The health care lexicon, like our everyday language, is constantly in flux. This column is devoted to keeping you current on new health care terms.
Clinic without Walls
A group practice that operates from multiple sites. Member practices are usually economically linked and share a common administration.
Independent Practice Association (IPA)
A legal entity that holds managed care contracts. The IPA contracts with physicians to provide care on a fee-for-service or capitation basis. IPAs are often sponsored by medical societies to help physicians in solo practice contract for managed care.
These definitions are reprinted with permission from the glossary of Revolution: The New Health Care Takes Shape, authored by noted health care futurist Russell C. Coile, Jr., and published by Whittle Direct Books, 1993.
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?
