To specialize?
That is the question

No doubt about it, we live in an era of specialization. And nowhere is that more prevalent than in the healthcare industry.

Years ago, MDs went to college, then medical school, did a one-year internship, graduated, and became general practitioners (GPs).

Not today. It’s difficult to find a medical doctor who classifies himself as a GP. Instead, those who do not want to specialize, specialize — in families (family practitioners) or adults (internists). They take advanced training to focus on their targeted audience.

Specialization has not yet really caught on in chiropractic. According to our 10th Annual Salary & Expense Survey, published in Vol. 53, Issue 8, of this year, more than half (59.4 percent) of chiropractors still consider themselves generalists.

Only slightly more than a quarter of respondents (27.8 percent) said they specialize in families; 8.5 percent in sports or rehabilitation; and 1.1 percent in pediatrics.

Clinic labels are also an indication of specialization (or lack of it): Almost three-quarters (73.3 percent) of respondents call their practices a clinic (a generalist label), whereas 20.2 percent label their practice a wellness center, 5.6 percent a rehab center, and 0.9 percent a medical spa.

I can think of a compelling reason to specialize — the benefits it brings to your patients and your practice.

Your patients benefit because specialized training allows you to treat more effectively. After all, there are differences in adjusting a month-old baby, a 200-pound athlete, and a 90-year-old woman.

Your practice benefits because specialization allows you to set up a profit center with products for the targeted audience. Profit centers are important to all types of practices — chiropractic, medical, rehab, or massage — because they provide an added source of revenue that can augment reimbursements.

And specializing — or adding a specialty service — can boost your bottom line, as the article entitled “Add massage therapy as an ancillary service” indicates.

Should you specialize? I hope you will at least consider it.

Until next time,

Linda Segall, Editor-in-Chief