Dear TAC, . . .When it conies to PI practices, they raise the car insurance rates of everyone. I wish laws would be passed to prevent chiropractors from being able to accept PI cases and bill the insurance. It's nauseating, degrading, and Studin, et al., should be ashamed of themselves. And The American Chiropractor should not glorify these disgusting members of our profession. It harkens to the day of the 1980's when chiropractors milked insurance companies left and right, which leads us to today, where only 20% of new chiropractic graduates continue in the field 5 years after graduation because insurance companies are going to make ALL of us pay for the sins of the few. . . Anonymous Dr. Mark Studin Replies: Dear Anonymous, Since this letter was directed at me, I wanted to say that there are many things about which I agree with Dr. Anonymous. First, it is impossible for every chiropractor to have a PI practice, as caring for the trauma patient requires expertise in trauma care. It takes a commitment to be the best-of-the-best in understanding spine, disc and neuropathol-ogy, as that is what is required to be successful in having a responsible and successful PI practice. Secondly, Dr. Anonymous would seek legislation to prevent accident victims from seeking chiropractic care and to keep chiropractors from receiving a fair fee. I have alwavs felt that everyone deserves chiropractic care and the trauma patient usually needs immediate care, more so than the chronic patient. Is this patient supposed to reach out for drugs and surgery when a drugless alternative often renders better results at less cost? Patients get better quicker and stay well compared to medical care in many cases, often to the detriment of the medical-legal case. Although lawyers are seeking to prevail in their cases, they are looking for the truth, not inflammatory reports, and refer their clients to chiropractic so they can get well. There is no need to pander to the lawyer or anyone else. The truth about the injuries of our patients is all that is wanted from the legal community. I have cared for 10,000 's of patients over the years, and I have never heard "all chiropractic is good for is treatment after a car accident." Every one of my patients had to sit through a health care talk, explaining subluxation and lifetime care, as most of my accident patients stayed for care after their accident insurance ran out and the majority brought their families in for care. It was my purpose to render "subluxation care," which did not compromise my diagnostic skills or my triaging the patient to a specialist when clinically indicated. If your patients, Dr. Anonymous, do not understand what chiropractic care is, why aren't you educating them? So, Dr. Anonymous, I have very strong advice for you: If you want to have a PI practice, become the best-of-the-best at PI and you will win. Your patients will appreciate it. You are now doing what many do: sitting back, writing hate mail and complaining anonymously. Instead, make a commitment like I did back in 1978 when, on my first day of class at NY Chiropractic College, Frank DeGiacomo, DC, my philosophy professor, said, "Man's greatest gift to man is chiropractic," and start un-subluxating the world, regardless of the cause of the subluxation, one person at a time. Dr. Mark Stiuiin, LETTERS TO THE EDITOR E-mail: [email protected]
