It has happened to almost three million people in New York City, one third of those in Los Angeles and almost two thirds of those in Portland, Oregon. No, it's not another Godzilla movie, or the attack of the 50 foot woman, but Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) gobbling up enrollees faster than most studies can track them.
The figures are even more substantial when you look at the job force. Some areas of the U.S report as many as 80 percent of employees covered by managed care. The most recent figures (that are already two years old) show HMOs growing at an incredible rate. Between 1993 and 1994, many HMOs saw increases as great as 35 percent.
The largest preferred provider organization (PPO), Multiplan in New York City, boasts 6,521,739 eligible employees. The runner up, AFFORDABLE Medical Networks, covers almost four million employees.
The largest specialty PPO, Medco Behavioral Care Corp., covers 14,175,000 health care lives. The largest chiropractic PPO, American Chiropractic Network (ACN), has 5,217,391 enrollees, with Preferred Chiropractic Care (PCC) not far behind.
The largest U.S. managed care firm is Blue Cross and Blue Shield with a total enrollment of 8,118,412. Kaiser Foundation Health Plans come in second with 6,665,717 enrollees.
The largest utilization management company is Intracorp. In 1993 they reviewed a total of 618,103 cases out of a total population of 26,422,822 covered lives.
All of this information is a bit startling, considering the U.S. population is about 250,000,000. More importantly, the influence of managed care organizations in your own community is probably quite substantial.
What percentage of your patients today are enrolled in some type of managed care organization? How does that compare with five years ago? What do you expect the situation to be in the year 2000?
Reference: Managed Healthcare, Dec. 1995.
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?
