Question
Hello. Hope you can help me understand something. I signed an agreement with my chiropractor which stated that I would pay $209 per month for 12 months of care (includes a set number of visits ?3x a week for 2 months, then 2x a week for a few months followed by once a week or something)... What I did not realize is in the agreement it states if I quit within the 12 months she will charge me $45 per visit for all the visits I have already gone to at her office. So, when I told her I did not have enough money to continue care, she told me I owed her an additional $800 for the 26 visits already performed. In the agreement it says 揧our account will be brought up to date at a base rate of $45 per adjustment, with the addition of all x-rays, examinations, nerve scans, etc. These will be charged the customary fee for each family member厰 Perhaps I am just dense but I took this to mean that if I quit the discount plan (of a flat $209 per month, then any visit after that would be at $45 a visit. When I signed up her secretary told me I was signing this for informational purposes only, I asked her if I could quit at any time and she told me yes but added nothing about having to pay back charges of so much money. I was also informed I should submit my own claims to my insurance company so I could get more money that way instead of them doing it. Since the only other time I went to a chiropractor it was taken care of in full by my insurance, I had no idea what they charge. She told me 揟he only legal way to do this is to charge the fee for the adjustment.  Since you have pd 418?that covers about 6 adjustments, so if someone were to look through our files, it would show that I gave 750 away free ?does that make sense??I can see this tax-wise, but what if the services do not help me in any way, I still have to go? Doesn't seem right to me. Anyway, my question is is this something doctors typically do, is it totally legal to make me pay additional money for services already rendered?

Thank you, Cinde M.


Answer
Dear Cinde,

Your question is a legal question, not a clinical one.  Personally, I do not believe it is proper to have annual fee schemes for patient care.  I understand why some chiropractors do it, but what you're experiencing is a likely result of it failing.  First, why couldn't the chiropractor simply charge you $45/visit from the beginning?  Why is it that you needed a year of treatment to get a problem fixed?  If you desired wellness care or even supportive chiropractic care for chronic, recurrent problems, or for any accumulation of back symptoms, why not just pay for it visit to visit?  Because: what if you could recieve care that made you well enough such that you didn't need to go back on a weekly basis??   

So, Cinde, you will have to ask a lawyer about your contractual arrangement.  As a doctor, I would advise you to find a different type of treatment program.

Sorry I couldn't help you more with this.

Dr. G
www.drgillman.com