The Future of Chiropractic: What Needs Fixing and How We Can Win
Today, I want to have a real, no-BS conversation about the state of our profession—what’s happening in chiropractic right now, what needs fixing, and how we can position ourselves for massive growth. This is what I call Chiropractic Straight Talk because I believe in being upfront about what’s really going on in our industry.
My Chiropractic Journey: Growing Up Inside the Profession
Before I dive into what’s broken, let me share a little about where I come from. I grew up in a chiropractic family, deeply immersed in this profession. My father, Dr. H. Ronald Frogley, was Executive Vice President to David Palmer—yes, that David Palmer. He even helped Klay Thompson develop the Thompson Technique.
As a kid, I spent vacations hearing stories about the Gonstead Clinic, Dr. Cleveland, and Dr. Parker. I played hide-and-seek in the Palmer Mansion and walked through the koi ponds, never realizing that I was living inside the history of chiropractic itself. What I did know was simple: whenever I got sick or hurt, my dad adjusted me, and I got better. That was my entire belief system—chiropractic heals.
Fast forward, and our profession has evolved dramatically. We’ve fought for our place in healthcare—from chiropractors being jailed in the early days to becoming the largest holistic healthcare profession in the world today. We are now the third-largest healthcare provider system—but with that comes new challenges.
The Biggest Problem in Chiropractic: We Are Still Divided
Here’s the hard truth: we’ve been a divided profession for far too long. That division has slowed our progress and weakened our position in healthcare. We argue about technique, philosophy, and scope of practice instead of uniting around the one thing that truly matters: utilization.
Let’s break that down:
Utilization is the percentage of the population that chooses chiropractic care.
Right now, that number is way too low—and the only way to change that is through data.
Without data, we can’t prove our effectiveness. Without proof, we can’t shift public perception or fight against insurance limitations.
If we want to change the trajectory of this profession, we must focus on utilization and data-driven proof of our impact.
Data: The Key to Chiropractic’s Future
Data is everything. Look at Google, Apple, or Tesla—they dominate because they use data to prove what works. In chiropractic, we have almost no standardized data proving our effectiveness, which means:
Insurance companies use the lack of data against us to deny claims and limit care.
Corporate healthcare is stepping in because they see an opportunity to shape the profession for profit.
We struggle to defend our role in healthcare because we don’t have the numbers to prove our impact at scale.
If we had strong, real-world patient outcome data, we could demonstrate that chiropractic care:
✅ Reduces surgeries
✅ Lowers dependence on medications
✅ Improves patient function
✅ Saves the healthcare system billions
Imagine having that kind of power in our hands. That’s why I’ve built a data-driven system to help chiropractors gather, standardize, and use data to protect and grow this profession.
The Rise of Corporate Healthcare in Chiropractic
You’ve seen it happening in medicine and dentistry, and now it’s here in chiropractic. Corporate healthcare is buying up chiropractic clinics.
Here’s what’s going on:
Medical practices shifted from independent clinics to corporate-owned groups backed by private equity (PE) firms.
Dentistry followed suit, with billion-dollar corporate dental groups emerging in just the last decade.
Now, chiropractic is on the radar, and private investors are asking, “Can we make big money in chiropractic?”
The answer is yes—and they’re already doing it. If you’ve seen chiropractic franchises popping up on every corner, you know what I’m talking about.
Now, let’s be clear: corporate healthcare can go one of two ways.
Best-case scenario? It makes chiropractic more accessible and expands our reach.
Worst-case scenario? It turns us into a low-cost, high-volume service that patients see as nothing more than an alternative to Tylenol.
I don’t want our profession to be reduced to quick pain relief adjustments. We have the power to unlock true healing—and we can’t let profit-driven corporations define our future.
How We Take Control: A Data-Driven Chiropractic Future
I’m not just here to talk about the problem—I’m building the solution.
I serve on the Chiropractic Technology Board, working with some of the best minds in the profession to standardize data. Here’s what we’re doing:
Collecting real patient outcome data (not just billing and collections data).
Building a cloud-based system where chiropractors can analyze and compare trends.
Using data to prove our effectiveness to insurance companies and regulators.
This isn’t just about keeping our practices afloat—it’s about making chiropractic the #1 leader in healthcare.
Chiropractors, We Need to Step Up!
We have an opportunity right now to take control of our profession before outside forces do. But I can’t do this alone.
👉 I need you to be part of this movement.
👉 I need you to understand the power of your data.
👉 I need you to be proactive in shaping chiropractic’s future.
If you believe in what I’m saying, here’s how you can help:
✅ Share this with other chiropractors—we need to spread the message.
✅ Join the community of data-driven chiropractors who are committed to making our profession stronger. Join the FREE Data Driven Practice Facebook Group here.
This is our profession. It’s time to own it.
I’m Dr. Cory Frogley, and I’ve got your back. Let’s build the future of chiropractic—together!
