8+ SAMPLE Chiropractic Business Plan in PDF

Is chiropractic treatment appropriate for children?

Yes, children can benefit from chiropractic care. In the case of children, it is very gentle. Children are very physically active and experience many types of falls and blows from activities of daily living as well as from participating in sports. Injuries such as these may cause many symptoms including back and neck pain, stiffness, soreness or discomfort. Chiropractic care is always adapted to the individual patient.

What type of education and training do chiropractors have?

Doctors of chiropractic are educated as primary-contact healthcare providers, with an emphasis on diagnosis and treatment of conditions related to the musculoskeletal system (the muscles, ligaments and joints of the spine and extremities) and the nerves that supply them. Educational requirements for doctors of chiropractic are among the most stringent of any of the healthcare professions. The typical applicant for chiropractic college has already acquired nearly four years of pre-medical undergraduate college education, including courses in biology, inorganic and organic chemistry, physics, psychology and related lab work. Once accepted into an accredited chiropractic college, the requirements become even more demanding — four to five academic years of professional study are the standard. Doctors of chiropractic are educated in orthopedics, neurology, physiology, human anatomy, clinical diagnosis including laboratory procedures, diagnostic imaging, exercise, nutrition rehabilitation and more. Because chiropractic care includes highly skilled manipulation and adjusting techniques, a significant portion of time is spent in clinical technique training to master these important manipulative procedures.

5 common reasons why chiropractic businesses fail, and what to do to turn failure into success:

1. Lack of Patient Awareness. What happens if a chiropractic practice fails because no one knew it was there? The lack of patient awareness is a major cause of chiropractic business failure. Chiropractic is not a “if you build it, they will come” sort of venture. It is not enough to simply open an office and expect patients to flock to it. Chiropractors know this, but they often are not using the right type of marketing to let people know they exist and can serve their needs. It is crucial to advertise and market correctly, including using social media.

2. Lack of Delegation. Everyone gets the same 24 hours in a day, and there is only so much any one person can do in that time. Too many chiropractors try to carry the majority of the workload themselves, without delegating appropriate tasks to employees. The bottom line is that you cannot do it all yourself; trying to do so may mean crucial elements of your business are falling between the cracks. While you may have to take on more tasks than you like in the very beginning, it is important to hire good staff as soon as possible and delegate the work accordingly.

3. Not Maintaining a Business. Plan A good chiropractic business plan in and of itself won’t make a practice successful. However, that is generally because once the chiropractic business plan is completed and the lender has agreed to finance the practice, the plan goes back on the shelf and is never referred to again. That’s a mistake. Your chiropractic business model/plan should include and allow you to track your metrics for success, determine priorities, and help you build toward the future. An annual review lets you know if your business is on track at a macro level. If your business isn’t on track, making changes to your chiropractic business plan forces you to address and confront the issues your business faces and devise ways to overcome them before things get out of control. Knowing the numbers on at least a weekly basis is vital for a successful practice. If there are significant revenue drops over short periods of time, find out the cause and rectify problems before they get out of hand.

4. Lack of Organization. Patients will cancel appointments. That’s human nature. However, a practice that fails to contact these patients and reschedule them shows serious structural problems. The right software for your chiropractic assistants ensures that patients are not left behind, missed appointments are rescheduled and your office runs smoothly. A well-run office impresses the patients. An office that makes a lot of errors or appears disorganized turns them off.

5. Not Billing Correctly. You may be doing everything right, as far as you know, and have a healthy patient base, but what if your profits just aren’t adding up as they should? The culprit is likely your billing system. The right chiropractic practice management and billing system can make the difference between chiropractic success and failure. You should not have employees entering data manually, increasing the odds of mistakes. Payments and claims should be posted and submitted automatically. If a patient’s insurance has expired or they have reached their visit maximum, you need software that tells you beforehand.

Is chiropractic treatment safe?

Chiropractic is widely recognized as one of the safest non-drugs, noninvasive forms of health care available for the treatment of neuromusculoskeletal complaints. Although chiropractic has an excellent safety record, no health treatment is completely free of potential adverse effects. The risks associated with chiropractic, however, are very small. Many patients feel immediate relief following chiropractic treatment, but some may experience mild soreness, stiffness or aching, just as they do after some forms of exercise. Current research shows that minor discomfort or soreness following spinal manipulation typically fades within 24 hours. Neck pain and some types of headaches are treated through precise cervical manipulation. Cervical manipulation, often called a neck adjustment, works to improve joint mobility in the neck, restoring range of motion and reducing muscle spasm, which helps relieve pressure and tension. Neck manipulation, when performed by a skilled and well-educated professional such as a doctor of chiropractic, is a remarkably safe procedure.

What is the difference between a chiropractor and an osteopath?

A chiropractor mainly focuses on the spine. They believe that spinal health will eventually heal the whole body. While an Osteopath’s perspective is different. With a holistic approach, they aim to concentrate on the whole body. This way, they can focus on healing a number of ailments, including circulatory and digestive system disorders. Where a chiropractor focuses on spinal adjustments, an osteopath uses a number of techniques to heal the body, including adjustments, medications, and injections. Chiropractors focus on spinal adjustment and use techniques that facilitate optimal nerve transition. Osteopaths aim to improve the body’s overall healing system. This way the patient’s entire body is positively affected.

Can chiropractors write prescriptions?

Chiropractors’ expertise is doing adjustments, recommending exercises, and offering nutrition and lifestyle advice. They mainly focus on problems involving the musculoskeletal system, such as back pain, neck pain, and headaches. Chiropractors cannot prescribe medicine or do surgery.