What is a Sliding Scale Chiropractor?

Chiropractors have recently gained popularity because of their effectiveness in helping people with musculoskeletal pain and discomfort. There is a large population that wants to utilize their services but is unable to do so due to financial restrictions.Sliding scale chiropractors are the ultimate answer to treatment on a budget. If you are curious to know what sliding scale chiropractic care is, keep reading.

Chiropractors are practitioners who can see you without a referral, aka primary contact practitioners. They use their hands by applying pressure to diagnose and treat musculoskeletal problems. They focus on the spine to help with muscle, bone, or joint problems. These cardiologists can have different payment plans, but they usually charge a sliding fee per session.

What are sliding-scale chiropractors?

While regular chiropractic care may not fit everyone’s budget, this should not exclude them from getting treatment for their issues. Sliding scale therapy clinicians personalize the payment plan according to a patient’s financial condition. This makes their chiropractic services more accessible and affordable for everyone.

How do sliding-scale chiropractors charge?

A sliding-scale chiropractor does not have a fixed rate card for its patients. Instead, a payment plan is customized for each individual who would like to benefit from the practitioner’s services. The payment plan is made by considering the patient’s financial condition, household conditions, and financial constraints to figure out the most convenient way for them to pay for the service.Individuals with a low income pay a lower fee, while people with a good income pay a higher fee that is still at a sliding fee discount rate. No doubt, sliding-scale clinicians have made healthcare more accessible.

Why should you consider a sliding-scale chiropractor?

If you have been considering chiropractic therapy but the prices are the only thing stopping you from getting the treatment is your finances, a sliding-scale chiropractor is the solution to your problems.

1. A chiropractor’s treatment can help relieve muscle pain.
2. Combined with medical care, you can see better results.
3. It helps muscles recover from strenuous activity.
4. You will be billed based on your financial situation.
5. The details of your bills are confidential.

Benefits of a sliding-scale chiropractor

If you are still not convinced, here are some of the benefits of a sliding-scale chiropractor:

Financial accessibility: individuals from the low-income group can comfortably pay for a sliding-scale chiropractor. The service provider will ask for details about your financial conditions, households, etc. and charge you based on these factors. This has made chiro therapy accessible to all income groups.

Tailored affordability: the sliding scale method of billing recognises that there is a lot of diversity among the financial groups. It is catered to each person in a customized manner so that everyone can utilize the services without leaving a hole in their pocket. Even if you have a fluctuating financial situation, you can discuss it with the service provider, who can accommodate you in the payment plan easily.

Preventive care: Chiro therapy is a form of preventive care so that your muscle, bone, and joint pains do not exaggerate into chronic issues. Later, it will cost you tenfold to get medical treatment. Apart from the price factor, preventive care improves the quality of your life by keeping your musculoskeletal structures in their normal position, as they can get displaced during daily activities that cause soreness.Investing in preventive care can decrease the chances of developing major ailments later in life.

Maintenance care: if you have suffered from a bone injury or muscle pain and are in the recovery phase, the treatment might have cost you a lump sum. However, this should not prevent you from accessing the medical care involved in recovering.Chiro therapy shows great results if included as part of your maintenance therapy.

Implementation of the sliding scale method 

Here are three ways chiropractors implement a sliding scale system into their practice.

Income verification

Because the sliding scale method factors in your income to decide your payment plan, the first thing you will be asked to show is your income verification. This step is necessary to customarily make a payment plan for you and to also avoid any phony who might try to reap the benefits of the sliding scale method by lying about his income.

Transparent fee structure

Practices employing a sliding scale model typically maintain transparent fee structures, clearly communicating how costs are determined and ensuring patients are aware of their financial responsibilities.

Inclusivity

The sliding scale method is deployed regardless of the financial bracket, caste, gender, etc. The prime aim of this method was to make healthcare services accessible to everyone, especially the underdeveloped communities that harbor a lot of ailments but do not have the financial means to get treatment.

Sliding scale clinicians believe that preventive and maintenance care is everyone’s right.

Some considerations for patients

While a sliding-scale practitioner is doing their best to make therapy readily available, as a patient, there are a few things to keep in mind.

1. Open communication: complete transparency about your financial constraints with your chiropractor will help them curate a proper plan for you with accuracy.
2. Explore additional support: patients with financial hardship can explore further subsidies by opting for additional support programs like discounts, offers, and EMIs. Check with your sliding-scale practitioner about the additional programs they offer.

Final word

Without financial security, it is hard to focus on other important parts of life, such as your health.Good health is everyone’s right, and every individual, despite their financial condition, should be allowed to seek health care treatment to improve the quality of their lives. The sliding-scale payment method works around the diversity of everyone’s individual financial conditions to ensure that healthcare is accessible to the public without any discrimination. At your practitioner’s office, you must provide proof of household income for an accurate payment plan. If you seek further help, ask your sliding-scale practitioner for additional offers you are eligible for.

Frequently Asked Questions