Chiropractic News
Have you considered creating a fibromyalgia niche practice?
By Marc H. Sencer, MD
'...These patients require an inordinate amount of attention and care, and there are few doctors who specialize in treating them.
You can make a difference in their lives and create a profitable niche for your practice at the same time....'
$$$$!
'...CFS patients share many of these same symptoms, but extreme fatigue — especially after exertion — night sweats, fevers, and swollen lymph nodes predominate more than widespread pain. Many researchers believe that these are both variants of the same disorder.
Many doctors are uncomfortable treating these patients, because these are chronic conditions with no “cure.” And many patients will have a comorbid psychiatric condition like depression, so making the diagnosis is time intensive.
Despite these hardships, there is a great opportunity for you to take on patients that other doctors in your community simply have no time for. Some of these patients will benefit from very gentle adjustments and palliative modalities. The key word is gentle, as these patients often have altered pain perception and very low pain thresholds. In addition, many are highly sensitive to medications and must be titrated up from almost homeopathic doses.
FM and CFS treatment is best undertaken in an integrated practice.
Physical therapy is a mainstay of treatment and one of the main profit centers in this type of practice. $$$$! Occupational therapy also can be helpful. Aerobic exercise has been found to be helpful when started at low levels and increased according to the patient’s tolerance...
FM patients offer an opportunity to provide both services reimbursable by insurance such as physical therapy and trigger point injections, as well as alternative medicine services that are cash based.
Because diagnosis is difficult and these patients exhibit multiple comorbid conditions, you also should seek consultations with multiple specialists and family doctors in your community. This will increase referrals and your visibility in the community. $$$$$$!
Marketing this niche is easy. Once word gets out that there is a doctor who understands FM and takes the time to listen, patients will seek you out. $$$$$$!!
Find out if there is an FM or CFS support group in your area and get involved with them. As far as any other external marketing, the Internet takes precedence. These patients are looking for a doctor who can help them, so make sure your website is informative and up to date. Use separate landing pages and be high on Google’s first page for common key word searches such as fibromyalgia doctor or fibromyalgia treatment. $$$$$!
FM patients can be demanding and challenging, but they present the chance to quickly build a niche practice that incorporates multiple cash-based and insurance-based profit centers. In addition, you will be helping an underserved group of people who truly appreciate the time you spend with them. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$!!!!!!!!!!!
