In the last three to four years, the chiropractic profession has been experiencing exponential growth in Singapore. Chiropractic is almost a household name today largely due to the aggressive marketing practices of some chiropractors here. Free spinal screenings held during the weekends in shopping malls have proved a hit with locals. Members of the public queue, sometimes for hours, to be assessed by machines(surface EMG), the use of which is controversial.
One idea which has caught on with the public is that chiropractic treatment effectively corrects spinal misalignments. This may be a bonus or bane, but is particularly frustrating to chiropractors who see themselves as primary care practitioners who offer more to the patient than back crunching.
The same chiropractors usually proceed to offer treatment packages of more than 20 sessions which are paid in advance, albeit to informed patients. However, the diversity of chiropractic practice may mean that clinical protocols differ from country to country, clinic to clinic, which can be confusing to a new patient. The Chiropractic Association (Singapore) has proposed that treatment packages be restricted to twelve and for treatment programmes to be reviewed not less frequently than every twelve sessions. Advertising should furthermore comply with the Singapore Code of Advertising Practice.
The prevailing concern is to protect the welfare of patients, especially of new patients as they may be less discerning. Should a long-standing experienced chiropractic patient opt to pay for a treatment package, even an extensive one of say fifty, surely that should not be objectionable since they understand and appreciate the benefits of therapy to themselves?
Arguably, the image of chiropractors may be tarnished by current marketing practice. As so called "doctors" of chiropractic, a greater onus lies on the profession to safeguard the interests of vulnerable patients. Chiropractic clinics should not be driven overwhelmingly by commerical forces.
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1 comments:
It is heartening to know that the "good" force is with you. Unlike other chiropractors who might have gone over to the "dark" side, you have managed to maintain your ground in recommending what is best for the patient.
Chiropractic patients today are especially vulnerable because they face a perennial problem of asymmetric information. No one but the chiropractor will know better about how many treatments he or she actually requires. Thus patients might be susceptible to signing up for so called packages and having more treatments than they actually require. (A patient in pain might be easier to retain haha.)
Having said that, it can't be denied that in certain cases which require prolonged treatment, a package deal at a discounted rate can actually offer better value to the patient. It can also build trust and understanding between the patient and chiropractor which might produce better results in the long run.
Ultimately, the mantra of CAVEAT EMPTOR still rules the day. Patients should be more proactive and do their own market research to determine which chiropractor is best for them. Package or no package, it should be up to the patient to decide and not the other way round.
All the best to your new practice! Hope it takes off, soars then skyrockets. :)
Cheers,
NCL
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