Occupational Medicine: Why Should DCs Do It?
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
James Raker
DC
My story with occupational medicine unfolded like this. As I started to practice in 1989, some of my patients were truck drivers, and they brought in a form for me to complete. It was a Department of Transportation (DOT) physical form, and it listed “chiropractor” as an eligible provider, so I did the exam and was paid. After several of these physicals, I found out the drivers also had to have drug and alcohol testing. I started providing those services, and I was paid. Next, a company with 300 employees called me and asked if I could do drug testing for them. So I did, and I was paid. Next, they asked me to do other services, such as hearing testing, spirometry, respirator fit testing, heavy metal testing, and more. I learned how to do so, and I was paid. So let me explain 10 reasons why DCs should learn and provide occupational medicine to companies.
First, it can be done by DCs in all 50 states. Yes, I already hear the DCs in Washington, Michigan, and New York saying, “But I can’t do DOT physicals!” My reply, “But you can do nearly everything else! So if you can do 10 out of 15 things, why not do those?”
Second, occupational medicine involves no insurance. It is strictly cash paid by companies and individuals by federal government mandate. The government says every worker under the Department of Transportation, which includes trucks, trains, buses, subways, planes, ships, and pipehandlers (30 million workers at about $3 billion spent), must have the testing done and paid for by their employer.
Third, most of the work is done annually, so it is repeat business every year. If you work with a company and make $30,000 this year, they will need it every year from now on.
Fourth, many other DCs and I were shunned by companies when we told them we could help them with their neck and back injuries. Now we have companies call and ask us to be their company doctor and see all of their injuries, not just sprained neck and backs. So occupational medicine offers you credibility with companies that do not see you as helpful until you solve their OSHA-mandated problems. Then you are their friend, and they will give you workers’ comp, wellness programs, and whatever you can do that will save them money.
Fifth, your trained assistant can do 90% of the work without your presence being needed. If a company needs 300 drug tests or 400 hearing tests, your assistant can go do the work and bring back a check. We do 90 drug tests a day for one company at $40 per test, which equals $3,600 a day for five days. When was the last time your assistant brought you a check for $18,000 for a week of work and for something you didn’t lift your finger to do?
Sixth, other government agencies and businesses need the same services for their employees (90 million at $30 billion spent). This includes banks, grocery stores, retail stores, school districts, city and county police/firefighters/workers, state workers, and federal workers such as Homeland Security, US Postal Service, etc.
Seventh, DCs only see 10 to 15 % of the population. Occupational medicine sees nearly 90% of all workers. They have all have jobs, and they are not with Medicare or Medicaid, or broke. So if you see a need for chiropractic care, and they want to come see you for that care, they have either good insurance or money to pay you.
Eighth, if you have a bad shoulder or back and can’t adjust anymore, you practice occupational medicine because there is no heavy lifting, pushing, or pulling. You only need one good eye, one good hand to write with, and one good ear to listen with.
Ninth, this can be done in towns of any size in America. If your town has cement trucks, dump trucks, tow trucks, log trucks, bucket trucks for cable/phone/ electric lines, buses, school buses, planes, trains, ships, pipes, police, firefighters, assembly line workers, city/ county/state/federal workers, banks, grocery stores, etc., then there is work to be done!
Tenth, you don’t have to deal with insurance problems like fee-cutting, recoupments, denials, or nonpayments. It’s like a normal business. You provide a service, and the company pays you. Insurance and its crazy rules have nearly killed health care. Doctors are quitting. Patients are fed up. It’s a mess. With occupational medicine, you just provide a service and are paid. It’s simple and easy.
So let’s recap. Occupational medicine is all about the safety and wellness of corporate employees, which is a tenant of chiropractic and should be practiced by all DCs. However, instead of convincing one patient at a time, with occupational medicine, you only have to convince one company leader, and he or she now mandates all workers to go through you for these safety and wellness tests. As they do, you have the chance to talk to them about chiropractic care while screening them for all the mandated health assessments, several of which specifically target spine-related problems. This is a $33 billion industry that treats DCs equally to any other medical provider. Why wouldn’t you want to participate? Some of the services cost nothing for you to start doing, such as drug screens. Others need additional equipment, but the equipment costs far less than an adjusting table or X-ray machine. You can buy an audiometer for $ 1,200 or a spirometer for $1,800, and turn around and make enough to pay it off in one week with one company. A few DCs have been hired full time by a company or hospital to provide these services, so it’s a career builder.
Dr. James Raker DC, FADP, CME, CWP is CEO of OccMed For DCs, has 30 years private practice including Occupational health of several companies in Texarkana USA area. Has been doing DOT work for over 25 years, was one of the first doctors in the country to pass the DOT certification and become a Certified Medical Examiner for the Dept of Transportation of the US government, and has been teaching Occupational Medicine services since 2012. Has lectured in AR, TX, IL, SC, CA, FL, NJ, and OH. Providing OccMed services for companies, he has provided 500 drug tests in a single day, and 75 hearing tests in a single day. He became a Certified Wellness Instructor by the Foundation for Wellness Professionals on July of 2014. He started the OccMed For DCs training program in 2015 at www.OccMedForDCs.com
