On Nov. 12, The Academy of Chiropractic, under the leadership of Mark Studin, DC, FPSC, FASBE(C), DAAPM, announced the significant milestone of having directed over two million new patients into chiropractic offices across the U.S.
This achievement, noted a company press release, is the result of a 12-year effort, employing a groundbreaking approach that shifts from traditional chiropractic marketing to an academic model emphasizing clinical excellence and credentialing.
Non-traditional marketing model
Unlike the chiropractic profession’s historical emphasis on “guerrilla marketing” — which relies on public awareness activities, social interactions and grassroots efforts — the Academy has focused on enhancing the credentials and clinical skills of DCs to facilitate referrals from medical doctors, attorneys, hospitals, urgent care centers and the public. By highlighting DCs’ specialized credentials and positioning them as experts in primary spine care, the Academy has created a perception shift that encourages referrals from both the medical and legal communities.
A cornerstone of this success is the Academy’s joint providership collaboration with Cleveland University Kansas City, Chiropractic and Health Sciences, and the State University of New York at Buffalo, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Through this partnership, the Academy offers joint post-doctoral/graduate courses providing chiropractic continuing education (CE) credits and medical AMA credits, underscoring chiropractic’s role in the broader healthcare ecosystem.
Studin notes a clear correlation between enhanced credentials and referral volume, emphasizing that for the first time, “any willing provider” can participate without exclusive affiliations.
“Our program has enabled lawyers to bypass MDs, MDs to bypass PTs, and the public to view chiropractic as the primary choice for spine care,” said Studin. “The two million referrals validate our approach as the most effective strategy for expanding chiropractic’s role in patient care.”
Studin is a frequent contributor to Chiropractic Economics, authoring articles for the magazine on building a personal injury practice, considerations when using a personal injury referral service, the importance of evidence-based chiropractic practice and other topics.
In addition to leading The Academy of Chiropractic, Studin, who earned his doctor of chiropractic degree from New York Chiropractic College, is an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Bridgeport School of Chiropractic, an adjunct postdoctoral professor at Cleveland University-Kansas City College of Chiropractic and a clinical instructor at The State University of New York at Buffalo, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Office of Continuing Medical Education.
He earned his Fellowship in Primary Spine Care certified in joint providership from The State University of New York at Buffalo, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Office of Continuing Medical Education, and Cleveland University Kansas City College of Chiropractic.
For more information, visit academyofchiropractic.com.
