What to Expect at The Chiropractor
Don’t know what to Expect? We understand that going to a new Chiropractor can feel like a chore. That’s why we strive to make your Chiropractic exam experience as pleasant and simple as possible. You will be greeted warmly and guided through the process of your first visit with us here in South Tulsa.
What to Expect for the Intake Process
Before your first visit we will ask you for any insurance information so that we can verify your benefits. Next, you will be given some forms to complete addressing your current complaint(s) and medical history. This is necessary for our Chiropractor to produce an accurate diagnosis and make sure that you are in the right place. We will also give you some consent forms explaining our policies and asking your permission for our Chiropractor to examine and treat.
Verifying Insurance Benefits
It’s nice to know what to expect to pay. As a courtesy to our patients, we will verify your benefits directly with your insurance company. We try to do this before your first visit by acquiring your insurance info beforehand. However, sometimes patients can’t supply this info until the day of their visit, so we try and verify as fast as we can. Sometimes we can check your benefits quickly just by going onto a website, other times, the insurance company only offers verification by phone and the process takes much longer.
There are three main things to check: Copay, Coinsurance, and Deductible. A copay is a flat amount that you pay for your visit or for a specific service. Sometimes the copay only applies to the exam, and other times it applies to the entire visit. Coinsurance is a percentage that you must pay for services received. Because Coinsurance is a percentage, the amount depends on the service and the insurance’s fee schedule for your plan. This amount is very difficult to calculate because we must predict the exact service and know the exact payable amount on the fee schedule. However, we’ve been doing this for years and can get pretty close. Your deductible is a set amount of money that you have to pay out of pocket before the insurance will begin to pay for any treatment.
Keep in mind that our prediction for cost is only as good as the information supplied by your insurance company. If the information is complete and correct, we can be very exact in our estimates. Otherwise, we are relying more on experience with your plan and our best guess from other patients with your same type of coverage. You are always more than welcome to call the insurance company directly with questions about your benefits.
What to Expect During Exam
Vitals
It’ important to get some basic information about your body right away. Height, weight, blood pressure, pulse, and temperature help the doctor to determine what may be the issue, what treatments are safe, and can also be markers of progress.
History
Our Chiropractor will perform a thorough history to rule out the suspicion of conditions requiring emergency medical attention like fracture, stroke, or organic pathology. During the history portion, our Chiropractor will ask you several questions pertaining to your complaint. This includes information such as: exact location of any pain or discomfort, severity and quality of your pain or discomfort, associated symptoms, how your problem began, and other important details. If our Chiropractor suspects that your complaint is not a Chiropractic issue, he will make recommendations for further testing or refer you out to another facility in or around Tulsa. We put your needs first, so It is our responsibility to get you to the right place for the right care.
Physical Chiropractic Exam
At your Chiropractic exam, Our first order of business is to make sure that your problem can be safely treated. Our doctor will evaluate the area(s) related to your complaints using the clues from your history. This includes checking certain organs that may be producing your complaints (some organ pathology can manifest as back or shoulder pain). If your complaints seem to be related to nerve dysfunction (for instance if you have numbness), then our Chiropractor may also perform a neurological exam. The Chiropractor will also perform physical tests that help to uncover which tissues may be producing your pain like bone, joint, disc, nerve, muscle, tendon, or ligament.
After our Chiropractor is confident that your issue is musculoskeletal in nature and does not require referral, he will begin to look at your body from a functional perspective. He will assess your posture, your movement, your muscle tone and balance looking for any mechanical abnormalities that might explain your pain. When the Chiropractor is satisfied that he understands what is causing your issue, he will make a diagnosis. At this point accurate treatment can be recommended based on the diagnosis from your Chiropractic exam.
What to Expect at Treatment
If the condition can be safely treated in the office that day, you may be offered some treatment. Some typical treatments offered the day of the exam include:
- Ice/heat,
- Electric-muscle-stimulation (EMS)
- Therapeutic ultrasound
- Traction or roller table
- Joint & soft tissue manipulation
- Massage
- Passive Stretching
Click here to see more about potential treatments and therapies offered by our Tulsa Chiropractor.
Check Out
After you have your Chiropractic exam and treatment, you will be accompanied back to the front desk for checkout. Your options for payment will be given to you. Additionally, your insurance coverage (if available) will be explained. Afterwards we will take payment for the visit. Next, we will schedule you for any necessary follow-up appointment. The majority of our Tulsa patients leave their first day feeling some improvement and have a good idea of what’s causing their issue.
Report Of Findings (ROF)
During your second visit, our Doctor will explain to you his findings from the Chiropractic exam. This is a time that we will set aside for you and the Chiropractor. Chiefly, you will talk about your diagnosis, treatment options, and questions that you may have. Once the doctor has answered your questions, the front desk will explain any insurance coverage. This includes estimating your costs, and give you payment options for care. There is no cost for the ROF as It is already included in the price of the exam. Generally, we can also offer to begin your treatment plan the same day.