Refund requests are an unavoidable part of running a chiropractic practice. Whether a patient is unhappy with their care, believes an adjustment caused harm, or simply changes their mind, these situations must be handled carefully to avoid escalation. While chiropractors are not legally obligated to issue refunds in most cases, there are times when doing so is the best business decision to protect the practice.
DOs Not Doing Much Manipulation
A recent study revealed that osteopathic patients don't receive much "osteopathic manipulative treatment" (OMT):
Percentage of Patients Receiving OMT | DOs |
<5 | 32.1% |
5 - 15 | 39.6% |
26 - 50 | 12.7% |
51 - 75 | 3.5% |
76 - 100 | 2.7% |
No response | 9.4% |
According to this study, on average, only 18% of osteopathic patients received manipulation. These numbers seem to reflect the sad state of much of health care: the "give them a pill mentality" over hands-on care.
-------------- Johnson SM, Kurtz ME, Kurtz JC. Variables influencing the use of osteopathic manipulative treatment in family practice. JAOA, 1997;97:80-87.