Understanding Chiropractic Care and what Insurance Plans
typically cover.....
Phases of Care: Active/Corrective Care (Billable to Insurance)
Most people are introduced to chiropractic care because they have some problem or symptom that needs to be addressed. When a patient begins care with a specific concern, this care is considered a period of active treatment. During this phase, visits are more frequent and the goal is to change dysfunctional patterns that have likely been present for some time and get the patient feeling better.
What’s important to distinguish is the difference between FEELING better and FUNCTIONING better. When a body is functioning well, it has the ability to change and adapt to the stressors in our lives. It also allows the body to perform at its highest level and prevents us from injury, damage, and degeneration.
Phases of Care: Maintenance/Wellness Care (Typically not billable to Insurance)
While the initial phase of care is to get you feeling better, ongoing care is focused on attaining the highest level of function possible and maintaining it. Our daily lives come with a myriad of factors that affect this function. Physical stressors range from sitting too much, not getting enough exercise, accidents and injuries, to poor diet and nutrition. Mental stressors may include work, relationships, finances, etc. Once you’re feeling and functioning better, ongoing wellness care helps maintain that function in the face of all of these factors.
Wellness/Maintenance chiropractic care can be viewed as part of your preventative health care program, like regular exercise or teeth cleanings that prevent decay and cavities. Regular chiropractic care works to maintain proper function and prevent development of new injuries or symptoms. And just like regular car or home maintenance, wellness care aims to help you perform optimally & THRIVE for years to come.
Chiropractic Timeline of Care
Active/Relief Phase of Care
Corrective/Stabilization Care
Maintenance/Wellness Care
Patient presents with a New issue or flare up of previous issue. An initial evaluation is performed, possible X-Rays taken, Diagnosis made and a treatment plan recommended at a more frequent basis to help get the patient relief from any pain/discomfort they are experiencing. This also starts the process of setting goals in relation to improving limitations of Daily Activities of Living that may be affected by their condition. Spinal Adjustments, Therapeutic Modalities, Massage, TRT Softwave Treatments and Acupuncture may be recommended to assist in this phase of care.
Once the patient has shown progress in the Active Phase of Care by improving any limitations, reducing their pain/discomfort and reaching their short term treatment goals, their Provider will reduce the frequency of visits, provide them an at home exercise/stretching program and continue to stabilize the progress that was made during the Active Phase of Care. Now that shorter term goals have hopefully been achieved from completing an Active Phase of care, we can focus on setting and achieving long term goals with shorter intervals of care.
Once you have reached a level where you are considered at the Maximum level of improvement compared to when you first came in during Active Care, your Provider will release you to Maintenance/Wellness Care. Some patients find continuing to come in on a monthly basis for spinal adjustments help prevent future flare ups of their condition and/or make any future recoveries from injury much quicker. Unless your benefits summary specifically states "Maintenance Chiropractic Care is covered", insurance does not cover this care and it would be paid out of pocket. We have very reasonable Maintenance Fees to help our patients be able to continue on their Wellness journey as affordably as possible.
