How can utilizing SM in an OP FM PCP practice change earnings?

[KeikoTanaka]

If you go on after residency to get sports medicine certified and definitely know you want to incorporate it into a primary care practice, how much can it change increase/decrease your earnings?

I assume some overhead costs will go up, as well as needing an X-ray machine, braces, cast stuff, injections, etc... but if you did offer these modalities, how much more could you make? Or would the financial burden of trying to offer these actually hurt your earnings?

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[VA Hopeful Dr]

Fracture care pays well as do most procedures. Way above cost of the supplies.

 

[KeikoTanaka]

Fracture care pays well as do most procedures. Way above cost of the supplies.

What about the flow of the office and needing the X-ray for diagnosing things, would you need a technician or just run them yourself? Teach your LPN or MA to do it?

I've worked at a chiropractic office before with an X-ray but they just did it themselves and scheduled more time for the appointment. But if you have an acute break you can't necessarily schedule more time, you just gotta run down and do it and maybe do it again after theyre in a cast. So thoughts on that?

 

[VA Hopeful Dr]

What about the flow of the office and needing the X-ray for diagnosing things, would you need a technician or just run them yourself? Teach your LPN or MA to do it?

I've worked at a chiropractic office before with an X-ray but they just did it themselves and scheduled more time for the appointment. But if you have an acute break you can't necessarily schedule more time, you just gotta run down and do it and maybe do it again after theyre in a cast. So thoughts on that?

X-ray techs aren't expensive and can double as MAs when not actively running the machine.

The machine itself is expensive, but reimbursement for xrays is pretty good.

 

[galactus]

Works well. I do outpatient FM clinic and do SM as well. Have x-ray on site. One of our MA's is also a certified rad tech. I'm not the only one in the practice that uses it, but I definitely use it the most. X-ray pays for itself!