Hardly a week goes by when we don't hear about at least one embarrassing chiropractic practice-building gimmick, and about colleagues using unethical marketing ploys to bring in new patients. They use unsubstantiated diagnostic tests to convince patients of the need for treatment, schedule them for more visits than necessary, and use many other schemes motivated solely by financial gain.
Some chiropractors are making their fortunes using spurious marketing practices, while others are struggling using more traditional means. Sadly, the unprofessional and fraudulent marketing ploys of a few practitioners are tainting our profession's image and endangering its future.1 Needless to say, protocols like these can quickly erode our credibility. But professional marketing strategies can also enhance our professional image and simultaneously boost the financial success of our practices.
The Path to Prosperity Can Be Paved with Professionalism
Given this state of affairs, practitioners may feel that they must choose between two paths - the noble road to mediocrity, and the shameful one to riches. However, one need not make such a choice. You can be honorable and successful by aligning your practice protocols with the best evidence of the day and implementing effective professional marketing strategies. In light of the growing demand for chiropractic services, your chances for success in these endeavors are greater than ever before.
Growing Demand and Opportunity
Complaints of neck and back pain represent significant health problems for Western industrialized countries.2-7 The estimated combined annual cost in America for neck and back pain exceeds $100 billion, of which at least one-third is for health care.2-8 Thus, tremendous financial resources are being allocated to spinal conditions. Although the majority of these conditions are still treated by MDs, the tide is beginning to shift.
Over the last two decades, great strides have been made in the public's acceptance of chiropractic. Chiropractic use has increased from about four percent of the U.S. population in 19809 to an estimated 11 percent in 1997,10 and it is expected to increase even further. This progress has been due largely to improvements in the quality and quantity of chiropractic research, and the growing use of professional, ethical marketing strategies.
Health care observers have noted that the chiropractic profession's strength (the treatment of spinal complaints) is the medical profession's weakness. Although researchers have found that most patients who visit chiropractors are seeking treatment for spinal conditions,11 approximately three times as many patients visit medical professionals for such conditions.12 Interestingly, many primary care providers are not interested in treating spinal pain,13 and more than two-thirds of general practitioners say they would be interested in receiving information about chiropractic.14,15 Therefore, our profession is poised at the brink of a tremendous opportunity.
The Need for Collaboration
As the demand for chiropractic increases, so does the need for collaboration with medical providers.15 Although good communication between various health care professionals has been shown to be a consequential variable for maintaining high standards of patient care,16 communication remains lacking between chiropractors and medical doctors.17-19 Chiropractors have been unable or unwilling to communicate with MDs because, frankly, we haven't known what to say or how to say it.
Obviously, we need to narrow the communication gap if we are going to seize the opportunity for collaboration. But our communication must be based upon scientific literature, and it must be made in the context of a planned, professional marketing strategy. One such strategy among the many available to savvy, ethical chiropractors is a medical referral program.
Mastering Collaborative Communication
Although MDs may only occasionally turn to the scientific literature for evidence to support their own established interventions, they are adamant about requiring such evidence for complementary and alternative treatments. This double standard, previously exposed by Cooperstein,20 is probably fueled by the fact that these approaches fall outside of the traditional medical paradigm and, until recently, have had little research supporting their use.
Before we can effectively and credibly communicate with our medical colleagues, we must align our practice protocols with the best available evidence. Doctors who have successfully forged collaborations with MDs are those who:
Conclusion
Not all marketing strategies require chiropractors to abandon our ethics or professionalism. We can be both honorable and financially successful if we align our protocols with the evidence and employ effective professional marketing strategies. Not only will this approach elevate our profession and our practices to new levels of success, but it will benefit our patients!
References
When sports chiropractors first appeared at the Olympic Games in the 1980s, it was alongside individual athletes who had experienced the benefits of chiropractic care in their training and recovery processes at home. Fast forward to Paris 2024, where chiropractic care was available in the polyclinic for all athletes, and the attitude has now evolved to recognize that “every athlete deserves access to sports chiropractic."
It is estimated that 61% of patients with CTS avoid taking surgical options due to postoperative complications and costly surgical procedures. Chiropractic care offers a comprehensive and effective treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome, addressing the condition from multiple angles. Recent studies also have unveiled a game-changing adjunct to chiropractic treatments for CTS: nerve flossing.
Some doctors thrive in a personality-based clinic and have a loyal following no matter what services or equipment they offer, but for most chiropractic offices who are trying to grow and expand, new equipment purchases help us stay relevant and continue to service our client base in the best, most up-to-date manner possible. So, regarding equipment purchasing: should you lease, get a bank loan, or pay cash?
