If chiropractors could see into the future with a crystal ball, it would be easy to determine which products to seriously consider in 2008. However, it takes quite a bit more than magic to select the must-have products for your practice. Trends in the health care industry, increasing awareness of top health issues, and proposed government legislation play important roles in determining the products you will want and need in this and coming years.

Electronic Record Keeping at Your Fingertips

It is estimated that by 2014, United States health care professionals will be required to make their records instantly accessible to anyone with proper authorization, including pharmacists, physicians, insurance companies, and patients.

According to Paul Bindell, DC, of Life Systems Software, Rockaway, NJ, the government is looking to create a national health care records program that will enable all providers, patients, researchers, and educational institutions to instantly access health information. This setup may necessitate the purchase of expensive equipment, which may not be easy to come by for the many smaller practices that don't have big-city patient volumes. A remedy to consider for this would be a discount or voucher program to help these practices obtain the required electronic equipment, but this remains to be seen.

Another consideration for such an all-access health care database is security, as hackers have proven themselves time and again to be one step ahead of security solutions.

Keep on Track with E-documentation and Billing

Without proper documentation, a chiropractor can quickly find himself in hot water. By failing to accurately document a patient's treatment, he may be required to pay back the monies he bills the insurance company. Or, if the chiropractor uses hard-copy documentation, he will have to invest serious time to transcribe his records, taking him away from his patients. Electronic documentation software can solve this problem.

Additionally, having documentation software that integrates with billing software will make it even easier to protect oneself. Because the treatment documentation will be tied with the corresponding billing for that treatment, you will have one neat and tidy package that can be presented on demand. And with an anticipated requirement that by 2015 all health insurance billing will need to be submitted electronically, it makes sense to seriously consider your software in 2008.

You Need More Than One—Nutritional Supplementation

In recent years, our population has become more aware of the benefits of nutritional supplementation. Scrutiny over whether supplements really do make a difference to overall health, as well as the possibility of the FDA regulating supplements, has not dampened the demand for natural ways to address health issues. As part of a person's wellness team, the chiropractor serves as a go-to person for providing nutritional testing and supplementation suggestions.

According to nutrition expert Rachel Olivier, MS, ND, PhD, the health care marketplace will be focusing on healthy lifestyles and how to address health concerns such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. Olivier notes that chiropractors are now looking for products that function in aiding with the reduction of NF-Kappa B, as well as those with anti-inflammatory benefits. To support a healthy bottom line, she recommends that chiropractors offer a good mix of products that include multivitamins, chondroprotection, essential fatty acids, and vitamin D.

Picture This—Digital Radiography

It appears that the digital age will further descend upon chiropractic practices and push old-fashioned x-rays and processors into the background. The advantages of digital offerings, from companies such as HCMI (direct digital), Allpro (computed radiography), and DMX Works (digital movie of an x-ray), are many, as it not only emits a lower percentage of radiation, but also allows for the collection, storage, and analysis of images. Chiropractors may diagnose their patients and share radiographs with real-time efficiency.

To compare the trends of 2007 and 2008, visit the April 2007 archive.

It is important to note that there are two kinds of digital x-ray systems. With direct radiography (DR) from HCMI, x-rays are exposed on an electronic apparatus, wherein the x-ray beam is converted directly to an image without a cassette. For computed radiography (CR) from Allpro, cassettes are utilized that contain image plates that are x-ray sensitive. These plates are read by a CR reader after exposure, which then converts the image on the exposed plate to a digital image. And with DMX Works, a fluoro-based x-ray is combined with digital and optic technology, to allow the x-ray to be printed or e-mailed, stored on a hard drive, or recorded to video or DVD.

The quality of digital images, once a concern with earlier generations of digital radiographs, is now controlled by computer to correct under- and overexposure, magnify and heighten contrast, and add color to areas of interest—without the need to take repeat images that expose patients to additional radiation. The ability to then transmit images to CD through the Internet, or to a jump drive, makes digital radiography not only highly effective, but also very efficient (which can also help speed insurance reimbursement).

Zap Away the Pain with Lasers

Low-energy laser technology is now capable of penetrating up to 4 inches into the deep musculoskeletal tissue, allowing chiropractors to achieve amazing results within a short time period. This noninvasive treatment, offered by manufacturers such as Theralase, Toronto, Ontario, Mettler Electronics Corp, Anaheim, Calif, and LiteCure, Newark, Del, has been known to work wonders for conditions such as arthritis, back pain, RSI, soft tissue injuries, and tendinitis, and does so by stimulating an anti-inflammatory response that encourages circulation and helps to reduce the formation of scar tissue. Very often, relief from pain occurs with the very first treatment, with injuries tending to heal faster than with other modalities.

Where Do We Go from Here?

Surely, someday a crystal ball might be found in your next supply catalog. Until then, keeping abreast of the products that will play important roles in your practice requires looking at and listening to what the marketplace demands.