Statistics

Chiropractic billing statistics, every number cited

By Dr. Daniel Turner, DC · Reviewed September 2, 2026

Billing statistics get repeated across the industry until nobody remembers where they came from. This page keeps only numbers that trace to a primary source you can click, plus live counters from a real practice, and it says so when a popular number cannot be verified.

The federal oversight numbers

Statistic	Figure	Source
Chiropractic's rank for improper payments among Medicare Part B services	Highest of any Part B service	OIG, citing the CMS Comprehensive Error Rate Testing program
Share of paid chiropractic claims found to be maintenance therapy in past OIG reviews	40 to 47 percent	OIG OEI-01-14-00200
Questionable Medicare chiropractic payments identified for 2013	$76 million	OIG OEI-01-14-00200
Medicare payments for chiropractic claims lacking a covered primary diagnosis, 2013	$21 million	OIG OEI-01-14-00200
Share of questionable payments attributable to just 2 percent of chiropractors	Half	OIG OEI-01-14-00200

The practical reading for a practice owner: chiropractic claims draw more scrutiny per dollar than any other Part B specialty, the maintenance care boundary is where most of the exposure lives, and a small minority of outlier practices attract the enforcement attention everyone else inherits. Documentation habits and honest AT modifier use are the whole defense, covered in depth in the Medicare billing guide and the documentation audit guide.

Medicare's coverage boundaries, as numbers

✓Covered chiropractic services under Medicare: exactly 1 (manual manipulation of the spine to correct a subluxation)
✓CPT codes that carry it: 3 (98940, 98941, 98942)
✓Timely filing window for Medicare claims: 1 calendar year from the date of service
✓PART exam elements required to demonstrate subluxation without an X-ray: at least 2 of 4, one of which must be asymmetry or range of motion abnormality

Sources: Medicare Benefit Policy Manual Chapter 15 section 240; Claims Processing Manual Chapter 1 section 70. Linked in the references below.

Market pricing figures, published 2026

✓Lowest published per practitioner price among major platforms: about $54 per month (Jane)
✓Advertised entry plans at flat priced vendors: $99 per month (ChiroTouch advertised entry, RowanFlow entry tier)
✓Top published per location tier in the market: roughly $798 per month before metered usage (ChiroHD)
✓Managed billing services advertised by chiropractic vendors: roughly 6 to 7 percent of collections
✓A common text message meter past allowances: 3 cents per message, about $1,080 per year at 3,000 monthly texts

All figures from vendor published materials as of August and September 2026; each is examined in the pricing guide and the true cost guide.

Live from one real practice

Cervica's founding practice, three chiropractic clinics in north Georgia, runs the platform as its only system. The homepage counters are its real cumulative activity: thousands of appointments, signed notes, patient text conversations, personal injury cases, completed forms, and electronic claims, updating as the practice works. We publish operational statistics rather than testimonials because numbers from a working practice are harder to fake and easier to check.

Numbers we deliberately do not repeat

Industry averages for chiropractic claim denial rates, average collections per visit, and practice revenue circulate widely without a primary source that survives checking. We have chosen not to print them. When a verifiable figure for these exists, it will appear here with its citation; until then, distrust any page that states them without one.

References

Cite this page freely with attribution. Figures reflect their sources' publication dates; verify against the primary source before relying on any number.

Explore the denial code library Request sample data access

Common questions

What is the improper payment rate for chiropractic services?

The HHS Office of Inspector General has reported that chiropractic services carry the highest rate of improper payments among Medicare Part B services, according to the CMS Comprehensive Error Rate Testing program. Past OIG work found that between 40 and 47 percent of all paid chiropractic claims were for maintenance therapy, which Medicare does not cover.

How much does Medicare improperly pay for chiropractic care?

In its September 2015 report, the OIG identified $76 million in questionable Medicare payments for chiropractic services in a single year, 2013, with almost half of the questionable payments suggestive of maintenance therapy. The same report found Medicare inappropriately paid $21 million for chiropractic services lacking a Medicare covered primary diagnosis.