The state of chiropractic, and health care in general, is in a state of flux. Unfortunately, the trend only seems to be going in one direction with regard to insurance reimbursement: Chiropractors will continue to see less and less of it.
In these economic times, consumers also have less and less "loose money" to pay for things other than mortgage, car payments, food and education for their children. Paying for adjustments is often something that doesn't make the cut. But that may not be the case with other treatments. As a matter of fact, it has been proven to be the case.
Stem Cell Therapy
Stem cell therapy can be a worthy addition to your chiropractic practice. Yes, it is a little complex, and it will take some research to determine "what is what," but in my experience, it can seriously boost your practice revenue while making a significant improvement in your patients' health and well-being. As a matter of fact, I believe stem cell therapy can make such a major difference in your patients' state of health that it is the wave of the future in medicine, and patients will be willing to pay a high case fee.
Not Allopathic Health Care
Offering stem cell therapy will require additional staff such as MDs. However, that in no way means you are joining the world of chemical drugs and major surgery. Stem cells are not drugs. Just like chiropractic, stem cells address the source of the symptoms and heal the body from within.
A Crash Course: The Basics
There is not enough space in these pages to fully inform you regarding all the technical aspects of the subject. You will need to research the subject online, and it is probably a good idea to attend some webinars on stem cell therapies. That said, here are the basics:
There are bone marrow, fat and various types of placental stem cells. All can be effective; some more than others, depending on a few factors. None of the stem cell therapies in the U.S. uses any fetal (embryonic) matter. As a matter of fact, besides the "moral" issues of using fetal matter, it is appearing that such a source is a cancer risk. So, the only treatments offered in the U.S. are from placental or adult sources.
Some stem cell treatments take stem cells from an area of the body that has plenty of dormant cells and then inject them back into the area that is ailing (including joint, spine and neck issues). This allows the healthier, newly injected cells to occupy the damaged body area and proliferate.
The number of ailments that can be improved by stem cell therapy is stunning. Research it. One magazine article a few pages long can't adequately cover it.
Treatment Benefits
Research is suggesting new benefits of stem cell treatment continually. This is a very active and fluid area in health care. With regard to the spine, I have witnessed successful treatment of back pain, facet syndrome, degenerative disc disease, lumbar arthritis and osteoarthritis. In the shoulder, I have seen improvement in ailments such as rotator cuff tears, glenohumeral ligament sprains, post-traumatic shoulder arthritis, osteoarthritis and labrum tears. As I stated earlier, there are a plethora of ailments stem cells can improve. It seems as if new research comes out almost daily.
Treatment Results and Safety
It is impossible to accurate predict how an individual patient will respond to treatment. But in my experience, the vast majority experience dramatic and positive results. Very few patients end up needing surgery for their problem area after stem cell therapy. A myriad of patients avoid joint replacement surgeries after stem cell treatments. And the safety factor is very high.
Cost and Patient Buy-In
There are inexpensive ways to add stem cell therapy to your practice, but keep in mind it is not inexpensive for the patient, especially considering it is a cash service. But like most things, "swinging for the fences" is often needed to make a large difference, both in your practice and with the wellness of your patient.
Treatments can vary from $5,000 to $20,000. But sometimes you can't put a price on something that can be so life-changing while avoiding opiates and/or surgeries that can often make you worse off than you were in the first place.
What's Your Next Move?
Offering stem cell therapy is certainly not for every chiropractor. And make no mistake, it is a big undertaking. That said, I have successfully trained more than 200 offices to offer this leading-edge therapy, and it is literally saving lives all across the nation.
Do the research to discover if stem cell therapy is right for you, your practice and you patients. It won't happen overnight, but within 90 days, you could be treating patients in a completely new way and achieving dramatic results.
Dr. Brent Detelich, former president of the Stem Cell Institute of America (www.americastem.com), is a 1993 graduate of Parker College and a second-generation chiropractor. During the past five years, he and his medical team helped to train more than 300 practices on medical integration for the purpose of offering safe, effective and compliant regenerative therapies.