Talking Diagnosis with the MD

Educating the MD on the Medical Pathology FIRST then chiropractic

When you are starting to educate the MDs on what we do, you MUST focus on talking their language.  That means specifically medical pathology (which fits exactly into the ICD-9 diagnosis) we do this because it makes sense to them and will put you into a peer to peer type situation.  Its no different than when you are talking with the patient during the report of findings.  We talk to the patient in terms THEY understand not in the words we learned in chiropractic education.  We don’t do it with Patients so don’t do it with MDs.  

When working with the MDs you need to discuss DIAGNOSIS first then categorize whether the spinal issue is anatomical or mechanical…Mechanical get the chiropractic assessment and the anatomical gets the surgical consultation.  That does not mean that you stop treating the biomechanical problem when there is an anatomical diagnosis, it means that you involve other professionals in the care of your patient. 

This is why a formal report going to the MD in a format that they understand [which by the way, is the way that the carriers, regulators and state board looks at your compliance and competence].  So by customizing your EMR to meet the understanding of the MD [you are doing this to generate referrals!!] you will increase compliance and reimbursement.  So you have a choice, work with the complainers and watch your life get more difficult with each passing year of practice OR fix it and move into the modern world where medical doctors are looking to work with you. 

The new generation of MDs understands that chiropractic WORKS, their biggest issue is that they are unable to “find any good ones”…leverage that system and build your practice!