Working with or in a hospital will be a daily reality for many doctors of chiropractic in the 1990s, and beyond. According to the American Hospital Association, approximately 50 to 100 hospitals nationwide have granted staff privileges to DCs, and hundreds of others now allow DCs to use the hospital's diagnostic capabilities such as MRI, CT-scan, and laboratory facilities.
Learning how to work in a hospital setting will be essential to the professional future of many chiropractors. Gaining hospital privileges will provide DCs and chiropractic with many advantages. For example, working in a hospital will expose more potential patients to chiropractic care, it will allow DCs to care for their current patients if they are hospitalized, it will increase the overall quality of care hospitals provide, and it will help to make chiropractic an integral component of an institution's patient care program. The hospital is also the ideal place to educate other health professionals on the science, art, and philosphy of chiropractic.
Many DCs are unprepared to take advantage of this unprecedented opportunity and need assistance with the application process. In order to provide chiropractors with practical information on hospital privileges, the International Chiropractors Association (ICA) is presenting a series of seminars on "Hospital Privileges for Doctors of Chiropractic." Two one-day seminars are currently planned: August 18 in Boston, Massachusetts, and November 3 in Atlanta, Georgia.
ICA has lined up as instructors, a successful team from New Center Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, one of the first hospitals in the country to grant privileges to DCs. The New Center team includes R. James Gregg, D.C., chief of chiropractic services; Frederick K. Lewerenz, D.O., a noted sports physician; and Alfred Moore, the hospital administrator. Over the past few years, Drs. Gregg and Lewerenz and Mr. Moore have successfully made chiropractic services an integral part of the hospital's health care program. In fact, according to Mr. Moore, the addition of chiropractic services has increased the facility's annual revenues by 10 percent.
This successful team brings a combination of experience, knowledge, and insight into the important roles chiropractors can play in the hospital setting. Together, they will provide DCs with useful, practical information on a variety of crucial topics such as:
In addition, the New Center team will offer insight into what makes the team approach so successful and how they have made chiropractic care an important part of the hospital and its service to its patients.
For more information call ICA at 1-800-423-4690.
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."
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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?
