Your Chiropractic Practice Model: Solo Chiropractic Practice

The new health care economy has created an unprecedented diversity in practice models as practitioners evolve the manner in which health care is provided to the public. Chiropractic has come a long way from its isolated status of the past, entering and leading in areas that were previously not receptive to chiropractic participation. The result has placed the chiropractic profession in the forefront of shaping how patients will access health care in the future.

Solo Chiropractic Practice

At one point in time the solo chiropractic practice was the predominant model for the profession. The rising cost of obtaining a chiropractic education and the associated level of student debt, combined with the lack of access to credit for starting a solo practice, has placed the solo practitioner model beyond the reach of most new graduates. According to a recent Chiropractic Economics survey, the percentage of chiropractors in solo practice fell from 70.9 percent in 2009 to 66.1 percent in 2011. During the same period, group practices increased from 23.8 percent to 25.7 percent. The consolidation of chiropractors into group practices seems to be following the general trend in allopathic medicine, where only 30 percent of practitioners remain in solo practice.