A Study from a Patient's Point of View
A recent study published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics1 (JMPT) compared chiropractic management of low back pain with medical management. While there has been at least one other study on patient satisfaction,2 this paper came to an important conclusion:
"After controlling for these variables simultaneously in a stratified analysis, chiropractic patients were still almost twice as likely to perceive their treatment to be successful after three months compared to medical patients."The study compared 146 chiropractic patients with 279 medical patients with some interesting results:
"... the 3-month risk of improvement was 13% greater for chiropractic care than medical care."When patients choose between a chiropractic approach versus a medical approach, they are making a choice that will influence their expected outcome. Patients need to be informed of the effects their choices have on their health."... the 3-month risk of worsening was 40% less for chiropractic care than for medical care."
The medical patients were "more likely to have been hospitalized for low back pain and to have had low back surgery."
The April 1994 issue of Reader's Digest contained an interesting article, "What Are We Waiting For?" It was written by John Diebold of the Diebold Institute for Public Policy Studies. This organization is dedicated to helping society benefit from technological change.
Mr. Diebold had some observations about the public's need to compare health care treatments:
"One of the biggest weaknesses in U.S. health care comes down to the startling fact that patients don't really know the relative merit of different treatments.If Mr. Diebold has his way, the ability to compare health care treatment outcomes will become a reality in the very near future. There is plenty of evidence to suggest that this is already happening within larger third-party payer organizations."Political debate rages about health care, while a solution -- greater competition through easier comparison -- lies under our noses. As with crowded roads, we can apply information technology to make much better use of the systems we already have."
Think about your own practice. Are you as effective and cost efficient as you could be? If you were competing directly with medical providers, PTs, and osteopaths, would your treatment be more cost effective than theirs?
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?
