Dr. David Elton is no stranger to the insurance industry, with more than a quarter century performing clinical, credentialing, network designation, professional / government relations functions, and more for OptumHealth, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group.
In his current role as vice president of musculoskeletal R&D for OptumLabs, Dr. Elton, a graduate of Northwestern Health Sciences University, is helping demonstrate chiropractic's value within health care and (hopefully) spur changes in insurance coverage and reimbursement – significant for DCs, patients and the U.S. health care system.
This year alone, Dr. Elton and colleagues authored studies suggesting that for both back and neck pain, chiropractic has the lowest per-cost visit of any health care provider and is the most common "first line" service provided by non-prescribing providers.1-2 (First-line services are the most "guideline concordant," per American College of Physicians [ACP] guidelines. Second-line services include radiographs and NSAID prescriptions; third-line services include opioids, injections and surgery.)
A third 2022 Elton, et al., study also found that spinal patients in certain "disadvantaged" (lower-income) zip codes are more likely to initially contact an emergency-medicine physician or primary care provider, and less likely to contact a DC. The result: greater use of medication, rather than guideline-concordant conservative care such as chiropractic.3
Collectively, these study findings reinforce that chiropractic is an effective, low-cost, guideline-supported first option for spinal care; but that more patients need access to it, regardless of economic status – in line with UnitedHealth Group's mission to improve health care. In Dr. Elton's own words:
"2022 was a year where the pursuit of the UHG mission of making the healthcare system work better for everyone resulted in my being able to publish data on spinal disorders – a common, costly condition that is the leading contributor to global years lived with disability. Individuals more deserving of this recognition than me are those that translate studies from me and others into systemic changes in local healthcare delivery systems."
What types of changes? Dr. Elton references a 2019 low back pain study5 he co-authored: "As an example of how this research is being translated to help make the health care system work better for individuals with LBP, UHC has developed benefit plan designs and provided consumer decision-support information that, when appropriate and consistent with high-quality clinical practice guidelines, encourage individuals to pursue non-pharmacological and non-interventional approaches such as spinal manipulation and active care."
UnitedHealth Group is the largest insurer in the U.S. by revenue, and subsidiary OptumHealth serves more than 125 million individual consumers, 80 percent of health plans and 90 percent of U.S. hospitals.4 In other words, if UHG / Optum believes in chiropractic, the chiropractic profession, patients and health care are sure to benefit immensely.
Dr. David Elton is helping cultivate that belief, which is why we are proud to recognize him as Dynamic Chiropractic's 2022 Person of the Year.
References
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?
