Chiropractic Care Tops Alternatives in Patient Satisfaction

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Overall Chiropractic Patient Satisfaction

Historically, the chiropractic profession has performed well in terms of patient satisfaction. (2-8) As far back as three decades ago, studies were documenting high levels of chiropractic patient satisfaction:

“Satisfaction levels with chiropractic care are quite high (83% of persons are satisfied or very satisfied). High satisfaction is related to several factors, including whether the chiropractor orders and interprets laboratory tests, whether the chiropractor displays concern about patient’s overall health and the extent to which the chiropractor explains the condition and the treatment.” (2)

More recent evidence from the 2021 ChiroUp network dataset suggests that chiropractic patient satisfaction levels remain high.

Patient Satisfaction Comparison by Provider Type

Patient satisfaction data suggests that chiropractors perform well relative to other healthcare providers. One study of 797 patients treated by either a chiropractor or family physician measured satisfaction in nine areas and found:

“With one exception, satisfaction was higher for patients attending chiropractors [as compared to family medicine physicians].” (8)

Another study found that patient satisfaction nearly doubled when chiropractic manipulation was added to standard medical care. (9)

Likelihood to Refer 

A consumer’s likelihood to recommend a particular service or product is considered an essential prognosticator for the utility of any business. A standardized question for measuring this metric in healthcare is, “On a scale of 1-10, how likely are you to recommend this provider to others?”

The 2021 ChiroUp network dataset demonstrated that chiropractic patients are extremely likely to recommend their provider to others.

Overall Net Promoter Score (NPS)

The Net Promoter Score (NPS) is the gold standard gauge of consumer satisfaction and loyalty. (10-12) A wide array of healthcare service providers have implemented the NPS survey to measure patient satisfaction. (13-18) 

NPS scores for healthcare providers can be calculated from the likelihood that someone would recommend their provider to others (0-10 scale).

The 2021 ChiroUp network dataset found that, as a whole, chiropractors receive exceptionally high NPS scores from their patients.

Net Promoter Scores by Country

More than 90 countries have established chiropractic practices. (19,20) Direct access to chiropractic care is available in 90% of those countries, and the majority (51%) provide at least some degree of insurance reimbursement for chiropractic care. (20)

The following global breakdown illustrates that chiropractic patients worldwide share similar high levels of enthusiasm for recommending their chiropractors to others.

NPS Comparison by Provider Type

In general, NPS scores for the healthcare industry are favorable, averaging between 16 and 38. (21,22) NPS scores for primary care physicians average around 35.  (23) 

Chiropractors are primary care providers in many areas (24). However, their average NPS score differs from other PCP’s. The 2021 ChiroUp network dataset cumulative NPS score for chiropractors is 89.8, ranking among the highest in healthcare.

Online Satisfaction Reviews- Google

Online ratings provide another independent mechanism to gauge patient satisfaction. And an important one, since nearly three-quarters (71%) of patients now use online reviews as their first step in finding a new doctor. (25)

Consumer research has found that, in general, online reviews for healthcare providers (i.e., Google, Yelp, HealthGrades, etc.) tend to mirror the provider’s NPS score. (26,27) The 2021 ChiroUp network dataset supports that correlation. 

An analysis of nearly 5000 providers found that the average medical physician’s online rating is 3.8 out of 5 possible stars. (28) An earlier and more comprehensive analysis by NPR placed that number slightly lower at 3.6. (29) In contrast, the 2021 ChiroUp network average Google rating for chiropractors is 4.9 out of 5. 

Online Satisfaction Reviews- Yelp

A more detailed analysis of the Yelp dataset reinforces the finding that, on average, online satisfaction ratings for chiropractic physicians are higher than other specialists. (25,27)

Online Satisfaction Reviews- Healthgrades

An analysis of Healthgrades® US consumer ratings for 212,933 health care providers found that chiropractors performed very well compared to medical specialists (4.0) and surgeons (4.2). (30)

ChiroUp subscribers share a common mission to achieve the highest possible patient satisfaction by sharing and adhering to research-based best practices. 

ChiroUp exists to simplify the way chiropractors deliver exceptional care to our patients. Learn more about our system of resources at www.ChiroUp.com.

Reprints & Reproduction

To use this infographic or its data for any purpose, or to embed the graphic on another website, please include proper credit and link to the original article on ChiroUp's website.

• References

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