Foundation Ad Campaign Marches On
As we head toward 2009, the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (FCP) is keeping busy, expanding its advertising campaign designed to promote the value of chiropractic care. The latest foundation effort: a four-color, half-page ad featuring Richard Sarnat, MD, president of Alternative Medicine Integration.
As readers will recall, AMI has been involved in several significant studies this decade that suggest chiropractic care is a cost-effective primary-care model. Dr. Sarnat echoes this sentiment in a testimonial accompanying the latest ad, which has already appeared in Business Insurance twice and will run again in the publication's Nov. 17 issue. Business Insurance is a weekly magazine with a readership of business executives responsible for the purchase and administration of corporate and self-insurance.
"My research, conducted over a 10-year period utilizing clinical and cost outcomes data from one of the nation's largest insurance underwriters, suggests that the regular utilization of chiropractic could reduce the need for hospitalization, pharmaceutical usage, and overall health care costs by almost 50 percent," says Dr. Sarnat in the testimonial.
"This is an excellent opportunity for the foundation to showcase to the health care community that chiropractic can be a significant resource for employers in our country," commented Kent Greenawalt, president of the foundation. "Our goal is to promote the important health outcomes and financial savings that chiropractic care can bring to the table."
Vendors Initiate Matching Funds Campaign
Nutritional supplement manufacturer Standard Process and practice management consultant David Singer Enterprises have teamed up in an effort to improve insurance reimbursement for chiropractors. Dr. Singer is donating all proceeds from his live training teleconferences to the National Chiropractic Legal Action Fund (NCLAF), and Standard Process is matching those proceeds dollar-for-dollar.
"In 1997, the National Center for Biotechnology Information reported 42% of Americans were seeking alternative health care and chiropractic visits accounted for 31% of the total estimated visits," said Dr. Singer. "Each year, these numbers have greatly increased as [more] patients demand non-drug treatments and report they are very satisfied with their care. These public choices for chiropractic care over other health care options warrant better insurance reimbursement."
The NCLAF was created to initiate legal action as necessary to protect patient freedom of choice and access to health care. Contributions come from doctors, patients and other chiropractic supporters. Currently, the NCLAF is fighting Medicare law, claiming it discriminates against DCs, their patients and potential patients.
