On the Initial Visit
The first visit is typically the longest. In the state of Wisconsin a physical examination is legally necessary before starting treatment. We understand this may be inconvenient if you are only visiting for a few days but there are no exceptions. Tucker or Anne will sit down with you to discuss your current complaint(s) and goals for treatment. A non-invasive exam follows involving vitals (Blood Pressure, Height, Weight etc), neurological tests (reflexes, motor strength, sensory) and orthopedic testing (range of motion, body position tests to help decipher what tissue(s) may be involved. After the examination, Tucker or Anne will tell you their diagnosis , prognosis and mode of treatment. A chiropractic treatment will then follow and they will go over any take-home activities they would suggest to help things along. Chiropractors learn numerous techniques in school (some more aggressive and some more gentle). We discuss this with the patient and will work within your comfort levels.
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Time?We set aside 90 minutes for the initial new patient visit. There is some intake paperwork to fill out, the oral history, examination and treatment. Time can depend on the severity and complicating factors of the case. Subsequent visits after the first day are typically in the 20-30 minute range.
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Treatment Plans
Do I have to come back three times a week for the rest of my life? No. Tucker and Anne are very open to working on a treatment plan that works for you and your budget. If there is a medical emergency or red flag that comes up during examination, they may insist you set up an appointment with your M.D. or go right to the emergency room. The treatment plan obviously depends on the injury, condition and goals for treatment. Tucker and Anne will give you their honest professional opinion on what the chances are that chiropractic care will be effective, and what kind of plan would be prudent.
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Do I need X-Rays before chiropractic treatment?The wonderful staff at the North Shore Medical Clinic in Fish Creek will assist our patients in need of imaging. Tucker and Anne do not practice a technique of chiropractic care that necessitates x-rays. Basically, they will order imaging when they feel it is medically necessary for treatment or diagnosis. If there is a situation where they feel a patient may have a fracture or serious underlying disease process that can be detected by x-ray, they will send you to Fish Creek (5 minutes away) where they will be performed and read by a medical radiologist. Most of the time this isn't necessary and treatment will commence without the need for imaging. If there is a medical concern, Anne and Tucker will either set up a medical consult with your local medical provider, or work within a prudent short-term treatment plan to see if chiropractic care can relieve the symptoms. If symptoms of a given condition do not improve or worsen a medical consult with possible imaging will be advised and in some instances insisted at that time.
Cost? |
CostWe have tried to make it a chief goal of ours to be affordable for all of those who live in our community and those visiting. Overall cost is dependent on the severity and complexity of the case and the services that are rendered. We do accept and submit to Medicare if that is your primary insurance. Please note that "Medicare Advantage Plans" are not traditional Medicare and we do not submit to those, meaning you would pay the time of service cost. Medicare does not cover "maintenance care" and we can only submit for acute injuries.
We were providers for private insurance companies for years but the complexity and our experience with those companies has completely turned us off. In the end it was usually cheaper for our patients to just simply pay our "out-of-pocket rate" for our services. We are a husband and wife team and the unbelievable hassle of dealing with insurance submission was way too time consuming, frustrating and in the end just not cost effective for us. It is certainly understandable that a person would rather go to a chiropractor in "their network" and we will do our best to refer you to someone in the Door County area. As stated above, it is the law that we perform an exam on new patients which is a $100.00 charge. A chiropractic treatment afterwards is $45.00 so a typical first visit is $145.00 (which takes about 60-90 minutes). All future adjustments are $45.00 (or $55.00 if therapeutic ultrasound or electric muscle stimulation is performed after the adjustment). If you are having a hard time and money is tight, please let us know as we are very empathetic to money situations and are happy to work something out as far as a payment plan. |