As a chiropractor, the problem I have with my chiropractic colleagues is that they say they want to help more people but because they place a higher value on chiropractic services than the general public, they then feel they should charge a premium for it. This behavior is usually driven from some practice management company. And since the management company is a high dollar cost to the chiropractor, they have to pass those costs onto you.
The other knock from my profession is that they say chiropractic is outside the paradigm of traditional healthcare. They say it’s about holism, vitalism, and health expression. Then why is the client entry point the same as traditional healthcare…fee-for-service or insurance dependent?
Fee-for-service and insurance is great for acute or emergency care where you hope to never see that doctor again. Yes, it may cost more to fix a broken leg, stop a heart attack, or close an open wound, but that shouldn’t be a repeat occurrence. You don’t hesitate heading to the ER when a bone is sticking out of your leg. But many chiropractors feel their services are on that same level of urgency as someone with a broken leg or in the middle of a heart attack. They are confusing urgency with important. If you show up to my office with your bone sticking out of your skin, you’re in the wrong place. Get to the ER.
For me, it was implementing chiropractic on a consistent basis that drastically changed my own health issues. I wasn’t using chiropractic to treat a condition, I was just getting adjusted regularly because I was the patient of a fellow chiro student. And as he learned to adjust on me, my skin cleared up. Win-win.
And as I have just turned 38, I attribute my regular care in keeping me able to adapt to what life throws at me. So due to the value chiropractic care has put in my life, the importance of it (not urgency), I want to marry the concepts of regular, consistent access that is affordable.
As Buckminster Fuller said, “To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” This is why I like a membership style model for chiropractic services. The best results I’ve seen with people in health promotion are those that utilize chiropractic on a regular, consistent basis.
How is this done? I have been offering this membership style service model for my chiropractic services since 2012. It’s been fantastic for those individuals and families that want chiropractic care on a regular, consistent basis at a flat fee. It makes it affordable and accessible for all types of budgets. With a membership model, people are utilizing my skills based on importance of staying healthy and maintaining a high function, not urgency to get them out of a crisis.
The individuals and families that get the most benefit from it are the ones that look at chiropractic from a perspective that is broader than just pain control. The more stress that occurs in life (physical, chemical, emotional), the more the nervous system is forced to adapt. That adaptation puts us in a state of protection. The more we are in protection, the more our body breaks down. For me, chiropractic is the reset switch on the nervous system fuse box or the charger for a cell phone. It removes physical interferences (subluxations) that inhibit full neurological expression to aid in recovery and healing.
What Type Of Crazy People Use This?
If I look at the members that utilize this membership style for chiropractic services, they tend to fall under these 5 categories.
- Desk Workers (though we always discuss standing workstations).
- Semi-Competitive-Worker-Outers (athletes past their prime that want to stay at peak performance).
- High Demand Work Environments (moms, executives, military, service professions).
- Kids (especially those in daycare exposed to lots of nasty stuff).
- The Weird Ones (people like me that have more trust in the body’s innate intelligence to repair and recover than any medication, unless in an emergency situation).
I fall into 4 of the 5 categories; weird, high demand work, worker-outer, and though I’m not a kid I have people coughing and sneezing on me. I personally get adjusted every week. I’m not using it to manage pain, treat a condition, or prevent an ailment. I use chiropractic to optimize my nervous system’s ability to adapt to what life throws at me.
So I’m not only a deliverer of chiropractic, I’m also a client. But I will say that my only regret in life is that I can’t adjust myself…believe me, I’ve tried.
Membership Rates
- Weekly Family: $185/month
- Bimonthly Family: $135/month
- Weekly Individual: $125/month
- Bimonthly Individual: $75/month
There is a catch. The rates are based on a 12 month commitment. You can quit anytime, we just pro-rate the visits you used at full retail fee of $55. After 12 months, it becomes a month to month deal.
Last But Not Least
For those looking for a less frequent visit schedule or your budget doesn’t work for the memberships, we do a community day on the LAST Wednesday of every month (holiday dependent) where you can get your specific, scientific, chiropractic adjustment for $25. Any other day, the visit rate is $55.
In 2017, those ‘last Wednesdays’ are: Jan 25, Feb 22, March 29, April 26, May 31, June 28, July 26, Aug 30, Sept 27, Oct 25, Nov 29, and Dec 27. Mark your calendars and call to schedule as appointment times on these days fill up quickly.
Though we are not contracted with insurance companies, you are more than capable to use your HSA or HRA account for these services.
For further questions, feel free to call Calley (719-602-4545) or email her at hello@drkurtperkins.com. You can even ask her to give you a reminder on that Monday prior to the last Wednesday. You are more than welcome to pay as you go when you feel it’s urgent. But these type of people come in with unrealistic expectations that everything will be fixed in a single visit, much like emergency care.