In the VA example, a chiropractor may see about how many established patients and new patients in a day?

• A. 16-20 established patients and 2 new patients
• B. 8-12 established and 1 new
• C. 10-15 established and 5 new
• D. 20-25 established and 3-4 new

Answer: (A)

In a VA chiropractic clinic, the daily flow typically has many established patients and only a few new ones. Established visits recur regularly, are generally shorter, and can be scheduled back-to-back, so a clinician can see a larger number of them in a day. New patients require longer intake time—taking histories, performing exams, and establishing the treatment plan—so clinics allocate fewer of these per day. That’s why a daily mix of about sixteen to twenty established patients with around two new patients best fits the usual workload. Other ranges would either push too many new patients into a day or leave too few established visits to meet ongoing care needs, making them less consistent with typical scheduling.