Chiropractic Collective Power
Growing up, did your mom ever tell you there is safety in numbers? Most of us would probably agree that’s true. Would you also agree that a group of people is more effective as a team rather than a cluster of individuals acting alone? At Tuck Chiropractic Clinic, we are confident that there is strength in “numbers” or more specifically strength in a team approach. We understand that if as a practice we try to work in isolation—whether from each other or from the medical community at large—we won’t be as effective and our patients won’t receive the best care possible. We know that our effectiveness is magnified when we work as a unified team rather than as individual parts. Some would describe this as synergy or collaboration—we prefer to call it our collective power. We know that this collective power provides benefits to Tuck Chiropractic Clinic, the individual patient, as well as chiropractic as a profession.
Our team of Doctors has implemented a system called Clinical Rounds, by which, each month one of our doctors selects a patient’s case and presents it to our group. Through this process, we strengthen our collective power by gaining insight from our cumulative years of experience, by holding ourselves accountable to high standards of care and also by improving our communication both to the public and to our colleagues. This allows us to openly discuss challenges that we work together to overcome. We firmly believe that “iron sharpens iron” and if doctors come together for clinical rounds they will mutually encourage each, teach each other, and make each other better. One such example is described by one of our doctors, Dr. Logan Brooke, “During one of our recent clinical rounds, Dr. Matt Marry presented on a patient that had a multitude of clinical symptoms, none of which fit a pattern. During our discussion, many possible diagnoses were presented. As it turns out, the very next day, a patient entered my office with a similar set of symptoms. Because of our clinical rounds discussion, my patient greatly benefited from another doctors experience.”
Another component of collective power is working to better chiropractic as a whole. Dr. Ray Tuck serves on the Virginia Board of Medicine and collaborates with other medical practitioners from our state to help drive the future of healthcare forward in a positive direction. It also gives Dr. Tuck the opportunity to understand first hand how chiropractic fits into the bigger picture of health care in our state. Dr. AJ LaBarbera and Dr. Lee Matthis are on the Board of the Unified Virginia Chiropractic Association. Dr. Tuck is also on the American Chiropractic Association board. These professional affiliations allow our doctors to stay up to date on the latest challenges, successes, and trends within our profession. It is also an excellent opportunity for professional development that our doctors are able to put to practice in our many Tuck Chiropractic Clinic locations. We are proud of our doctors that serve as leaders and give their time in this way.
One of our favorite ways to achieve collective power is by interacting directly with our patients. When we are given the opportunity to personally get to know our patients; their hobbies, likes, interests, and life style, we are able to provide chiropractic care that is most effective because it looks at the patient as a whole rather than as an isolated problem. Collective power also means that our doctors will reach out and collaborate with other physicians as needed to ensure the most positive patient outcome. We know that there are people that chiropractic care can help completely. We also know there are people who need a chiropractor as part of a collaborative team of physicians.
Through our collective power, we continuously strive to improve the quality of care our patients receive as well as their overall satisfaction with their care. Ultimately, this approach ensures that we will continue to strive for our goal of leaving a positive impact on every life we touch.
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The Future of Health Care & Chiropractic Care
Last week four of our Tuck Chiropractic Doctors participated in the Virginia Health Care Conference that was centered on the future of healthcare. The theme was a timely and pertinent one, and one that Dr. Tuck, Dr. LaBarbera, Dr. Rathmann and Dr. Matthis were all excited about: “Transformation in the Health Care Industry: Accelerating Value and Innovation.” The perception and outlook on healthcare is often laced with pessimism and discouragement. This conference did an excellent job highlighting the promise and progress on the horizon.
It was an honor for our team to be part of this pivotal healthcare conference and to join with about 750 other health care professionals to discuss trends, problems, solutions, and the vision for our industry. We heard from many peers as well as industry leaders like Nancy Agee, the CEO of Carilion Clinic, Peter Bernard the CEO of Bon Secours, Knox Singleton the CEO of Inova Health System, Pamela Sutton-Wallace the CEO of UVA Medical Center, and Michael Dudley, the President of Optima Health and a Senior Vice President of Sentara Healthcare.
One of the key speakers at the event, Jeff Bauer, a health care futurist and medical economist, brought up many great points about the direction of health care and the changes he expects within the health care industry. From within his talk there were two overarching themes that really resonated with our team:
- The use of patient-centered teams as a best-practices model,
- A revolution in biosciences that will shift the practice of medicine from acute care treatments to disease management
We are thrilled that the direction of health care is moving towards a more patient centered team approach rather than siloed care. The human body is incredibly complex and all the systems work together, requiring comprehensive solutions when a problem arises. We know that our chiropractic treatments are one critical component of patient care when someone is suffering from lower back pain, for example. We also know that it is necessary to understand the context of their pain, the other systems that are impacted, and to partner with other specialists or primary care physicians as necessary. Our preferred treatment style for our patients has always been a patient-centered, team approach and to know that all of health care is trending in that direction is incredible news. Dr. Tuck commented, “It was very refreshing to see experts in healthcare speaking our language in terms of collaboration for the benefit of the patient.”
We were also encouraged to hear that as medicine is revolutionized by innovation and new discoveries, the approach to medical treatment will become one focused on long-term management rather than short-term temporary solutions. We know that chiropractic treatment can be a solution to a temporary problem but at its best and at its core it is a way to consistently manage our patient’s conditions without chronic use of medication and without surgery. Chiropractic care is able to address the “here and now” of the patient’s problem but also has the ability to treat beyond the immediacy. We know that this model is the best for our patients and ensures the best possible outcome for them. We are highly encouraged that this approach is predicted to become the new normative treatment for all of medicine, not just chiropractic.
As we left this conference and drove back to our home in Southwest Virginia we were left feeling encouraged, excited, and optimistic about the direction healthcare is headed. We had a great ride home–Dr. Matthis was up to his goofy antics again–but amongst the laughter and down time we also were able to discuss what the future of healthcare is going to look like for our patients. Dr. Tuck emphasized, “The future of healthcare and the way chiropractic care is delivered will be centered around the patient. We will continue to gauge our success with performance measurements like great patient outcomes and great patient satisfaction.” To put it succinctly: we will continue our goal and mission of making a positive impact on every life we touch.
