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?
MUA Gets Ink in Physician's Weekly
Physician's Weekly of November 18, 1991, presented a short front page article on Manipulation Under Anesthesia (MUA).
The article, "Chiropractic with Anesthesia" begins with a little history: MUA only began four years ago with Doctors Hospital East Loop in Houston, Texas, and is "an established osteopathic procedure" that is used at 7 of the 31 hospitals in the U.S. where DCs are on staff. The article introduces Stephen Capps D.C., of East Loop who travels around the country giving five-day courses on MUA.
G. Ron Austin, D.C., of Coast Plaza Hospital in Norwalk, California explains in the article that MUAs are used for bulging disks, sciatic pain, and cervical conditions that have not responded to conventional care. Proponents of MUA, cites the article, estimate that the procedure is warranted for 5-10 percent of chiropractic patients whose adjustments would be too painful with anesthesia.
The article is refreshingly positive for chiropractic. Orthopedic surgeon Khalid Ahmed expresses that DCs he works with at Coast Plaza Doctors are "nice people who have good rapport with their patients." Dr. Peter Golden, an anesthesiologist from Coast Plaza who's involved with 20 MUA procedures a month, notes that his apprehensions have faded in working with the DCs.
Editor's note: Below are articles "DC" has presented on MUA for reference sake.
- Capps S: Manipulation under anesthesia or conscious sedation, Dynamic Chiropractic, January 31, 1990, p. 9, 18, 21, 43.
- Francis R: Texas Chiropractic College building bridges, Dynamic Chiropractic, December 15, 1989, p. 1, 45, 47.
- Pugliese, D: Buena Park Doctors Hospital leads the way, Dynamic Chiropractic, February 1, 1991, p. 1, 28-29.
Please see page five article in this issue, "DCs Referred by MDs -- A Matter of Perspective" for a synopsis of an article on referring patients to chiropractors that was published in the same issue of Physician's Weekly as the MUA story.