Beware of filling out detailed person-

ality questionnaires that delve into your
personal or financial Life. This information
remains on file and--theoretically--could
be used against you. This type of informa-
tion simply gives an organization (any
organization) too much leverage over you.
If you don't like what you get, don't
expect a refund. There have been numer-
ous, well-documented cases of doctors
(particularly among dentists and chiro-
practers) who have tried unsuccessfulIv to
obtain a refund, a few of whom have liter-
ally lost their practices during the legal
battle to do so. Others have managed to get
some of their money back, but rarely
without a struggle.
Podlarry Today has obtained what
purports to be a copy of an October 8,
1987, letter on one consultant firm's
stationery, written to a practitioner (not a
podiatrist) who was insisting on a refund.
Referring to his early interviews, the letter
states: 'Additionally, the review shows that
you actually make more money than you
report to the IRS and that you are skim-
ming around $25,000 off the top prior to
reports. This information is only what we
have found so far....We are more than
willing to review this publicly if you
continue your slanderous and defamatory
attacks." The letter was signed by a woman
with the title "leg officer."

Beware of the nature of the tactics these
courses endorse. Do you feel comfortable
asking a patient to call and refer a friend to
you while that patient is still in your office
for treatment? Or sending a card to a friend
betbre their own procedure is completed?
Do .you feel comfortable using tone scales
to manipulate a person's response to your
treatment proposal? Or talking about
money and payment methods before dis-
cxtssing fitness and treatment meth~xts? Do
you feel comfortable using tried and true
hard sell methodologies within the doctor-
patient relationship?
None of these practices is inherently
unethical. Rather, each practitioner must
determine whether he is ethically
comfortable with the system. and be
certain neither he nor his 'aszq>ciates or staff
will cross the ethical line these practices
can teeter on.
The fact that .you're a good doctor is no
guarantee that you're a good business-
person. But business saw,, .w does not have
to come with any strings attached. Indeed,
perhaps the best business sense of all is to
use caution when selecting a practice
management consultant. ú

Contributing writer Martba Gotman is
based in Bouldeg, Colorado.

(~8 PODIATRY TODAY MARCH 1990


 
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