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Padding Your Chiropractic Bill
Here's a pet peeve of mine: unsuspecting patients being conned into getting tests they don't need.
Think of this: If you have an old car, and you take it to a trusted mechanic, you should be able to ask them “What does it need most urgently right now, and what's it going to cost? I know that there are a bunch of other things that will need to be replaced or repaired. Please list them in order of importance.”
That's the same approach you should take to your own care. Fix the important things first, get a heads up about the future ones, and shop around before you buy.
When you get chiropractic care, you either want to get out of pain as fast as possible, or, you want
a “tune-up” that will keep you running well. Either way, you don't need extraneous procedures that
rack up a bill but don't change the end result. There are enterprising doctors and office managers that a creative about how to make more money, especially in this economy. Here's a partial list what I consider to be bill padders:
1.Surface EMG and computerized muscle testing. If the doctor can't assess you with his own hands and simple tools, be cautious. A physical exam can be done without fancy equipment such as just a few tools such as computerized instruments. Those computer generated reports look impressive to the uninitiated. I think they're unnecessary, and not clinically valuable. The cost per report is about $100 to $500. Do you really want your insurance benefits being used on this?
2.Very frequent re-exams. Monthly reexams might be ok, but find out what they'll cost. If you are not billing insurance, and just want maintenance care (keeping you in good working order), it doesn't hurt to tell the doctor you want to skip the re-exam, or just do them every 3-6 months.
3.Using exercise equipment in the office. You need to do exercise on your own, several times a week. Aerobic, stretching, and balance training. Read about it, learn to do it safely, and make it a habit. You should be doing aerobic exercise at least 3-4 times a week, 30 or more minutes per session. Make sure your choice of exercise is safe for you, but checking with your MD.
4.Billing at the insurance rate is most likely more than the “time of service” or “cash” discount.
Ask what the cash rate is. You can't do illegal stuff around insurance billing, like bill the
insurance company AND get a discount for your portion. Don't do insurance fraud.
Trust your gut. If you've been getting care for two or three months and you don't feel better, then stop and either see a different chiropractor, or do something different. If there's one doctor in the office you like, tell the scheduling staff you just want to see that one. Switching doctors is ok. The doctor should not get huffy with you. If they do, it's their problem. You don't need to feel guilty changing providers. It's like any other industry. If you don't like the results, move on within the same office, or to a different one.
When in doubt, think car (or computer) maintenance. If you took your car or computer to a shop, had it worked on, and it came back doing the same bad stuff, would you keep going there? Hell no. Give your body the same respect.