Chiropractic, massage and acupuncture are covered extensively by third party payers. These include the federal public service, worker’s compensation boards, the automobile insurance industry, private health care insurers (eg: Blue Cross; Great West Life; etc), the RCMP, and Veteran’s Affairs Canada. Contact your specific health insurance provider to determine your coverage and how you can best make use of your benefits. The Alberta Provincial Healthcare Plan also currently covers chiropractic services for seniors (over 65); this coverage amounts to $25/visit to a maximum of $200/year.
YES! With your permission, the health care providers at Able Body Health Clinic can submit insurance claims electronically on your behalf for Blue Cross, Great West life, SunLife, GreenShield and many others. If you are a senior (over 65), we can also submit your government claim for chiropractic services electronically on your behalf.
Does chiropractic treatment require a referral from a medical doctor?
No, you do not need any referral to see a chiropractor. Chiropractors are doctors and are “primary contact” health care providers. This means that they are trained to accurately diagnosis your condition and determine if conservative treatment is right, or if your condition requires a visit to a medical physician or the hospital. Chiropractic services
Does acupuncture treatment require a referral from a medical doctor?
No, you do not need any referral to see the acupuncture provider at Able Body Health Clinic. Our acupuncture providers are trained to accurately diagnose your condition and determine if conservative treatment is right, or if your condition requires a visit to a medical physician or the hospital. However, some insurance plans may require a prescription from an MD in order for you to use the acupuncture benefits on your health insurance plan. Acupuncture services
Does massage therapy require a referral from a medical doctor?
While you do not need a referral in order to receive treatment from a registered massage therapist, most private insurance companies still require you to have an MD referral in order to use your health insurance for this service. We encourage you to contact your health insurance provider to see if they require a referral for massage. Massage Therapy services
X-rays can sometimes play an important role in diagnosis, but are usually not necessary. At Able Body Health Clinic, x-rays are only ordered when they are medically necessary, which is determined after a thorough history and physical examination. Chiropractors in Canada receive over 300 hours of education in radiology covering a full range of topics from protection to X-ray interpretation and diagnosis. Governments in every province have recognized the training and competence of chiropractors to take and interpret X-rays and have granted them this right.
When it comes to infectious or serious disease, manual therapies like chiropractic, acupuncture or massage, should never be used as a replacement for proper treatment from your medical physician. However, there is some research to suggest that manual therapies may complement and improve the outcomes of your regular medical treatments. Manual therapies can often reduce pain, discomfort and stress and improve biomechanical function, sleep and quality of life. If you can optimize all these other aspects of your health, your body will respond better to your medical treatments as well! The healthcare professionals at Able Body Health Clinic work with your medical physician and specialists to ensure that you get the best possible care from every part of your healthcare team!
The hands-on nature of manual therapy treatment is essentially what sends patients back to the clinic a number of times. Where a medical doctor can give you a number of pills that you can take at home, to receive manual therapy a patient needs to be in the clinic. The health care providers at Able Body Health Clinic are experts in the treatment of musculoskeletal injuries and will offer advice with regard to how much therapy you will need. How long you choose to continue to receive treatment is always a patients choice.
Ask us a Question
Feel free to ask any physical therapy related questions over the phone, or get send your question via this form below. Your message will be dispatched directly to our staff who will answer as soon as they can.