Issue 2 - February 2004

Wrestling with the idea of going ‘multi-discipline’?
Consider a new concept: DC-PT
By Mark Sanna, DC

Consolidation and integration. Once considered phenomena, now they are marked trends in the healthcare industry. Market forces and decreases in revenue are driving practice consolidation within chiropractic — a movement already familiar to the medical community where less than 30 percent of medical doctors remain in private practice.

In chiropractic, the solo practitioner will soon be equally rare. Economic reality demands — and rewards — diversification of patient services, a kind of one-stop healthcare experience for patients.

Despite economics and trends, you may be wrestling with the decision to convert to a multi-disciplinary practice. Allopathic medicine has traditionally been at odds with chiropractic. How can the two philosophies coexist in one clinic? And what about the legal and ethical considerations of operating a multi-disciplinary clinic?

If these are your worries, rest assured: It is indeed possible for you to establish a multi-disciplinary practice that honors the art, science and philosophy of the chiropractic profession.

But if you remain hesitant about adding a medical physician to your practice, consider an emerging multi-disciplinary practice mode: the DC-PT practice — a chiropractor and physical therapist team.

Teamwork through distinct roles

A successful DC-PT practice is established on a respect for each other’s role and teamwork in serving the patient.

The chiropractor:
• Diagnoses the cause of the patient’s problem;
• Orders appropriate diagnostic tests, including x-rays, if necessary; and
• Formulates a management strategy that may include chiropractic adjustments, exercise, physical therapy and nutritional counseling, when permitted by state scope-of-practice laws.

The physical therapist:
• Performs a comprehensive evaluation of movement, stability and joint and muscle function; and
• Provides manual therapy, exercise, ergonomic and lifestyle advice and other rehabilitation approaches.

The DC and PT communicate regularly with each other about each patient. This team approach allows the practice to maximize benefits to your patients without the sometimes-complicated legal structure required when a medical physician has a role in the multi-disciplinary practice.

For your patients’ benefit — not yours

A multi-disciplinary practice should be created primarily to benefit your patients, not you. A well-designed clinic:

• Offers a broader scope of services than those available in a stand-alone physical therapy or chiropractic clinic and

• Delivers these services in a more efficient and cost-effective manner.

When operated correctly, legally and with proper professional guidance, a DC-PT multi-disciplinary model will grow your practice considerably through:

• More volume. Your increased scope of services will attract more new patients.

• Bigger market exposure. The team approach will increase your access to the healthcare market. While only approximately 10 percent of the population seeks chiropractic care, the majority of the population seeks physical therapy services. Creating a DC-PT multi-disciplinary practice provides you with the opportunity to offer chiropractic care to a larger segment of the population, many of whom may never have sought out chiropractic otherwise. This expanded access alone will significantly increase the volume of patients and services rendered in your practice.

As a chiropractor you possess the ability to deliver an incredible healing modality, the chiropractic adjustment. Unfortunately, the general public has not yet recognized and embraced chiropractic for what it is.

Converting your practice to a DC-PT multi-disciplinary facility is a way for you to insure that the profession of chiropractic is robust and thriving for future generations to come. u

Dr. Mark Sanna is the president of Breakthrough Coaching. To learn more about the DC-PT Model of multi-disciplinary practice, contact him at 800-723-8423 or visit www.mybreakthrough.com