How Can I Find a Qualified Chiropractor?

If you’ve suffered an injury or a previous condition is aggravated as a result of an accident, seeking immediate medical attention is often the preferred course of action to ensure an injury or condition does not become more serious. While there are a variety of healthcare providers, such as chiropractors, who provide this service, choosing an experienced and qualified doctor can help change an individual’s recovery experience.

The best method to find a qualified chiropractor is through the referral of another healthcare provider or through a personal referral from a friend. The advice of someone who’s had a positive experience with another specialist is always valuable when choosing the best healthcare provider.

Additionally, national associations including the American Chiropractic Association and state trade associations maintain listings of board-certified chiropractors.

When an individual has a specific concern or is scheduling care for a child, for instance, they may want to choose a chiropractor who specializes in that specific area of medicine and has enough experience working with those types of cases. Calling a chiropractor office and discussing with the staff regarding the doctor’s specialization can help clear out some doubts. If you have insurance coverage, you will also want to investigate whether or not that chiropractor you plan to receive treatment from is covered under your specific insurance plan.

What are the differences among chiropractors to be aware of?

It should be noted that the care recommendations you receive from one office may be quite different from those you receive from another office. In contrast to medicine, there is a much wider range of acceptable approaches and types of treatments given across chiropractic.

There are more than 100 named chiropractic methods, each varying in the approach to assessment and corrective techniques. Some rely on X-rays, while others utilize spinal motion or the responses to various “touch” point challenges. Examples of these various methods are Motion Palpation, Gonstead, and Applied Kinesiology, each employing their own assessment approach and type of adjustment.

Many chiropractors will incorporate a variety of methods in practice, adapting to the patient or to the problem at hand. These are often referred to as Diversified or Integrated techniques. No one approach has yet proved superior to another. If you are interested, you should ask about the techniques and why the chiropractor uses them, and perhaps scan the Web for more information.

Other questions you might ask when selecting a chiropractor:

• How they feel about working collaboratively with your primary care doctor
• How willing they are to refer you to specialists
• What services they provide in their office, such as physiotherapy
• Their preferred goals of care. Ask what is typically done on a first visit (you should expect to be treated, not just assessed). Continued care to sustain wellness is good practice, but this decision will need to come through thoughtful discussions between you and your chiropractor.

How much does it cost?

The cost of chiropractic care can vary greatly depending on where you live and the type of coverage you carry. If you have health insurance, check your insurance policies. Auto accidents and work injuries are generally also covered by insurance companies. Your policy may require you to utilize chiropractors only within your provider network, where it frequently must be approved in advance, may require a copay, or it may also have limits on the number of doctor visits covered under that insurance plan.

The cost of an initial visit can commonly include an examination and often a set of X-rays to help the healthcare professional properly diagnose and determine the correct form of treatment to follow. The cost of a moderate intake exam and X-rays can range around $160. The charges for more extensive examinations and X-rays may be significantly higher. Subsequent visits for chiropractic care can depend on each provider, however, they might be in the approximate range of $50 to $90 per visit, again related to the number of services needed for your treatment.

Compared with other forms of conservative care, coverage of chiropractic by insurance plans is extensive. According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, more than 50 percent of health maintenance organizations (HMOs), more than 75 percent of private health care plans, and all state workers’ compensation systems covered chiropractic treatment as of 2002.

In addition, Medicare covers chiropractic visits, and at least two dozen states cover chiropractic treatment under Medicaid.

When a person has experienced an injury or developed an aggravating condition due to an accident, it is expected for them to receive immediate medical care. A variety of doctors can provide treatment to these individual’s however, finding a qualified and experienced specialist, such as a chiropractor, can help ensure the patient’s recovery is safe and effective.

In order to receive the proper diagnosis and treatment after experiencing an injury or aggravating condition, choosing the best chiropractor that can provide service to the patient’s individual needs can make a tremendous difference in their overall recovery.

Sourced through Scoop.it from www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu 

For more information, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900.

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