Dr. Gregg Rubinstein who practices at 57th Street Chiropractic in New York City explains the ins and outs of the dealing with insurance and how people come to find his services:
Does insurance cover chiropractic care?
Insurance contributes to most people’s care. One thing that’s important to understand is that there are different types of care in the chiropractor’s office. There is acute pain care, corrective care, and then wellness care. Everything with insurance is pain-based. Insurance companies will pay for enough to get the patient out of pain or that they deem medically necessary. Insurance companies do not pay for wellness care or maintenance care. They only pay for the care required to get you out of the crisis. I have to submit charts and more charts. And they make the decision if the care is medically necessary.
In my office, I don’t make my care recommendations based on insurance. If I think you need 15 visits, but you are only allowed 10 visits by your insurance, I will not tell you that you need 10 visits. You need 15, whether insurance supports the decision or not. I don’t make recommendations that are less than ideal for that individual patient.
How do patients find you?
Patients find our office in a variety of ways. The number one and the most rewarding way is by direct referral from other doctors and our existing patients. We get many referrals from other medical doctors in the community because we’ve worked hard to establish relationships with orthopedists, neurologists and general practitioners in the area. I’ve been fortunate to have a good rapport with many of the local doctors. I’ve even had the opportunity to go into a major hospital and give a presentation about chiropractic. I frequently do lectures at church groups and other organizations on how to improve quality of life through healthy active drug-free living.
My office focuses on family care. I’ve taken a lot of extra training in the areas of pediatrics and pre-and postnatal care. But I’ve been practicing for 19 years and have a lot of experience with sports- and dance-related injuries as well. We see lots of families. I recently had four generations of women — a great grandmother, a grandmother, a mom and her daughter. People also find us by by word of mouth, insurance books, because we’re near their office. They come from all over. That’s what creates the flow in my office.
The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.
