Adding it up

Better data means better decisions.

Doctors love data. It’s hard to have too much of it. Of course that means information about your patients. Their vital signs and X-rays give you a basis on which to form clinical judgments.

There’s also data about the health of your practice. You monitor your PVA, your P/L statements, and equipment ROI. These metrics allow you to take the temperature of your business.

And then there’s data about the state of the chiropractic profession itself. There are a few statistics most chiropractors hear and repeat and, over time, they become gospel. How many licensed DCs are there? About 60,000. How many Americans access chiropractic care? About 10 percent.

But we should ask where those numbers came from, and if are they are true. The colleges and insurance companies have some parts of the puzzle; the state associations and boards have others, but for the most part they keep that data to themselves.

This is one reason we’re pleased to present our biannual surveys—the salary survey each spring, and the fees and reimbursements survey in the fall. We’ve been conducting these for nearly 20 years now, and we faithfully share the results with you so you can gauge where you stand among your peers. We salute everyone who took the time this year to complete the surveys; we’re grateful for the consistent support.

Another survey has just been completed that deserves your attention. A joint effort by Palmer College and the Gallup organization, it is titled “Public Perceptions of Doctors of Chiropractic,” and it was published in September in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. We report on this survey in this issue, and we recommend you read the results.¹

When you compare those findings with our survey results, a clear picture takes shape, one that should bring a smile to your face. It’s a pleasure to bring you good news.

To your success,

Daniel Sosnoski, editor-in-chief

Let me know what’s on your mind: 904-567-1539; Fax: 904-285-9944; dsosnoski@chiroeco.com.

Reference

¹ Weeks WB, Goertz CM, Meeker WC, Marchiori DM. Public Perceptions of Doctors of Chiropractic: Results of a National Survey and Examination of Variation According to Respondents’ Likelihood to Use Chiropractic, Experience With Chiropractic, and Chiropractic Supply in Local Health Care Markets. JMPT. Published Sept. 2015. Accessed Sept. 2015.