Define: Membership Chiropractic Office

A membership chiropractic office is one that, by design, seeks to make chiropractic care easy and affordable for almost everyone. For a flat monthly fee, a patient can get all their recommended chiropractic care for a set monthly fee. Because chiropractic is really designed for people wanting to get well and stay well over a long period of time, a membership makes this a possibility.

The Biggest Problem in Chiropractic

I would bet that the vast majority of chiropractors in the US (and probably around the world) get adjusted at least once a week. And I would also bet that they adjust their spouse and children at least once a week as well.

But if you look at these same chiropractors, they run their offices in a way that actually makes it incredibly expensive for a family (or even an individual) to get adjusted once a week. So a lot of chiropractors do not make it possible for patients and families to get the same level of care that they themselves receive. A serious incongruency in my not-so-humble opinion.

Membership chiropractors all across the country run their offices in a way that is contrary to what the majority do. They, as a fundamental principle of their business, make getting weekly chiropractic care easy and affordable.

My Story

I graduated chiropractic school in 1997 and had an office in Greenville, SC for a few years. But I did not have the business skills to survive, so I had to take a position in Columbia. I worked at that chiropractic office for 6 years, then I went back out on my own in 2008. I have been in my current office, Foothills Chiropractic in Travelers Rest, SC, since 2010.

And I have owned or worked in offices that have done just about everything:

I ran a “box on the wall” practice in which patient basically pay whatever they wanted to. They would put a cash or check fee in a box on my wall every week. Only they knew what they paid for care.

I was in office that charge incredible high fees and you had to do a year plan up front.

The same office also charged even higher fees and you had to do a six month plan up front.

We did spinal decompression, nutrition, care for people with fibromyalgia. All at an incredibly high fee.

I did insurance. A lot of it. The problem with insurance is that somebody who is not a doctor is involved in the care that a patient gets. And eventually the doctor runs the risk of serving the insurance company more than the patients. 

And when I opened my office in 2010 I knew I didn’t wanna do any of those things. I just wanted to make chiropractic care easy and affordable for as many people and families that wanted it. And I was blessed enough to have found some chiropractors that were already running membership offices. And it made complete and total sense to me.

That being said…

Here are…

12 Reasons You Should Be Getting Chiropractic Care at a Membership Office

#1 Getting Chiropractic Care on a Regular Basis is an Essential Part of Getting Well and Staying Healthy 

The foundational principle of chiropractic is based on getting the body functioning better. It’s not about pain relief. 

Now, of course people get relief from pain, but that is really only a byproduct of the body functioning better. When, over time, a chiropractor helps a person function better they tend to get well.

And when a person continues with chiropractic care after their symptoms have subsided, there is a good likelihood that person will not experience recurring episodes of whatever problem they had.

As a person stays under regular chiropractic care, because they are making sure their body is functioning at a very high level, that person overtime will get healthier and will experience a better quality of life. That’s what chiropractic does! 

#2 It Makes Care Affordable (But Not “Cheap”)

There are some people who mistake the phrase “affordable” for “cheap”. But there’s a big difference in the terms.

Membership doctors charge an affordable monthly fee and usually the per visit fee for the patient if you do the math tends to be on the lower side especially according to national averages.

But…

In my office for example I wanna see you on a regular basis for a long time. I’ve actually got some patients that have been coming to me since I opened in 2010. This means that every single month they’ve been paying me a fee. Multiply that fee by 12 multiply. Then multiply by 14. 

They’ve paid me a significant amount of money over the past 14 years. But it’s been an affordable monthly fee. See the difference? 

#3 Allows the Whole Family to Get Regular Care

If you understand this quote from above…

“The foundational principle of chiropractic is based on getting the body functioning better.”

Then you would have to agree that not only do adults need chiropractic care but anybody that wants to function better should be getting chiropractic care.

Including kids and newborn babies.

Life is stressful. The birth process is stressful. 

Chiropractic helps your body deal with stress better.

And kids who get regular chiropractic care simply perform better in life. 

They tend to get sick less often. They tend to pay attention and focus better. 

So I am a giant proponent of the whole family getting chiropractic care. And a membership practice makes this a possibility.

#4 Many, If Not Most, Chiropractors and Their Families Get Adjusted at Least Once a Week

I mentioned this at the beginning of this post but I just wanted to reiterate the point.

I get adjusted once a week.

I do my best to get my wife and kids adjusted once a week (although with two teenagers this is sometimes difficult).

And I have an office designed to offer this to each and everyone of my patients. That’s what a membership office has to offer.

#5 The Doctor Dictates Care, Not an Insurance Company

Very often in a chiropractic practice if insurance company says the patient gets 12 visits that are covered, then guess how many visits are recommended to the patient? 

You guessed it… 12

And I know there are some exceptions to this but insurance, simply put, just complicates your care. And I felt that when I was taking insurance and changed my relationship with my patients by having a third-party involved in the care.

A membership office just keeps things really clean and simple.

#6 Convenience of Care

Here in my office is the majority of my patients pay via auto debit similar to a gym membership.

And I run a new appointment system so that a person can walk in anytime that I’m open and get adjusted.

I knew when I open in 2010 that I want in my office to be convenient. 

I hated appointments. 

I felt it was very inefficient for a patient to have to stop and pay at the front desk every time they came in. 

I didn’t wanna have to do a lengthy one day or two day or three day new patient process to get people started. 

I wanted simple.

And a membership office is based on simplicity. 

#7 Your Chiropractic Budget is Set Every Month

By paying a set monthly fee for all of your recommended visits there tends to be no surprises every month when it comes to your chiropractic budget.

You know exactly what you’re going to spend every single month and it doesn’t change.

As opposed to the patient who “only goes when it hurts”. They pay nothing for a while, and then, BAM. They are paying hundreds to get patched up.

Again, easy and simple. 

You know what you are paying and you come in.

#8 By Getting Regular Chiropractic Care You Will Likely Spend Less on Drugs and Other Therapies Over Time

For the most part, when a patient gets adjusted every week and they have been doing so for a long time they tend does not need a lot of other things – therapies, injections, doctors visits, surgeries, drugs.

Please understand, I don’t advise patients on any of these things because that’s out of my scope of practice. I advise people to get adjusted every week. Beyond that it’s up to them.

But what I found is that a lot of these people need other things a lot less than they did before chiropractic. 

#9 Nationwide Network of Chiropractors Who Reciprocate

The really cool thing about membership practices is this:

There are probably I would guess between 40 and 50… but there is a list of chiropractors that have agreed to see other membership patients if they are in our town. 

It is a pretty cool perk to be able to go see a chiropractor when you’re traveling and not have to pay anything for it so you can keep up on your maintenance care. 

#10 You Will Feel Better, Have More Flexibility, and Will Be Able to Do More Things That You Love to Do

Wow it’s great to see people get out of pain after a couple of adjustments – I see that all the time

What really gets me excited about chiropractic is when I have these long-term relationships with patients and I see that they just generally feel better can do more and are overall healthier than they were before.

People can: garden – play golf – play pickleball – travel – play with kids and grandkids –

They can do so many things that they weren’t able to do as consistently before chiropractic care. 

I feel like that is way more significant than getting seen a couple times and have no pain.

#11 Your Body Will Be Getting Healthier Month After Month, Year After Year

We are all getting older. It’s a simple fact.

And it is in our best interest to do things to make sure that we are as healthy as possible as the years and decades go by.

By making sure your body is functioning properly with regular chiropractic care you will be getting healthier as you get older.

#12 By Using Chiropractic Care For Just Pain Relief You Are Missing Out on So Many Benefits

A friend of mine and chiropractic advocate named Keith Wassung once said this during a talk that I was attending:

“going to a chiropractor for pain relief is like going to rob a bank and walking out only with the pens”

By just going to a chiropractor a couple of times to get out of pain, and they quitting until the next episode of pain hits, you are missing out on so many benefits. 

And I know a lot of people only go to the chiropractor a couple times because that’s all they think they can afford.

A lot of people don’t know that this style of practice even exists. 

They figure it’s 65-70+ bucks to get out of pain when they hurt.

But this is just a far superior way to get chiropractic care.

My Short Conclusion

1. You should be getting chiropractic care on a regular basis if you want to keep your body functioning well and if you want to stay in the best shape possible.

2. By far the simplest easiest and most affordable way to get chiropractic care and regular basis is by going to a membership office.

3. If you are in the Northern Greenville or Travelers Rest area then Foothills Chiropractic is where you will get this type of care.

To learn more about Foothills Chiropractic, click here.

To schedule your first visit with Dr. Mike Geran, click here.