Integrated Healthcare Clinic: What It Is, How It Works, And Why We Don’t Do It
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You may have heard the term “integrated” healthcare, as it is fast becoming all the rage in the Chiropractic world.  

Here’s the basic premise:

- Chiropractic clinics need to make more money
- Clinics can make more money AND serve patients “better” by integrating with traditional medical services (spinal implants, minor surgery, stem cells, etc)
- Bring in a medical director and a Nurse Practitioner, and SUCCESS will happen

It looks like a win/win.  However, it’s just not so. Here’s why:

- The Doctor Of Chiropractic becomes a very small piece of the puzzle. Instead of directing care, someone else is directing care.  

- The focus on the clinic becomes insurance billing, instead of patient care.  Those services that collect the most insurance become the most recommended (shocking!)
- The patient's habits and behaviors (the drivers of the results of the healthcare problem) never get addressed.  Therefore, the patient is left undeserved, and likely doomed to repeat their plight.

The gears in this type of machine grind, and it’s because there are different philosophies vying for the helm of leading a patient.  

At its core is this question:

Can the body heal itself, or not?

This is the real question, and defines the philosophy of healthcare or sickcare that will drive the actions in the clinic.

If the body can heal itself, then the focus becomes removing whatever obstructions are keeping it from healing itself, and educating a patient on how to be effective in developing the actions needed to support that healing.

If the body can’t, then it’s full steam ahead with medication, surgery, and whatever else we can use to work “around” the way the body was designed to function.

We believe the body can heal itself if given the chance.  Chiropractic care, Functional Medicine, Massage, Functional Movement Training, Spinal Decompression, and Laser Light Therapy help the body get that chance.  So we do those things.

The “integrated” model is simply putting a Doctor of Chiropractic into a standard doctor's office.  It doesn’t have an incredibly different outcome, because the philosophy is the same philosophy that leads to the same poor results.

For example, take someone suffering from back pain.  What's the solution, and the process to find a solution?  Do we believe the body can heal itself?  if so, then X-rays, Chiropractic Adjustments, maybe Spinal Decompression, and maybe Class 4 Laser treatment all make a lot of sense.  If we don't believe the body heals itself, then drugs and surgery make a lot of sense.  

Preventable disease is usually lifestyle driven.  And lifestyle is driven by philosophy. That’s where we focus our time and energy, and the results from our patients speak for themselves.

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TAKEAWAY:  Philosophy is everything in healthcare.  For those that believe drugs and surgery are the best solutions available to preventable disease, the integrated healthcare model looks incredible.  We believe the solution to preventable disease are healthy habits that prevent disease from happening. So we don't do "integrated healthcare".

Our offer to you:  If you'd like to come in, see one of our doctors to discuss healthcare philosophy, or how Chiropractic Care or Functional Medicine might support your body, then you can do so by claiming our $19 new patient special.  Simply select the location you want to visit, give us a call, and we'll look forward to meeting you!