Primary Care Provider

Chiropractic Physician as Primary Care Provider (PCP's)

The premise of chiropractic medicine in accordance with the American Chiropractic Physician Association is that people are more than just the sum of their body parts. Therefore, doctors of Chiropractic Medicine (D.C.s) practice a whole-person approach. Rather than focusing on specific symptoms, chiropractic physicians concentrate on treating the patient as a whole.

Chiropractors believe that the nervous system controls the body and, therefore, focus on the nerves and musculoskeletal system, which collectively house the nervous system.
 
Prior to beginning chiropractic treatment, a DC will conduct a thorough history and examination of the patient that will include a careful evaluation of the musculoskeletal system and complete neurological assessment. This is essential, because the external body and its internal structures are equally important.
 
Chiropractic physicians rely on sight and touch to identify structural defects which cause dysfunction. Because DCs understand the body’s natural healing ability, they utilize adjustments to correct joint dysfunction of the spine and extremities; thus allowing the nervous system to communicate as a whole. Treatments provided by a chiropractic physician are conducted so that the human body may regain optimum health naturally. This entails using lifestyle changes (nutrition, diet, exercise) and chiropractic adjustments first, rather than medication.

Chiropractic physicians help patients develop attitudes and lifestyles that encourage prevention rather than treatment. The Chiropractor's primary goal is to allow the body to heal itself naturally. Millions of Americans prefer this form of concerned and compassionate care, and have made chiropractic physicians their doctor of choice.

Clinical Utilization and Cost Outcomes from an Integrative Medicine Independent Physician Association: An Additional 3-year Update. Journal Manipulative Physiologic Therapeutics 2007 (May); 30 (4): 263-269

Clinical and cost utilization based on 70,274 member-months over a 7-year period demonstrated decreases of 60.2% in-hospital admissions, 59.0% less hospital days, 62.0% less outpatient surgeries and procedures, and 85% less pharmaceutical costs when compared with conventional medicine IPA performance for the same health maintenance organization product in the same geography and time frame.

Practical Applications:

Members enrolled with chiropractic physicians as their primary care provider had a lower cost do to less hospital admissions, less specialist visits, and less pharmaceutical use.
Chiropractic physicians as primary care providers (PCPs) cared for over half of the enrollees with the necessity of referral. This strengthens the case that chiropractic physicians make excellent PCPs and can help offset the shortage of PCPs.

ACPA proposed scope of practice: “Practice of chiropractic medicine” means the diagnosis, treatment, minor surgery, or prescription for any human disease, pain, injury, deformity, or other physical or mental condition, which practice is based in part upon educational standards and requirements as taught at C.C.E. accredited colleges, which emphasize the importance of the musculoskeletal structure and manipulative therapy in the maintenance and restoration of health.

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