The public primarily perceives the chiropractic profession as a healthcare discipline involved with the management of spine-related pain and disability. Unfortunately, the current state of spine care in the United States is dominated by specialists, who tend to function in isolation, with minimal communication between providers. While this may have been the way it has been in the past, we feel it doesn’t have to--and shouldn’t--stay this way. Regardless of the practice setting, we believe all DCs have opportunities to improve patient care by adopting a more interprofessional approach to care.

Whether your desire is to work in private practice or in an integrated setting such as a hospital, working with other health care providers is critical in the management of patient health and wellness. No one professional has all the answers and no one type of treatment will work for all people. Therefore, building professional relationships will help you to create a network for referral and to receive insight or feedback on specific patient conditions.  The following 10 tips will outline ways to cultivate these relationships, gain the trust of other providers and secure your place in the community health system.

*Member-Exclusive Content* Chiropractors treating veterans via programs administered through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) were notified recently that they should enroll in a new chiropractic referral network to continue participating in the VA’s Community Care Network (CCN). In its letter to chiropractors, contractor TriWest Healthcare Alliance explained that providers who wish to participate in the “new” Community Care Network must enroll in EmpowerChiro, a chiropractic referral network administered under TriWest. Referrals, appointment scheduling, documentation, claims, codes and reimbursement were also briefly touched upon--leading to questions this blog post seeks to answer.

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