The FormSmith Insurance and Business Workshop for Chiropractors


Two Days of Documentation, Coding, Insurance Processing, Medicare, Managed Care, Workmen's Compensation, Personal Injury, Chiropractic Business Practices and much much more.


Doctor, it takes specialized knowledge to navigate the ins and outs of running a chiropractic office. The knowledge that you need can only be obtained in one of two ways. One is by experience and the other is by training.

Let me assure you that the most expensive and painful way to obtain this highly specialized knowledge is by the experience you gain through trial and error.

Don't be Fooled!
You are subject to the same rules whether you run a cash or insurance practice!

We have been helping chiropractors optimize their earning potential for over 20 years. We can help you too. Attend a FormSmith Workshop where you and your staff will learn step by step to:

  • Properly Code Your Services & Use Modifiers


    • An in-depth discussion of the CPT and HCPCS coding systems will enable you to properly match your services and fees.

  • Master the Evaluation and Management (E/M) Coding System


    • Learn what the codes mean and what services you must perform in order to justify using each level of code. Using the proper code helps justify your services as being medically necessary thereby reducing insurance questionnaires and denials.

  • Set Fees Properly

    One of the big mistakes we see is charging too little for your services. This drives down the value of chiropractic as a whole and only does a disservice to the profession. We will give you some fee ranges so you can choose the proper fee to charge in your office.

  • Verify Coverage


    • Proper insurance verification is the bedrock of insurance assignment. Learn how to ask the "right questions" to eliminate surprises.

  • Navigate through Managed Care


    • Learn how to maximize benefits even when the doctor is out-of-network. Learn how to pre-certify your services and avoid pitfalls.

  • Learn the Entire Process of Proper Documentation


    • Step-by-step instructions and examples of how to record and document patient care. Proper documentation applies to all patient care, insurance or cash.

  • Learn how to Render a Proper Treating Diagnosis


    • The wrong diagnosis can jeopardize payments - even get an entire case rejected.

  • Doctors Learn Treatment Planning


    • You are required by Medicare to have a treatment plan in the patient's record.

  • Learn the Secrets of a "Clean" Claim


    • Most insurance companies are using scanners to process claims. Clean claims get processed and paid ahead of "dirty" claims which have to be hand processed.

  • How to Recover from Mistakes


    • No matter how good you get, eventually you will make a mistake. Learn how to properly re-rile claims. Plus, get copies of narratives and reports that get doctors paid when it looked impossible.

  • Medicare


    • Step-by-step instructions to take the uncertainty out of the process with specific examples for each state attending.

  • Auto Accident


    • We will teach you about liability, med-pay, comprehensive, priority of policy, uninsured and under-insured motorist, contributory negligence and many other terms that you must know . Also, how to successfully deal with attorneys even if you are mousy and shy.

  • Complete Manual with Common Codes


    • Each attendee receives a complete manual with the CPT, HCPCS and ICD codes that most offices will need. These code books purchased alone would cost over $150.00. Our manual contains all the codes that most offices will need.

  • Forms for Office Organization


    • Each office will receive a packet of forms to streamline the information flow in your office.

  • State Specific Information


    • Your office will be provided a current, state specific Medicare fee schedule plus examples of how to complete the Medicare claim form properly. Plus state specific information for your workmens compensation and automobile accident laws.

  • Plus much, much more!


    • This is not a workshop just for Georgia doctors. Hundreds of doctors from 44 states have taken this course. Doctor's receive information specific to their own state for Medicare, workmen's compensation and personal injury. Every doctor benefits regardless of the doctor's technique or management style.


    What if One Piece of Information Could Keep You from Making a HUGE Mistake?

    The practice of chiropractic is subject to many rules and regulations. Failure to adhere to these rules can result in severe penalties even jail time. The first HUGE MISTAKE that you can make is to operate your practice and not be aware of the rules that you are subject to. If you don't understand this, you could find yourself in trouble with the Office of Inspector General, federal or state attorney general, your board of chiropractic examiners or your state insurance commissioner.

    Let me tell you about some of the HUGE MISTAKES we have seen chiropractors make:

    I run a Cash Practice

    Doctor, you are making a HUGE MISTAKE if you think that you are not involved with insurance in your office or that running a cash practice somehow exempts you from having to following the rules. It is the doctors job to determine:

  • The date of onset


  • If the patient's condition is due to his employment, an auto accident or to another type of accident


  • Ascertain as to whether the patient has had any same or similar conditions.


  • Conduct the proper Evaluation and Management level.


  • Decide upon the proper x-ray examination, take the proper views, insure that the study is of diagnostic quality and complete an x-ray report to include in the patient's record


  • Render the diagnosis


  • Create and record the treatment plan


  • Keep a proper record of the patient's treatment and progress.


    • These items are required on every patient regardless of the means of payment and should not be delegated to untrained staff.

    You must file the claims for the patient or provide them with sufficient information to file their own claim (usually some sort of superbill). That means that if you make a mistake the patient won't get reimbursed properly - this can lead to premature patient dropout.

    Even cash practices must process requests for additional information. Improper record keeping can make this a huge problem.

    Another HUGE MISTAKE is allowing the patient to file their own claims. If you don't understand the process of insurance is it logical to expect that your patient's do? Another pitfall in allowing your patient to file his own insurance is the increased possibility that your patient will start filing for dates that they didn't receive services thus dragging you into a fraud investigation.

    If you want your patients to be reimbursed fairly, you must simply learn the rules of the game!


    I Don't Have Anything to do With Medicare
    My Medicare Patients Just Pay Me

    This may be the worst HUGE MISTAKE. Medicare eligible patients are protected under federal law and chiropractors cannot opt-out of the Medicare program. If you treat them, you must apply to Medicare to be a provider and follow all the rules including filing the claims for the patient.


    I Give My Cash Patients a Discount

    Charging a higher fee to insurance patients than you do to cash patients is a dual fee schedule. It's ILLEGAL and a HUGE MISTAKE. This includes not charging cash patients for their therapy. We have know doctors that got into trouble with the board of examiners for this offense. They were reported by the very patients that got the discount.


    I Encourage My Patients to Pre-pay for Their Care

    Pre-pay plans can be problematic. It is a HUGE MISTAKE to offer a fixed fee and accept a risk that the patient will get more care than he actually pays for. This places you in the business of insurance and unless you qualify as an insurance company, you are violating insurance law.


    I Use the 10 Minute Code for My New Patients (E/M 99201)

    First off, each Evaluation and Management code (E/M) consists of 7 elements - time is not one of the key elements. It is a HUGE MISTAKE and considered fraudulent to bill an E/M code without performing the services that the code describes.

    Using too low an E/M service indicates to the insurance company that there is nothing much wrong with the patient and that they don't require much care. HUGE MISTAKE. Especially if the patient has a serious problem and needs extensive care.


    The Salesman Showed Me how to Bill for the Hydro-therapy Table

    Equipment salesman will stretch the truth to make a sale (a polite way to say lie). It is a HUGE MISTAKE to rely on an equipment salesman for coding advice simply because it is not their license that is on the line - it's yours!

    Just so you know, a hydro-therapy table should not be coded as either whirlpool, massage, hot packs, aquatic therapy or Hubbard tank. It should be considered a non-covered service.


    I'm Getting Paid

    That may be true, but the insurance companies are in take-back mode and chiropractic is the "low hanging fruit." Just because you are getting paid today does not mean that you will get to keep the money. Are you certain that you are properly documenting? Do your records include a treatment plan? Can you justify the need for care? Could your practice withstand an insurance audit? If not, you are making a HUGE MISTAKE.


    I Don't do Auto Accident Cases Because I got Beat Out of My Money Once

    The processing of auto accident cases can be frustrating. However, it is a HUGE MISTAKE not to accept auto accident cases for two reasons. This first is monetary, auto accident cases can be good for your bottom line. Secondly, auto accident victims desperately need chiropractic care. The short and long term effects of a hyperflexion-hyperextension injury can adversely affect health, well being and subsequently even entire families. To successfully process an auto accident case you must first understand the process. The different types of insurance coverage and the law that applies to them in your state. Keep reading ...


    I Got My Code List from the Chiropractor Across Town

    It is a HUGE MISTAKE to depend on your chiropractic colleagues for coding advice. In reviewing claims and offices for many years, we have found a high error rate (up to 40%) in the coding and pricing of services as well as in diagnosis coding.