Documenting Chiropractic Medical Necessity

How Do I Show Medical Necessity in My Chiropractic Documentation?

Medical Necessity is only a concern in your chiropractic practice, when you are dealing with a third-party payer, like Medicare. A large differentiator between medically necessary care (chiropractic care a third-party payer deems worthy of payment) and clinically appropriate care (chiropractic care that is necessary for your patient health and well-being but is not reimbursable) is whether or not a functional deficit exists and can be resolved through proper chiropractic treatment.

What Element Can Help My Chiropractic Documentation Prove Medical Necessity?

A critical element in your chiropractic documentation will be the identification of your patient’s functional deficit and a written treatment plan containing a functional goal to resolve that functional deficit. Your written treatment plan will show that your goal is achievable with proper chiropractic treatment.

Search below for more information and support on documenting medical necessity in your chiropractic practice.

Join the KMC University Library to learn what you need to show medical necessity in your chiropractic documentation, and how to explain medical necessity to your patients so that your chiropractic patients will stay, pay, and refer.