If you are currently practicing in a state that still has decent reimbursement for these services, I want to warn you… your days are numbered.
Insurance reimbursement for chiropractic services died a few years ago. Even reimbursement of physical therapy benefits and integrated medical services has all but dried up.
In the last 16 years of business, 6 with just the agency, I have seen friends and clients go from making $400,000 a month to bankruptcy in a matter of a few months, just from depending too much on 1 or 2 covered services. They put all of their eggs into diagnostic testing, DME or a particular type of insurance covered service, only to find that first one company removes coverage for that service, then another, then everyone.
Insurance companies are not going to lose money. They are experts at tracking every service they pay on. And when they find they are losing money on any one particular service, they remove it.
Having your practices insurance collections at 85% or higher of your total gross revenue, is a disaster waiting to happen. You have to diversify your practice collections and make sure that you have a solid percentage of cash collections, coupled with personal injury and insurance. This mix makes you much less dependent on insurance as your sole revenue source and prevents the practice from being affected if insurance changes occur.
What are the best cash services that we see doctors around the country offering in their chiropractic and integrated practices?
#1 SPINAL DECOMPRESSION / DISC PAIN RELIEF!
You may be reading this and thinking to yourself that decompression was just a fad that was popular years ago; if that’s the case, then I have to say you’re missing out on a huge opportunity. It’s back in a very big way. The incredible opportunity with working with a disc case is that the problem is a long-term, chronic condition. There are not many solutions other than surgery. If you can design a comprehensive program built around rehabilitating the disc and surrounding structures, patients will pay out of pocket for this service. In addition, this is a perfect service to offer baby-boomers, who are moving into retirement and looking to stay healthy. They’ve worked hard their entire lifetime and are now ready to enjoy retirement. In order to do that, they will need a non-invasive solution to their back problems and that’s why Spinal Decompression is such a great solution. We see our clients charging anywhere from $3500 to $6000.00 per case. The key is finding these patients. What we’ve seen work most are newspaper ads, and social media.
#2 FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE
Now, more than ever, people are looking for solutions outside of their medical providers. One; because it’s so expensive to go their medical provider; and two, because their medical providers are NOT offering them any solutions. There has never been a better time, (Since I’ve been practicing for the last 15 years) to market solutions for chronic health problems. Low Thyroid, Fatigue, Digestive Problems, Fibromyalgia, and Diabetes; are all conditions that are chronic in nature and the TYPICAL medical solution does nothing but cover up symptoms. What is so amazing about the time we’re in, is that patients are realizing that their MEDICAL PROVIDERS can not offer them a solution! We’ve seen functional medicine doctors around the country filling up their practices with patients looking for a solution to the conditions we listed above. The fees charged can average from $4000 to $7000 for a 6-month wellness program. Adding functional medicine or lifestyle medicine to your practice can not only help serve these types of patients, but add to your profits, which is a win for everyone!
#3 STEM CELL THERAPY / REGENERATIVE MEDICINE
There has been a virtual explosion of interest in regenerative medicine recently; and stem cell therapy is on the forefront of what baby boomers are looking for to stay active and enjoy their retirements. Stem Cells can help chronic joint pain sufferers find relief by treating chronic inflammation and rebuilding joint tissue. You must employ either a medical doctor or nurse practitioner to be able to provide this type of treatment, but it’s definitely a hot topic in pain management.
In addition, the number 1 marketing condition in any market, on the majority of platforms (newspaper, direct mail, TV, Radio, and online) hands down is knee pain. Why? Because it’s one of the most used joints of the entire body, AND because it’s so affected by weight and activity. Patients need their knees to do the activities they want to do; Golf, walking, running, biking, you name it and you pretty much need your knee joint to do it. Creating a protocol to address knee pain and knee arthritis can not only help these patients get their life back, but create a flood of new patients for your practice.
#4 PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY
Over 60% of the US population is either obese or overweight. Type 2 Diabetes is not a condition that is going away anytime soon. One of the biggest symptoms that Type 2 patients suffer with is Neuropathy. Neuropathy is another condition that baby boomers struggle with. And there is virtually no medical solution other than pain relievers. Creating a protocol to address blood sugar (diet), lifestyle (activity), circulation and nerve inflammation can not only help solve their nerve pain, but can actually same their limbs. The protocols that we’ve seen clients use are:
- Class 4 Laser Therapy
- Infrared Socks
- NeuroMed Nerve Stimulation
- NeuropathyDR Protocol
- Vibration Plate Therapy
- Supplementation
- Activity Recommendations
- Chiropractic Adjustments
Because of a lack of medical therapies available to treat neuropathy, patients will pay out of pocket for these services. We’ve seen clients charge anywhere from $4000-$7000 for a neuropathy treatment package. With so many seniors suffering with this condition, you will virtually never run out of patients to help.
#5 WEIGHT LOSS
This is pretty much a no-brainer here, but I find that very few chiropractic offices offer a weight loss solution for their patients. And when they do, it’s usually not a comprehensive program. Offering patients a cookie-cutter solution to their weight control issues will not really provide your office with a flood of weight loss patients. However, doing a functional diagnostic workup on them, and creating a customized program involving lifestyle, diet and supplementation can not only serve them better, but give them a long-term solution for their weight control and health issues. We’ve seen some amazing functional testing with Metametrix Labs that not only provides a diagnostic workup, but also the supplementation protocol. We’ve seen clients charging anywhere from $2000 to $5000 for a 6 month weight loss program.
