Healthcare costs are indeed out of control and for anyone who has been to an Emergency Room Lately, the experience has been frustrating and expensive. Often, one-size-fits-all urgent care can do the same or send us to the hospital if we have a life-threating problem. In most cases, Urgent Care offers better value for non-life-threatening problems. Problems in the musculoskeletal system are often first aid only in Urgent care so you probably have better options for a painful joint or back problem. Some services are similar no matter where they are performed such as an MRI or an x-ray. Those services are always less expensive outside of the hospital. Why should a consumer pay more for a test that is mostly the same everywhere? The same goes for many surgical procedures that cost less outside the hospital and are very safe for most of us. Quality and cost are often independent in the healthcare system. All plumbers are not alike and choosing the wrong plumber can result in avoidable additional costs and mechanical problems later on. Healthcare providers are similar in that a better provider will make better decisions and help you avoid future problems. Choosing the right chiropractor through your initial evaluation and treatment is more likely to help you feel and function better because of their attention to detail. Chiropractors are holistic and thorough and unlike Urgent care or primary care where they will look only at where you hurt, a good chiropractor will look at everything to understand why you hurt. The chiropractic approach will save you money in the long term as you will improve faster not just symptomatically but functionally too. The improved function helps you avoid future problems since your body moves and works better. Our office takes a primary care approach to what makes you hurt. Holistic care for painful conditions is often best handled by your local chiropractor. You will likely improve more with fewer visits if you follow our recommendations. Comparing costs of chiropractic vs. medical care for most musculoskeletal conditions, chiropractors take fewer X-rays, order fewer MRI scans, and begin care usually on the first visit, which often improves the condition without the use of medications which most patients prefer. Insurance companies often incentivize cost over quality and use one-size-fits-all approaches to reimbursement. When insurers cut corners, many doctors do as well which is bad for your health and quality of care. Carriers that incentivize doctors more often have better and more robust networks with more choices of participating practitioners. A chiropractor focused on results will perform muscle and soft tissue work, instruct you to perform corrective exercises both in the office and at home, and will focus on results from visit to visit. Our office uses a treat-test-treat approach to improve outcomes and maintains detailed electronic notes which are reviewed during each visit. In corporate medical care, the doctor visits are shorter and less comprehensive, while the system passes you from doctor to doctor. It is the definition of conveyor belt medicine This often results in higher costs, more doctor visits, and inefficient care, while patients receive more medications from doctors with different points of view. Patients are often frustrated by the long waits, and the referrals to one-size-fits-all urgent care when they cannot get an appointment with their primary doctor. There is a general lack of consistency of care. Many doctors have left private practice to work for these systems as insurers failed to help them stay in business with proper reimbursement practices. The money has been sent to the large systems and drug companies that are making a fortune. While doctors in the same healthcare system may use the same electronic health record, a primary care approach is mostly non-existent, even though this is what we all need. We all are paying for the mistakes that have led to corporate healthcare and the healthcare industrial complex. Often, doctors who continue to stay independent are increasingly turning to concierge care where visiting them requires yearly dues and many continue to bill your insurance. You are paying them twice in exchange for their availability. Crazy no? Other doctors continue to cut costs while refusing to compromise care. These doctors are worth holding on to in every healthcare profession as there is no substitute for quality. Some do not participate with insurance and refuse to play the game anymore as they want to simply take care of you without interference from a middleman known as health insurance. Quality starts with your doctor knowing you and your trust in them. The trust level for healthcare providers is so low now but those who are great public servants are still out there helping patients even with insurance companies making a mess of the system. Do you listen to their advice when they are looking out for your best interests? I always tell patients I am their humble public servant. Corporate medicine is self-serving in many ways. Patients also must relearn how to trust again as good doctors are looking out for your best interests. Listen to them because they are likely looking past your current health episode to help you stay out of trouble. Great practitioners do not one-size-fits-all healthcare in many cases. They do what they believe is right for you. We need a system that allows patients to compare healthcare quality and not just prices. The problem with doing this is that there are so many players in the system, that quality is difficult to perceive. Patients often look at who relieved their symptoms the fastest, instead of who solved their problem long term. While this is understandable, years later, you may find out that the few visits it required to solve your problem were needed and that the joint damage was preventable had you been willing to follow the doctor’s instructions. The system also must reward practitioners for doing a great job as well. Right now, doctors have no incentive from insurers to do a great job other than their relationship with you. Often, they get audited, clean claims must be called on to be paid, etc. The nonsense has to stop as it is horrible for doctors and their patients. It serves the corporations only which have grown as doctors left private practice and worked for them instead. Perhaps, this is why your relationship with your doctor is so important. In my practice, patients who have been in our practice for many years are like having old friends come to visit. There is a rapport and a relationship that insurers have tried to break with networks, tiering, and other tools. Many patients value these relationships too and go to those they trust. Some pay cash out of the network to get the care they need when their insurer fails them. It’s not fair but it is your health and you suffer the consequences from poor care and medical advice. We are here to help you. If you need relief from pain or a nagging athletic injury, book online or call. Recently, the Harvard Business Review did an article on this subject. Check it out below. Patients Need a System to Compare Healthcare Quality — Not Just Prices