I realize that may sound like an odd question but there are days I just wonder.  When I first started in chiropractic, the most important part of practice was adjusting the correct vertebra for a particular problem.  I can remember talking to other chiropractors about how to treat this or that or how to operate the office to see more patients.  I can remember sitting around a table full of chiropractors discussing how to give the type of report of findings a patient could understand and how to make the patient understand the importance of a treatment schedule. 

Going to seminars and conventions used to be fun.  You would see those you have not seen or talked to in a long time.  It was like a family reunion seeing everyone. There would be share sessions before and after classes.  As mentioned before, it was not unusual to have a bunch of chiropractors sitting around just talking about their practice or a particular case they had just had come through their door.  Some would be asked to demonstrate some technique they had learned somewhere for a particular condition or draw up an office layout for better patient flow.  Everything talked about seemed to be directed toward better or more efficient patient care.  Where did all those “good  ‘ol chiropractic boys” go?

Over the past few years I have been heavily involved in our state association and that was the start of my wondering what happened to us.  We don’t seem to want to talk to each other anymore, not about chiropractic anyway.  The main topic these days seem to be how we aren’t getting paid or how much we can charge for this or that and what code to use to make it work.  After sitting around listening to topics like this it makes you wonder, are we treating patients anymore or are we treating insurance companies?  Conventions and seminars don’t seem to be “reunions” any longer. It seems we just sit around having this “pity poor me party”.  Even walking by table after table of vendors all you hear is this will increase your income and how to code it. Oh, they will talk about patient benefits but it is almost a “by the way it’s good for the patient” attitude.  I always thought patient care came first.

Whatever happened to the pride Chiropractors had in themselves and our profession? Whatever happened to the idea that if you wanted to make more money you either saw more patients or provided more service to the patient?  Patient care always came first. The more patients you saw, the more you made.  Now I’m not against doing more for the patient and getting paid for it, but what I am against is doing more just for the money and not for the well-being of the patient.  Shouldn’t it be better patient care and “by the way you may have a chance of getting paid for it”?  With the insurance industry the way it is today, "chance" is the  operative word. 

The insurance industry has helped, unwillingly at best, the advancement of chiropractic in the eyes of the general public and in some cases the ego’s of some chiropractors.  In Texas, as I would imagine as in other states, chiropractors thought we had arrived when insurance started paying, for now we were on the same level as the “real doctors”.  I never understood that line of thinking.  Who really wants to be on their level.  In today’s world with PA’s  in their office, the “real doctor” may not even see their patient, much less talk to or touch.  All they need is a script pad to give out meds that may help one condition but cause a number of others.  Is that really helping the patient?

There is a place for all health care providers.  I’m sure glad I had a good urologist when I was diagnosed with prostate cancer.  I have a check-up every 3 months and so far everything checks out OK, and I expect it to stay that way. When I need a “real doctor” I’ll use one. Everyone should be able to do what they were trained to do without being jealous of the other.  If you want to be something else, go to back to school, get your degree and license and get started. You may want to use a combination of healthcare for your patients.  There is nothing wrong with that either, but whatever you do, do it for the patient, not for the money or to boost your ego.  Dr. Jim Parker once said, or I’m giving him credit for it, that collections  are a byproduct of services rendered.  I truly believe that. Treat with the right intent and the reward will be there.

It is time for a revival in Chiropractic!  It is time to be proud of being a Chiropractor and what we do.  It is time for a reunion!!