Chiropractic Services Save Employers Money

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Chiropractic Services Save Employers Money

Large and small businesses as well as insurance companies would be better off financially if they covered chiropractic services in their insurance plans. There is no doubt all Americans know about the continuing rise in health care expenses. Ask most any CEO or business owner who has health coverage for their employees and they will freely admit health care expense for their employees is second only to wages in the overall budget of the company.

(Photo Credit: http://www.chiropracticis.com)

So why are so many not taking advantages of the services of chiropractors when employees suffer from back and neck strains and injuries? Perhaps it is simply a case of not being aware how much money they can save, plus the exceptional results for healing these injuries chiropractic doctors provide. Below are very revealing results of comparisons of traditional medical care vs chiropractic services for lower back, mid to upper back and neck strains/injuries many companies’ employees sustain at some point of their employment.

This study, conducted by the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, is aimed at providing employers along with insurance companies the benefits of adding chiropractic care to their overall employee health plans. The focus of the study concerned LBP (lower back pain) and the dramatic differences in cost for traditional medical care such as physical therapy, family doctor care or advice, in-patient care at hospitals, and seeing several specialists for treatment vs. using a chiropractic service to treat the problem.

On average, the care of a chiropractor cost anywhere from one fourth to half the expense of the other methods. What really opened the eyes of this respected medical journal researchers of the nine year study tracking over ten thousand patients, was how well the services provided by a chiropractor healed the lower back pain, and did so in a shorter amount of time than the traditional medical services.

Other findings show the path of immediately putting the patient with LBP on medications and other expensive drugs actually extended the recovery time. As you would expect, this also increased the overall cost of care dramatically.

The patients, by a large margin, chose to remain with a chiropractor after their first treatment. The typical treatment length for LBP was four weeks compared to a longer length of time for physical therapy. Other care methods come in with a much longer treatment time.

As this study has revealed, seeking chiropractic services for employees is not only the most cost effective way to treat LBP, it also heals the employee in a shorter length of time. This is a win-win for employees, their employers and insurance companies.

Has this article opened your eyes to the best care for LBP? Please leave comments below.

Reference

1. Allen H, Wright M, Craig T, et al. Tracking low back problems in a major self-insured workforce. J Occup Environ Med; epub ahead of print May 21, 2014.