Review

Title: The Chiropractic Diagnosis Manual

Category: Administrative
Author: Mark A. Beck, D.C.
Publication: 36 pages -- softcover, spiral bound

Please see pages xx, parts #T-146, for information on how to order

When a patient has a lumbar sprain/strain, we tend to call it just that, because it is just easier than getting out the ICD-9 book and figuring it out. After all, we know the guy lifted a bag of cement and he has multiple subluxations, muscle strains, his left leg is short, and he also pronates. But how do you say all that using the ICD-9 codes which don't usually tell what is really going on?

The Chiropractic Diagnosis Manual fills this void. Dr. Beck has taken the ICD-9 book and cross-referenced it with the literature to produce a model of chiropractic diagnosis with nonchiropractic codes. This book provides a good staff training opportunity. The introduction explains briefly how we arrive at a diagnosis; as presented by Dr. Beck, it is easy for the chiropractor's staff to understand.

He explains how to codify the 1) condition, 2) associated with ..., 3) secondary to ... (i.e. 839.08 cervical subluxation), and 4) complicated by. It is not a "cookbook" approach, but an excellent guide which allows you to still use your own clinical skills to personalize every case.

Easy to use is the key to this manual. There are large tabs designating the entries for cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and extremities. When you go to a section, it offers a number of primary diagnoses (including the ICD-9 codes and their definitions), followed by the associated conditions, codes, and definitions; then the secondary codes and complicating factors codes. It is as if the ICD-9 book was rewritten, throwing out the codes we don't use, and organizing the ones we do.

The cost is $70 and is well worth the price. If you find yourself sighing when the insurance CA says, "Doctor, I need a diagnosis for Mary Smith," this book is the answer to your prayers.

I was very pleased to discover this book. I had recently purchased several "diagnosis" charts and booklets but returned them because I found them all lacking what I really needed. This fit the bill perfectly.

I recently hired an office manager with 20 years experience in oral surgical offices. In her first four months, Donna has a collection rate of 106% and is outstanding with all aspects of running the office. However, she has had a hard time grasping the diagnoses we use in chiropractic. The Chiropractic Diagnosis Manual solved that problem, and I now have the world's best CA. Eat your hearts out.

Eggleston Rating: 9

Steven Eggleston, D.C.
Huntington Beach, California