Have you ever been to the chiropractor? If you’re an adult in the United States, chances are you haven’t. According to a Statista survey, 39% of adults in the US have visited a chiropractor in their lifetime. That means 61% have not yet tried it. Why is this?
For some people, there is confusion around what a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) does, what their qualifications are, and how they can help improve quality of life for their patients. Sometimes, the answers you want are difficult to find. That’s why we’ve put together these three questions you always wanted to ask.
1. What are a Doctor of Chiropractic’s qualifications? DCs receive a minimum of seven years of higher level education. As part of their education, they’re required to spend at least 1,000 hours working with patients in a supervised clinical setting. After graduating, prospective DCs must also become licensed, which requires them to successfully complete all state, provincial, and national board exams and maintain the necessary insurance.
2. What can a chiropractor really treat? You’d be surprised. In addition to treating neck and back pain, DCs can also treat headaches, asthma, leg pain, nerve damage, joint pain, and manage pediatric pain. This is just a small sampling of what DCs can help with.
3. How much am I going to have to pay? This can be an awkward question to ask, and we know it’s a barrier for many people when they think about calling and setting up their initial appointment. In most cases, you don’t need a referral, you can just call and schedule an appointment. Chiropractic care is covered by most insurance plans, including worker’s compensation, Medicare, and certain Medicaid plans. In many cases, active-duty military and veterans are also covered at on-base and VA medical facilities. And some chiropractic clinics offer affordable treatment using Discount Medical Plan Organization (DMPO) network programs such as ChiroHealthUSA. Click here to locate the nearest chiropractor who offers this option.
We hope that if you’re one of the 61% of adults who have yet to try chiropractic care, you give it a try. You’ll be amazed at how much your quality of life can improve!
Why is the Discount Challenge prize amount $11,181? Because that is the average “per-occurrence” fine for Medicare inducements. That’s not $11,181 per patient, that’s not per provider, that’s PER VISIT. Stinks, doesn’t it? To us, the prize amount is worth the investment if we can help our profession better understand proper discounting.