Falling Out of Love with Your Practice

Dr. R. A. Foxworth, FICC, MCS-P

I think it’s pretty clear to everyone who meets me that I love chiropractic, and that I’m a champion of the profession and every practice out there. Like the rest of you, I pour my heart and soul into my work. As a doctor, it is one of the great joys we have being able to get up, go to work, and help change patients’ lives and better their health in such a meaningful and profound way.

But there was a time when my love affair with my practice went through a rocky patch. It was when insurance became less chiropractic-friendly, and OIG scrutiny and regulations intensified. I realized that I could no longer offer my patients who had less-than-stellar insurance an affordable means to pay for maintenance and preventive care without running the risk of having a dual fee schedule. Sure, I could still establish a hardship discount, but I had plenty of patients who didn’t really qualify.  They weren’t poverty-stricken; they just simply didn’t have the money to pay for care their insurance would no longer cover.

Patients were confused. Wasn’t their health insurance supposed to help them improve their health? And they remain confused even more so today. That’s actually not a surprise. As I travel around the country and talk to colleagues, it’s clear to me that even many DCs are unclear on what constitutes active versus maintenance treatment, and when to formally discharge patients from active care. If we’re not sure, we can’t expect our patients to be sure, or even to be understanding. And when we’re unsure, it’s tempting to push the boundaries a little on active care so that our patients can continue to get covered treatment.

It saddens me to hear fellow DCs say that they are just trying to get through each day. They have, as I once did, fallen out of love with their practices. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

ChiroHealthUSA is a Network that works in conjunction with a Discount Medical Plan Organization (DMPO.) That means you can stop stressing about discharging patients from active treatment, because you will be able to offer them safe, legal discounts on maintenance and preventive care based on your practice’s actual fee schedule.

I don’t know about you, but the idea of being able to give more patients the maintenance and wellness care they deserve at a price they can afford…without worrying about all the dang rules and regulations just makes my day better…and less stressful. It sure lights up the eyes of my patients when I explain it to them, too.

There is no cost to you to join, and the affordable $49 fee per patient family per year is easily recovered often on the patient’s first visit. ChiroHealthUSA providers also have access to the best and brightest minds in the profession on issues such as reimbursement, documentation, coding, patient finances, staff scripting and training, and billing and collections.

Let us help you fall back in love with your practice. We offer a free webinar every Tuesday that explains the benefits of becoming a ChiroHealthUSA provider as well as how to easily offer membership to your patients. Register here.