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If you're a chiropractor, you've dealt with insurance companies...and you know the drill. Rejected claims, delays, and unpaid bills are just the beginning. Still, is a cash practice right for you? JJ Chatrousse, DC says it is. Even if you don't want to dive into a cash-only practice, says this third-generation chiropractor, developing a cash aspect is possible for any doctor of chiropractic. "Since the late 80s, the insurance companies have been more and more difficult to deal with, and pay less and less, whether it is in the chiropractic or the medical field. I want chiropractors to get an idea of what I call diversified income," says Chatrousse. Chatrousse, always a firm proponent of cash practices, says there are multiple advantages to building a cash practice. "One of the benefits is that you don't have any accounts receivable. You don't have to battle the insurance companies. You can have less staff, so less overhead. It's less stressful," he explains. "You develop a closer relationship with the patients, because they actually pay for what they're getting. I believe they understand the value more because they have to pay for it themselves." Since leaving his own chiropractic practice, Dr. Chatrousse has been a consultant and international speaker, helping his clients learn how to establish fee structures for cash practices, educate patients, and determine how and when to present the cash concept. "There is still a part that will be paid by the insurance companies," explains Chatrousse. "But I teach how to get a patient to choose and, if he or she chooses to go into preventative care, how to make it affordable for them." Dr. Chatrousse says his experience consulting internationally has played a major role in helping him understand how well a cash practice can work. "I have consulted with people in Italy, in France, in Spain. The issue there is that, up until a few years ago, chiropractic was still illegal in most of the countries in Europe. So, obviously, they were all dealing with cash practices," says Chatrousse. "It gave me insight into how to get people to understand the value of chiropractic, which is what we have to convey. Education is the key--and to make it affordable for them to come to the practice." He also says there are more than enough patients willing to pay cash to support any chiropractic practice. "A few years ago, people in [America] spent about 40 billion dollars on alternative healthcare...out of their own pockets!" Chatrousse exclaims. "I know the money is there. It's just a matter of communicating with the public and educating them so they can make a more informed decision about how chiropractic could fit into their health and their life."
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