The Strategic Chiropractor

MARCH 31, 2011

Recently I received an email from an auditing group to which I belong that offered some nasty little tips that auditors can use to easily recoup money from physicians, including chiropractors. First, let me pause and clarify one point.

Chiropractic 130

Chiropractic Chiropractors Chiropractor 130

The Strategic Chiropractor

APRIL 13, 2011

Put your chiropractic business hat on, dust off your business brain or stand near a mirror facing your business side (whatever that may be). In other words, let's talk about the business of being a chiropractor.

Chiropractor 130

Chiropractor Chiropractors Chiropractic 130

The Strategic Chiropractor

MAY 3, 2011

One of the most common questions that I get around here is on EMR. Everyone wants to know whats the best EMR system to use or when is a good time to implement EMR or how to implement EMR. You get the idea.

Chiropractor 130

Chiropractor Chiropractors Chiropractic 130

The Strategic Chiropractor

JUNE 7, 2011

Ever get the feeling that your chiropractic office is sweating the small stuff or majoring in the minors? Or that you are stuck at a certain level, doomed to repeat the same mistakes or scenarios time and time again? You know what I mean.

Chiropractor 130

Chiropractor Chiropractors Chiropractic 130

The Strategic Chiropractor

AUGUST 4, 2011

Im just wrapping up a 6 week, 8000 mile tour (literally via planes, trains and automobiles) of the USA for client office visits. Instead of the usual hardcore billing, coding, documentation, compliance fare, here are some of the insights Ive gleaned along the way to help you better your business.

Clients 130

Clients Chiropractic 130

The Strategic Chiropractor

SEPTEMBER 1, 2011

Most chiropractors welcome new patients and understand that the best new patients are often referrals. The real cream of the crop, therefore, are patient referrals from Medical Doctors, Attorneys or other professionals your patients already view as "experts.

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Patients Chiropractic Chiropractors Chiropractor 130

The Strategic Chiropractor

OCTOBER 19, 2011

Lets talk plans, protocols, systems and solutions to "un-stuck-ify" your chiropractic practice. In other words, how do you get to that mythical "next level" that is just past the point of where you repeatedly bang your head on the same problems that seem to perennially evade decent solutions and defy concrete systems?

Chiropractic 130

Chiropractic 130

The Strategic Chiropractor

OCTOBER 26, 2011

I had some interesting responses to my last post where my main point was that most chiropractic practices need systems to propel them forward to the next level and to overcome the obstacle of being stuck in practice. Most readers admitted to being guilty as charged for their lack of systems.

Chiropractic 130

Chiropractic 130

The Strategic Chiropractor

JANUARY 24, 2012

At one point in time, virtually every business owner chiropractors included has asked the question How can I improve my income? Todays post will discuss this mega-dilemma of nearly all entrepreneurs. Before we discuss potential solutions, allow me to throw another question at you: HOW do you want to increase your income?

Chiropractic 130

Chiropractic Chiropractors Chiropractor 130

The Strategic Chiropractor

FEBRUARY 16, 2012

These days, it makes sense no, in fact it is a necessity to have other providers in your office who can supplement your income stream and/or help your business earn money apart from efforts you make with your own two hands.

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Massage Chiropractor Chiropractors Chiropractic 130

The Strategic Chiropractor

MARCH 15, 2012

Even for chiropractors who are not quite gadget-geeky enough to have a bathroom like the one pictured above, the writing on the wall is clear: the future of all business, including healthcare, is becoming increasingly dependent on technology.

Chiropractic 130

Chiropractic Chiropractors Chiropractor 130

The Strategic Chiropractor

APRIL 23, 2012

mong the worst myths/excuses out there in chiropractic is the "I am just not good at the business side of chiropractic" line. Sorry, if I've already offended those of you who have stated this (out loud or in your head). But, as chiropractors, we cannot continue to limp along with this mindset.

Chiropractic 130

Chiropractic Chiropractors Chiropractor 130

The Strategic Chiropractor

MAY 8, 2012

When I lecture on chiropractic billing, coding and documentation, I always get asked questions on fees. Doctors want to know how much they can charge, how much they can discount and what types of discounts, fee systems and plans are legal or not.

Chiropractic 130

Chiropractic 130

The Strategic Chiropractor

MAY 22, 2012

Mistakes happen. The average busy chiropractor either fails to bill, code and document services correctly and unfortunately, their staff also misses it. The claim hits the insurance company with the bad info intact. Next, the DC contacts me with a series of questions, depending on the situation.

Chiropractic 130

Chiropractic Chiropractors Chiropractor 130

The Strategic Chiropractor

JUNE 7, 2012

As chiropractors, all of you have heard of and undoubtedly run into patients suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). While this is a growing and pervasive problem in todays society, the more dangerous dis-ease that affects EVERY chiropractic businesses what I call RDD Retention Deficit Disorder.

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Diagnosis Chiropractic Chiropractors Chiropractor 130

The Strategic Chiropractor

JULY 2, 2012

Todays post is a quick reminder of something we too often sweep under the rug. No one likes to deal with staff struggles and all of us like to point the finger when things are not going well in practice.

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Chiropractic 130

The Strategic Chiropractor

JULY 12, 2012

Lets talk about raising fees and increasing profitability. Most of you would certainly be in favor of the latter (more profits) but many of you feel a sudden nervous twitch contemplating the former (raising your fees). In this day and age, some of you may also protest that fees are set in stone by payers.

Chiropractic 130

Chiropractic 130

The Strategic Chiropractor

JULY 26, 2012

In perhaps what many would consider a rare moment of clarity, NGS (the Part B Medicare carrier) issued a statement recently to clarify some confusion on the use of the ABN for chiropractic services.

Chiropractic 130

Chiropractic 130

The Strategic Chiropractor

AUGUST 14, 2012

Are your insurance payers, Medicare or even Personal Injury/Motor Vehicle carriers asking you for refunds? Over the last several years, youve probably noticed an increase in the number of payers auditing chiropractic services. This trend seems to be increasing as is the aggressiveness of the audit.

Chiropractic 130

Chiropractic 130

The Strategic Chiropractor

AUGUST 22, 2012

In Part One of this article How to Survive a Chiropractic Audit we focused on what to do if and when you get notification that your chiropractic practice is being audited.

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Chiropractic Prevention 130

The Strategic Chiropractor

OCTOBER 2, 2012

These days, it's tough to tell where problems start. Some of you know you, doctor, are the primary contributor. For others, it's the staff. Still others feel it's insurance or even healthcare at large. You all may be correct - which is why this article may help point you in the right direction.

Chiropractor 130

Chiropractor Chiropractors Chiropractic 130

The Strategic Chiropractor

NOVEMBER 6, 2012

If you havent been personally afflicted by the latest round of shenanigans from Aetna in regards to bundling chiropractic adjustments and manual therapy (97140), be forewarned Aetnas abusive practice is spreading quickly.

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Chiropractic Adjustment Adjustment Chiropractic Chiropractors 130

The Strategic Chiropractor

NOVEMBER 20, 2012

As I mentioned in my previous blog post Aetna Denials For Manual Therapy (97140) and Chiropractic Adjustments, it appears that Aetna is up to no good again in terms of denying claims for chiropractic adjustments and manual therapy (97140) services performed on the same day.

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Chiropractic Adjustment Adjustment Chiropractic 130

The Strategic Chiropractor

NOVEMBER 28, 2012

How do you measure success in your chiropractic business? Many coaches tell you to keep stats, CPAs love creating financial reports and even the most un-analytical chiropractors tend to know how many patient visits they had. But what about the somewhat fuzzier indicators of good performance?

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Chiropractic Chiropractors Chiropractor Patients 130

The Strategic Chiropractor

DECEMBER 3, 2012

Ever sit and wonder why everyone preaches maintenance care? There are literally dozens of good clinical reasons to do so. Today's post is a quick reminder of a few of them.

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Patients Chiropractic Posture Clinic 130

The Strategic Chiropractor

DECEMBER 6, 2012

Here we are again, in that wonderful time of the year, where the BIG question about Medicare starts to light up my inbox. Yes, every November, I get hundreds of emails all asking the same questions with slight variations. Unfortunately, there's no right or wrong answer.

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Chiropractor Chiropractors Chiropractic 130

The Strategic Chiropractor

DECEMBER 14, 2012

In Part 1 of The Best Way to Guarantee Present & Future Chiropractic Success we talked about the importance of recognizing the report cards that patients use to grade your service, refer others and trust you, as their doctor.

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Chiropractic Patients 130

The Strategic Chiropractor

JANUARY 31, 2013

Heres an idea that more chiropractors need to embrace in 2013 and beyond: the days of the solo doc may be numbered. Why chiropractors fail to embrace the concept of a group practice, shared space, partnership or associateships is beyond me.

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Chiropractor Chiropractors Chiropractic 130

The Strategic Chiropractor

MARCH 26, 2013

There are two words we need to all memorize and never forget. When we do, we become small minded about our business and, worse, our own potential. Most of you know that I'm not quite the motivational speaker type (unless hitting you in the head with a shovel qualifies).

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Chiropractor Chiropractors Chiropractic 130

The Strategic Chiropractor

APRIL 2, 2013

Of our entire 13 Things You Will Need to Change series, this post will perhaps represent the toughest challenge for many to chiropractors accept and overcome, which is why I have saved it for last.

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Chiropractors Chiropractor Chiropractic 130

The Strategic Chiropractor

MAY 2, 2013

Its no secret that chiropractors are all fighting declining reimbursements and a growing portion of fees are being pushed onto the patient by the insurance payers. In fact, according to Athena Health Payer View 2012, the weighted Provider Collection Burden increased by 7 percent from 2010 2011.

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Chiropractor Chiropractors Health Patients 130

The Strategic Chiropractor

MAY 6, 2013

With auditors examining our every move, many chiropractors are growing increasingly concerned about the state of their documentation. Heres the really bad news: as a Certified Professional Auditor and Professional Coder myself, I have reviewed countless chiropractic records and many DCs have good reason to worry.

Chiropractic 130

Chiropractic Chiropractors Chiropractor 130

The Strategic Chiropractor

MAY 23, 2013

If you do PI work, you may want to forward this on to attorneys that you work with as it could prove helpful to future MVA cases.

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Chiropractor Chiropractors Chiropractic 130

The Strategic Chiropractor

JUNE 1, 2013

I am here today to talk a little about a frustrating event that happens all too often in your practice -- the "lost" claim. Call it lost, non-received, missing, deep-sixed, whatever you like -- the meaning is the same: the insurance company doesn't have it and therefore, they are not paying.

Chiropractic 130

Chiropractic 130

The Strategic Chiropractor

JUNE 2, 2013

Since I am a big advocate for "working smarter, not harder" and creating profitability in your practice, several devoted blog/newsletter readers have written in asking about incorporating other professionals into your chiropractic practice.

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Chiropractic Clinic Massage 130

The Strategic Chiropractor

JUNE 4, 2013

Its that time of year again when Im going through my email inbox and realizing there are more questions than I can humanly answer. First, thanks for your emails. Even if I cant answer them all personally, they do provide the bulk of the material for my blog posts.

Chiropractic 130

Chiropractic 130

The Strategic Chiropractor

JUNE 6, 2013

One of the most common questions that I get in my billing, coding & documentation seminars, via my blog, and from my consulting clients is this: what EHR do you recommend? Let's first establish a few very important points: Consider These ThingsFIRST in Your Decision Making Process 1) WHEN, Not If.

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Clients Chiropractic 130