Dear Patients,
On November 20,2009 the President issued Executive Order 13520 - Reducing Improper Payments and Eliminating Waste in Federal Programs. This means that Medicare is being very aggressive about not paying for any chiropractic treatment that they perceive as “maintenance care”.
Medicare pays for only one thing in a chiropractic office — a chiropractic adjustment when your condition or pain is acute. This would be a new injury or a flare-up of your condition or pain that you have had already. For example, you always have low back pain that is mild, but for some reason it has flared-up to a more severe level.
Medicare will pay for your chiropractic adjustment until you “calm down” or get rid of your pain. They do not pay for ongoing chiropractic care, monthly visits, preventative care. They do not pay for ongoing, chronic pain that is always there and stays the same.
Other things Medicare will not pay for in our office:
Examinations
X-rays
Physical Therapy
Supplements
Back Braces
Treatment for joints other than your spine, such as shoulders and knees
Lastly, Medicare will not pay for any special tests such as MRI’s or CT scans that we order on your behalf. These can only be paid through Medicare if your M.D. or D.O. orders the test.
You can still have preventative maintenance adjustments, but at your cost. We believe that regular maintenance care is valuable and worthwhile. Our goal is to keep you active, moving and doing all the things you want in life. Chiropractic care is a healthy and powerful tool to keep you going without the use of drugs or surgery.
Yours in Health,
Drs. Konicki and Schumacher