issue-18-2017 Archives - Chiropractic Economics

Produce better results with a peripheral neuropathy niche practice

Marc H. Sencer, MD December 2, 2017

Chiro Biz Quiz Would you like to have a practice that is all-cash, all-insurance, or a mix of cash and insurance payers? Would you like to help people suffering from a chronic, mostly incurable condition? If the answer is yes, then consider creating a peripheral neuropathy niche practice. This Biz Quiz will teach you the basics. A niche practice is a specialty practice that focuses on a particular illness or symptom (e.g., osteoarthritis or hand pain).

Four ways to prepare for an OSHA inspection

David Quezada December 1, 2017

Legal Ease As the busy owner of a practice focused on patient health, you might find it easy to overlook the importance of a safe workplace. Although chiropractic offices are relatively low-risk work environments, workers can still get sick or hurt on the job. Over the past decade, more than three-quarters (76 percent) of safety complaints about chiropractic offices that were investigated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) involved alleged health violations.

Know the essentials of an individual disability insurance policy

Frank Darras November 30, 2017

Money Management The irony is seldom lost on chiropractors: You spend years bending, lifting, repositioning, and manipulating patients to ease their pain. But in turn, these activities can wreak havoc on your own body and mind, which can ultimately lead to a disability. Unfortunately, the high risk of disability due to sickness or accident in the chiropractic profession has led to a historically high volume of claims, and chiropractors are a difficult underwriting risk for insurance companies.

9 steps to successfully marketing your practice to athletes

Adria Schmedthorst November 29, 2017

Marketing Matters Chiropractic care can be valuable to athletes and sports teams, from preventative care to acute injury treatment. But many practices don’t understand how to market to athletes. Here’s a nine-step plan to market your chiropractic practice to this special population and generate a steady stream of patients. In marketing to athletes, you can take one of two approaches. Consider targeting your efforts to a particular sport or activity. For example, if you live in a state like Colorado, you might focus on conditions related to skiing or snowboarding.

Master the (unfortunate) process of terminating an employee

Brian Torchin November 27, 2017

Practice Central As baseball season winds to a close, a handful of elite teams have distinguished themselves by clinching post-season berths. Among other things, they have managed to sustain, over the course of a long season, that important balance where everyone, players and coaching staff alike, understands their roles. They complement one another, both on the field and off. This has assured them a shot at the ultimate goal of winning on the grandest stage of their profession. In a similar way, every physician’s office has its own culture and set of ethics.

Hiring quality employees and retaining them is your most important job

Nancy Singleton November 24, 2017

Practice Central In spite of the thousands of dollars tied up in your adjustment tables, computers, other devices, and your property, good employees can be the most important assets you have in your practice. They can take your practice to the next level with smiling faces, positive attitudes, and patient relationships, or drag it down with lousy attitudes, low motivation, lacking the vision you want for your practice. Your team can either help or hinder, and the type of team you put together is up to you.

Medial tibial stress syndrome can signal more serious injury

Stephanie Kramer November 22, 2017

Research Results Chiropractors see a lot of running injuries. Shin splints are among the most common and persistent types of injury among them. A recent study found that medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS) can sideline a new runner for 70 days or more. The diagnosis is usually uncomplicated, but chiropractors should also rule out other causes. Occasionally, a painful shinbone may be a sign of a more serious problem. “Shin splints, stress fractures, and anterior compartment syndrome can look alike,” says Jason Hare, DC, who owns Pure Chiropractic in Nanaimo, BC, Canada. “All three injuries are easily confused.”

This traditional practice should be in your clinical toolkit

Sudhanva Char November 20, 2017

Clinical Concerns One healing practice that deserves to be brought onboard any chiropractic practice is deep abdominal breathing (AB). People everywhere take the respiratory system for granted and indulge in shallow and even paradoxical breathing (PB), where the diaphragm moves opposite to the normal direction. But faulty and abnormal breathing are likely to hamper health and detract from therapeutic gains. Clinical evidence abounds regarding the benefits of good breathing in wellness modalities such as Ayurvedic and Siddha medicine, yoga, and tai chi.

KST: Breakthrough protocol to patient care

Tedd Koren November 17, 2017

Technique Speak Originally, after I had created Koren Publications, I thought that lecturing to chiropractic groups, writing for journals, and working in private practice would be my ultimate professional accomplishments. But life had something else in store for me. Years ago, my family was moving, and boxes and furniture were all over the place. I didn’t notice the large, heavy, sharp-edged laminate piece balanced on its edge behind the door I closed. It fell on me. It was a bad accident, and as a result I had no strength and suffered 10 years of intense pain and paresthesia.

Unlocking the secrets to healthy aging

Karen Appold November 14, 2017

Feature While the Fountain of Youth has yet to be found, it is known that the human body holds clues to a person’s longevity. Components at the cellular level play roles, including telomeres, methylation, and mitochondria. Telomeres are repeating sequences found at the ends of chromosomes, which protect them from deterioration. Without telomeres, DNA would be susceptible to extensive damage, says Adam Killpartrick, DC, CNS. “Think of telomeres as the plastic tips on the ends of shoelaces that prevent them from fraying,” says James Antos, DC, DABCO.