Her healing journey has been labyrinthine. No practitioner knows its history completely. Her needs are much greater than the health care available to her.
She asks, "What do you do for people who can't afford your services?"
Her experience has been that even a little treatment can make an important difference in her life. Currently she's working on paying her debt (at $5 per month) to a chiropractor in another town for a few $50 treatments. It will take her about two more years to complete her obligation. She's happy to do it, but wishes she could afford to pay it off sooner to get out of debt.
As she speaks, I'm astonished to realize how her payment is a significant amount out of her total monthly discretionary budget. She must plan carefully, fend off competing priorities and save to meet this obligation.
I hope the chiropractor appreciates the money. When I've been on the receiving end of this type of arrangement, I find I don't usually appreciate the money or the patient who is sending it to me.
"Every once in a while I take a patient who is on Medi-Cal. I don't actually bill Medi-Cal because at eight dollars per visit with a two treatment per month limit, it's not even worth the cost of billing," I say, somewhat indignantly. I remember how I've been burned by other patients who pleaded poverty, and weren't on welfare. I've reduced my fees to almost free, then I've been inadvertently told about things they've bought that I can't afford. Delving into patient finances makes me uncomfortable. At least a person who qualifies for welfare has had the government offices inspect their finances.
The question of making my treatments available to people who can't afford the fees makes me uncomfortable. I believe that as helping professionals we should serve such people. Sometimes I congratulate myself by counting the people I serve through the workers' compensation or PI systems, but this doesn't really answer the matter. The question is how do I, as a helping professional, serve people in situations where I'm asked to work without decent remuneration?
A friend has developed a coherent office policy I admire. She decides to do a certain percentage of pro bono work each month. She keeps track of the amount she's doing. When that percentage is filled, she'll tell inquiries she's sorry but she can't help them. By setting comfortable boundaries on her involvement, she is in control. She helps more people who can't afford services than the vast majority of DCs in her area.
We are about to enter the season of giving. Let's each look at how we do pro bono work, and try to make some improvements. Our goals should be to give regularly, to give what we should, to grant people who can't afford our fees dignity and respect, and to feel comfortable in this situation.
Linda S. Elyad, DC
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?
