Integrate Yourself with Mainstream Medicine
Chiropractic physicians should learn to integrate into the healthcare system through mainstream medicine. The Affordable Care Act currently includes chiropractic physicians as members of patient-centered, holistic healthcare teams. This is the 21st. Century and the chiropractic profession should no longer be isolated, separate and distinct from the medical profession. It is time to improve access to chiropractic care by marketing your services to medical doctors. I suggest that chiropractic physicians interested in the process to read my article in Dynamic Chiropractic.
Practical Ways to Work With Medical Doctors
Editor's note, 2026: Dr. Lehman's advice remains relevant. In practice, chiropractic physicians who build strong relationships with medical colleagues tend to share a few habits:
- Sending clear, brief reports to a patient's primary care doctor after the initial evaluation and at discharge
- Screening every new patient for warning signs and referring promptly when medical care is needed (see our guide to back pain red flags)
- Using evidence-based guidelines and outcome measures that other clinicians recognize
- Co-managing patients with physicians, physical therapists and other providers, as in the Veterans Health Administration chiropractic program
For how these ideas fit into whole-person care, read What Is Integrative Medicine? and our comparison of a chiropractor vs. physical therapist.