Parents and patients, just like you, are struggling and stressing out over the right direction for treating their own or their child’s scoliosis condition. Given the amount of uncertainty and confusion surrounding the current treatment of scoliosis, it is certainly understandable. No one wants to make a mistake, waste financial resources, or lose precious time from work or school going down a given treatment path, only to learn it is a dead end.
Below are the three most common reasons why parents and patients are hesitant to choose ScoliSMART for treating scoliosis.
Why didn’t my orthopedic doctor recommend the ScoliSMART approach?
Almost all parents and patients are working with a doctor of orthopedic medicine, whom they rely and trust for updated and unbiased information and case management. Many of these doctors do not specialize in the treatment of scoliosis and may only see a handful of scoliosis patients per year in some cases. Thus, many are not keeping up with the growing body of knowledge. Those who are keeping up often only rely on information and resources within the orthopedic community, disregarding newly discovered information relating to the treatment of scoliosis across the full spectrum of healing arts.
As with all doctors and human beings, some orthopedic doctors may be bias towards their standard treatment plan and unwilling to adapt treatment methodologies to fit individual treatment circumstances or include new ideas in the effort to find ways of improving patient care. Many feel bound to strict evidence based standards of care, which should include patient goals and clinical judgement, rather than only published data.
Does my insurance cover ScoliSMART treatment?
Repealing and replacing “ObamaCare” seems to be the headline of virtually every news organization since the surprise Donald Trump Presidential victory in November of 2016, creating anxiety and confusion across the entire spectrum of health insurance coverage. Deductibles and premiums sky rocketing, with coverage shrinking makes it almost paralyzing to even consider figuring out a complex treatment program with various treatment codes. Many are so intimidated they don’t even contact a ScoliSMART office to even try to figure out the “insurance maze”.
In reality, it generally isn’t as difficult, complex, or confusing as one may think and any ScoliSMART office can provide you with the information to accurately estimate your coverage for one of our programs or products, or even call your insurance company on your behalf.
In many cases, there are alternative financial options outside of just your insurance coverage that can be utilized for treatment costs. Some employers offer “Flex-Spending” for medical services that have to be used with in the same calendar year. Health Saving Accounts (HAS) are becoming VERY popular and allow for a wide variety and limit of tax deductible spending on health care related needs. Lastly, all of the ScoliSMART clinics offer 0% compounding interest monthly payment plans for any U.S. citizens with an active checking account.
Concerns About Missing School or Work?
The third most common reason parents and patients do not choose the ScoliSMART treatment approach are concerns about kids missing school or employers not allowing time off work. In both cases, school districts and employers generally have a legal obligation to allow for medically necessary leave of absence (they may have a form you have to fill out ahead of time), however specific policies may exist in either case. Some school districts will even allow for educational travel excused days for kids whom are travelling to an area of educational importance during the time they are receiving treatment as well.
In the case of “missing school”, we have found parents are generally not opposed to their child missing school, but rather “falling behind in school”. As parents of children whom are or were school age, we completely understand your concerns regarding missed tests, catching up on homework, and even sports practices/games.
Technology and some advanced planning with teachers can greatly reduce the amount patients fall behind or miss assignments/tests during their treatment time at a ScoliSMART clinic. Most teenage patients have a considerable amount of down time outside of the clinic to complete assignments and submit them digitally.
While many of our adolescent patients are highly competitive athletes with demanding training schedules, the ScoliSMART program does not prohibit them from continuing to train at the same level and even during the period of time they are being treated at a ScoliSMART clinic.
Get Smart, Start ScoliSMART now.
There are literally millions of reasons to not do something, but there is really only one reason to do the right thing. Many idiopathic adolescent and adult scoliosis patients are watching their spinal curvatures become progressively worse over time, delaying a non-invasive scoliosis exercise program for a variety of reasons, not just those listed here.
The consequences of which result in more deformity, less curve flexibility, and reduced opportunity for non-surgical improvement of their condition in the future. Scoliosis negatively changes and affects patients’ quality of life – an effective scoliosis rehabilitation program from a ScoliSMART clinic can put patients on a path to a happier and healthier life time with effective scoliosis management.
