Frequently Asked Questions
Understanding all the facets of care can be difficult. Below is a list of frequently asked questions and commonly heard statements from patients trying to understand their chiropractic and wellness needs.
WHAT CONDITIONS DO CHIROPRACTORS TREAT?
DCs (or Doctors of Chiropractic) take care of patients of all ages with varying health conditions and ailments. DCs are most known for getting rid of pain and helping patients manage their pain, from back pain, to neck pain, to headaches and more. Chiropractors do this by using different techniques, such as chiropractic adjustments, myofascial release, and corrective exercise just to name a few.
DCs also treat injuries and musculoskeletal system disorders which can cause chronic pain and discomfort. Not only does chiropractic treatment have temporary and local benefits, but treatment can also improve your overall health and life. DCs regularly consult with their patients to discuss nutrition, lifestyle and fitness routines and healthy habits.
IS CHIROPRACTIC TREATMENT APPROPRIATE FOR CHILDREN?
Yes, children including infants can benefit from chiropractic care. The first trauma in life is birth. Children are very physically active and experience many types of falls and blows from activities of daily living as well as from participating in sports. Injuries such as these may cause many symptoms including back and neck pain, stiffness, soreness or discomfort. Chiropractic care is always adapted to the individual patient. It is a highly skilled treatment, and in the case of children, very gentle. Using a technique called dynamic neuromuscular stabilization (DNS) the doctor is able to assist children who are behind on development helping them to progress to where they should be for their age.
WHAT TYPE OF CHIROPRACTIC TECHNIQUES DO YOU USE?
Summit Spine and Therapy uses high-velocity chiropractic adjustment, active myofascial release, dynamic instrument myofascial release and a complete rehabilitative corrective exercise program based on the goals of a functional assessment to treat their patients.
WHAT TYPE OF CLOTHING SHOULD I WEAR TO MY APPOINTMENTS?
We recommend wearing loose, comfortable clothing to your appointments to make it easier for the staff to treat your aches and pains through massage, adjustments, and other forms of treatment.
If you cannot wear loose clothing, we have clothes for patients to change into, but it is recommended that patients bring their own change of clothes, especially during therapy visits.
CAN I USE HEALTH INSURANCE FOR A CHIROPRACTIC VISIT?
We accept most major medical health insurance plans as well as ChiroHealthUSA (cash plan).
For more info about our ChiroHealthUSA cash plan or more info about insurance, please send us an email or call us at 317-284-1329.
WHAT TYPE OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING DO CHIROPRACTORS HAVE?
Doctors of Chiropractic (DCs) are educated just as primary health care providers, but they focus on the diagnosis and care of the musculoskeletal system and the nerves that run through it. DCs go through some of the most intensive and stringent educational requirements in the medical field. Typically, an applicant for a chiropractic program has already gone through 4 years of pre-med undergraduate education! Once accepted, they must go through 4 years of professional study at an accredited college.
DCs are educated in fields including (but not limited to) orthopedics, neurology, physiology, human anatomy, clinical diagnosis including laboratory procedures, diagnostic imaging, exercise, nutrition rehabilitation and more. Because spinal adjustments and manipulations are so sensitive, a normal chiropractor goes through a minimum of 4,200 hours of classroom, lab and clinic experience!
HOW IS A CHIROPRACTIC ADJUSTMENT PERFORMED?
The manually-performed chiropractic adjustment procedure utilizes the skills and repertoire gained during a DCs extensive education and training. Dr. Scott uses his hands and a special chiropractic table to manipulate the spine and other joints of the body, in order to straighten out the spine and restore joint mobility and function. Dr. Scott adapts the procedure to meet each patient’s individual needs and condition. This procedure may seem dangerous, but it is one of the safest, least invasive and highly controlled procedures in the chiropractor’s tool-set. Our patients see immediate change and relief after this procedure.
IS CHIROPRACTIC CARE ONGOING?
Chiropractic care is a hands-on and personalized method of treatment, and thus requires patients to visit a chiropractor a number of times. This number varies depending on the severity of your condition and the rehab needed.
Unlike medical care, which can be started at home, most chiropractic treatment requires being in the office. Further, rehab and treatment often requires exercise and strengthening techniques to be done at home in-between visits.
Dr. Scott and the staff will inform you of the number of expected visits after your first consultation and exam.
HOW MANY TREATMENTS ARE NORMALLY SCHEDULED?
Chiropractic care is a hands-on and personalized method of treatment, and thus requires patients to visit a chiropractor a number of times. This number varies, depending on the severity of your condition and the rehab needed. The point of a chiropractic adjustment is to restore balance and mobility to the spine that has been lost via injury or postural habits. Just like making goals in the gym, once those goals are reached you don’t just stop going to the gym, you continue going to maintain your gains. True corrective care in chiropractic involves exercises to address the functional deficiencies of the musculoskeletal system as well as the spine. Since treatment plans may be extensive, we offer a payment schedule that spreads out the payments required into easy monthly payments. We will discuss this with you after your treatment duration is established.
HOW LONG DO VISITS USUALLY TAKE?
Your first visit to the office will normally take 45-60 minutes as we assess your needs and treatment options. After the treatment plan is established, the subsequent appointments take an average of 30-45 minutes.
HOW SHOULD I FEEL AFTER MY FIRST VISIT?
Many of our patients feel much better after their first visit. Although the responses vary from case to case, most patients feel more relaxed, flexible and sometimes more energetic after their initial exam and treatment.
Some patients may feel a bit tired and want to give their body rest, and that’s okay! That doesn’t mean it didn’t work! Patients may feel sore or achy after their adjustment since muscles have been pulling improperly along misaligned joints. Ice and OTC analgesics or pain relievers are recommended for this discomfort.
Dr. Scott warns his patients that this relief or side effects may not be permanent, as a treatment plan normally will last several weeks or months. Treatment is a marathon, not a quick sprint!
AM I REQUIRED TO PAY FOR EACH TREATMENT UPFRONT?
Since treatment plans may be extensive, we offer a payment schedule that spreads out the payments required into easy monthly payments. For patients that want to meet their deductible, we calculate how many visits are needed until their deductible is met, and then add that to the cost of their copay after this is met. We then divide that number by a number of months and assign a monthly payment to you. With this plan, you are not expected to pay each time you visit the office.
We will discuss this with you after your treatment duration is established.
WHAT IS ACTIVE CARE?
Active care is care that is rendered with a specific treatment plan in place. Care is typically more frequent in the beginning of care and less frequent as the patient becomes more stable. Periodic examinations are required and treatment goals need to be monitored and documented Active care would typically never exceed a 2-week gap between visits.
WHAT IS MAINTENANCE CARE?
Maintenance care is care that follows active care once the patient’s health status has become stable. The goal of maintenance care is to maintain the improvement that was accomplished with active treatment. Even though the patient may still have some degree of pain or discomfort, once their improvement has leveled off they must be released from active care and placed onto a maintenance program of care. Maintenance care typically exceeds a 2-week gap between visits.
WHAT IS "MEDICAL NECESSITY?"
Medical Necessity is a term the insurance industry uses to define what services are covered by insurance and what services are not covered by insurance. Health insurance companies provide coverage only for health-related services that they define or determine to be medically necessary. Insurance will not pay for healthcare services that they deem to be not medically necessary.
"I JUST WANT TO COME IN WHENEVER I FEEL I NEED TO AND I DON’T WANT TO BE ON A TREATMENT SCHEDULE."
That’s okay! However, you need to understand that chiropractic treatment provided on an “as-needed” basis is determined by the insurance industry to be “not-medically necessary” and is therefore not covered by insurance. Even if your insurance benefits say you have a certain number of chiropractic visits per year, those visits need to fall under an active treatment program prescribed by the chiropractor to be covered. Patients that are seen on an “as-needed” basis and are not on a specific treatment plan are required to pay for the services out-of-pocket since insurance will determine the care to be maintenance in nature.
"BUT I‘M STILL IN PAIN. WHY WON’T INSURANCE COVER MY CARE ANYMORE?"
Whether insurance will pay or not actually has nothing to do with symptoms or how a patient feels. Insurance will only pay for services that it determines to be medically necessary. Once a treatment plan has been completed (or not followed) and long-term improvements are not expected, then the patient must be released from active care without regard of any remaining symptoms. Once maximum therapeutic benefit is achieved then active are is to be stopped and maintenance care started.
"BUT MY INSURANCE SAYS THAT I HAVE 12 VISITS PER YEAR COVERED."
Insurance will only pay for services that it determines to be “Medically Necessary”. If the 12 visits are used during an active treatment protocol then they should be covered; however, if the 12 visits are used on an “as-needed” or “once-a-month” basis then insurance will not cover those visits. Maintenance visits are determined by the insurance industry to be not-medically necessary and are therefore not covered services. Non-covered services also do not apply towards any deductible so there is no need to even bill insurance for this type of service.
"MY INSURANCE SAYS THAT THE DOCTOR JUST NEEDS TO CHANGE THE CODE AND THEN THEY WILL PAY."
For a doctor to bill insurance using a code that is different than the service that was provided would be insurance fraud and our office would never participate in that practice.
"CAN I GO BACK ON ACTIVE CARE ONCE I’VE BEEN ON MAINTENANCE CARE?"
Absolutely! There just needs to be documented legitimate new condition or injury, exacerbation or relapse of a past condition. A new examination must be performed in order to determine if an active treatment plan is necessary. If a treatment plan is recommended then active care can be started again and continued as long as change and progress can be measured and documented. Active care likely would require therapies and rehab procedures in addition to the chiropractic adjustments and typically would not exceed 2 weeks between visits. If the treatment plan is not followed for any reason then the patient would need to be discharged again to a maintenance status.
"IF MY INSURANCE WON‘T PAY, THEN I CAN’T AFFORD IT."
Many of the patients in our office have no insurance benefits at all. Unlike most medical care, chiropractic care is very affordable for most people. Our job to take away the hurdles preventing you from getting the care you need. We offer a variety of ways to achieve your health goals. Our staff is trained to help you choose the best option for you.
Just like everything else…how we spend our money is all about priorities. We often don’t think twice about spending a large amount of money on entertainment but when it comes to our health we tend to put in on the back-burner – until its too late. It is much cheaper (and healthier) to invest a small amount in prevention instead of waiting for a health problem to get more serious which will be far more expensive.