Unfortunately, we never really know what's going to happen next. True, we may have a pretty good idea, but there are those times when we are completely surprised.
The art of survival requires us to keep those surprises to a minimum. This is why strategists always have contingency plans: "What do we do if this happens?" "What do we do if that doesn't happen?"
Right now, the chiropractic profession is mobilizing for the gargantuan task of trying to motivate the U.S. Congress in their reformation of President Clinton's health care reform. Obviously, it is very important that every DC and student get involved and get their patients involved.
But what if it doesn't happen?
Consider where the profession will be, and where your practice will be, if complete health care reform eludes the political process.
This may startle you, but there are a number of congressional members and political analysts who are not certain health care reform will come from Capitol Hill. Considering the lobbying power of the American Medical Association (AMA), the insurance industry and the hundreds of other special interest groups involved, including the chiropractic profession, Congress may find the pressures to reform health care too great and too complicated to solve.
The Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) is still moving ahead with the formation of practice guidelines for every health care procedure and treatment in existence. Most states have begun their own health care reform. And most health care professions, some kicking and screaming, have begun their own efforts at guidelines and reform.
In the midst of these and other developments, the insurance industry is repackaging health (and health related insurance i.e., automobile insurance) in their own effort to manage and control costs and quality. Nearly half of our nation's health insureds are now involved in some aspect of managed care.
So what is your contingency plan?
What is your state association doing to insure the future of chiropractic in your state should health care reform be an unattainable goal?
Napoleon Was a Lightweight!
Conventional wisdom states that you don't fight a war on two fronts. This is one of the major causes of Napoleon's (and Hitler's) military demise. The chiropractic profession is constantly fighting multiple battles on numerous fronts. We do not have that luxury.
No one knows if President Clinton's efforts at health care reform will be successful, or if the reform processes already at work will continue. To ignore either possibility could be suicidal.
Dynamic Chiropractic will continue to make every effort to keep you informed regarding the development (or lack) of national health care reform. But don't believe that this is the only possible outcome.
It is quite reasonable to expect no reform from Washington, D.C., and that our current efforts must be redoubled to maintain and increase chiropractic's presence in the health care arena.
DMP Jr., BS, HCD(hc)
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?
