A chiropractor looking for a change of pace has traded in his large practice in North Carolina in order to open his own small family-oriented business in Skaneateles.
Jill Connor / The Citizen
Dr. Neil Vance stretches Joseph Decker, of Columbia, Md., after the Escape From the Judge mile-long swim across Skaneateles Lake Labor Day weekend. Vance said it is important to keep the muscles loose when the body is preparing for activity.
Dr. Neil Vance stretches Joseph Decker, of Columbia, Md., after the Escape From the Judge mile-long swim across Skaneateles Lake Labor Day weekend. Vance said it is important to keep the muscles loose when the body is preparing for activity.
For Dr. Neil Vance, opening a practice in Skaneateles created an opportunity to run his own business in a manner that offers a more personalized experience for his patients while providing him with an avenue to contribute to the community's well-being.
One way he plans to do that is by dealing with the patients instead of their insurance companies.
Instead of paying up to $50 for a co-pay, Vance said he wants to charge a lower rate, bypassing the need for insurance to cover treatment.
“I am trying to bring health care to what it was designed to be, a way to help people,” Vance said. “I would rather be helping more people than spending a couple hours on the phone with insurance companies. If people pay less than they do for their co-pay, that's less hassle for everyone.”
In order to help keep his overhead costs down - thus lowering patient costs - Vance said his office will be located at his house, eliminating rent and his need to commute to work.
The office will include a digital X-ray machine, which provides instant images, a treatment room and a waiting room complete with a TV, headphones, plants and an automatic massage chair.
Vance said his goal is to create a small, family-friendly environment that does not have the stiff, unfriendly look or long waits of a large doctor's office.
The office will even have child-oriented events, such as pumpkin carving for Halloween and cookies for Christmas, to promote that atmosphere by entertaining any visiting youngsters.
“It will be a little different than the typical doctor's office,” Vance said. “Everything is family-oriented ... it will be a small clinic where people walk into a relaxing atmosphere without long waits. People can come in and do their treatments right away.”
By using spinal adjustments in his practice, Vance not only alleviates patients' neck or back pain, but often treats other peripheral symptoms that they did not know were connected to their physical pain.
When the bones in the back become misaligned, they can pinch the nerves in the spinal column, causing pain and interference with the brain's transmission of signals throughout the body. That results in diminished communication between the nerve and its connected body systems.
“We fix your back, but we also fix the nerve as well,” Vance said. “We take pressure off the nervous system, and that's when you notice other things getting better.”
While Vance will be busy in the office, he said he wants to promote his work within the community too.
During the Skaneateles Labor Day Race Weekend, Vance was busy promoting the benefits of chiropractic for athletes - in addition to the effects experienced by the average patient.
“A lot of athletes use chiropractors,” Vance said. “Athletes of all levels should use one. They help increase your range of motion and flexibility, and help reduce injuries.”
Given the level of activity within the area, Vance said he saw an opportunity to move into a small community where he could help people continue to enjoy an active, pain-free lifestyle.
“There is an active patient base here. I always see somebody out riding their bike or running whenever I drive through (Skaneateles),” Vance said. “A lot of inactive people who have chronic arthritis, they just want someone to fix them so they can go back to sitting on the couch and not hurt. This community has active people who care about their health, who want to stay active.”
If you go
What: Dr. Vance's Family Chiropractic
When: Tentative opening date Sept. 28
Where: 1398 Coach Road, Skaneateles
Info: Visit www.vancechirocenter.com, e-mail info@VanceChiroCenter.com or call 685-2070
Staff writer Nate Robson can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or nathan.robson@lee.net
One way he plans to do that is by dealing with the patients instead of their insurance companies.
Instead of paying up to $50 for a co-pay, Vance said he wants to charge a lower rate, bypassing the need for insurance to cover treatment.
“I am trying to bring health care to what it was designed to be, a way to help people,” Vance said. “I would rather be helping more people than spending a couple hours on the phone with insurance companies. If people pay less than they do for their co-pay, that's less hassle for everyone.”
In order to help keep his overhead costs down - thus lowering patient costs - Vance said his office will be located at his house, eliminating rent and his need to commute to work.
The office will include a digital X-ray machine, which provides instant images, a treatment room and a waiting room complete with a TV, headphones, plants and an automatic massage chair.
Vance said his goal is to create a small, family-friendly environment that does not have the stiff, unfriendly look or long waits of a large doctor's office.
The office will even have child-oriented events, such as pumpkin carving for Halloween and cookies for Christmas, to promote that atmosphere by entertaining any visiting youngsters.
“It will be a little different than the typical doctor's office,” Vance said. “Everything is family-oriented ... it will be a small clinic where people walk into a relaxing atmosphere without long waits. People can come in and do their treatments right away.”
By using spinal adjustments in his practice, Vance not only alleviates patients' neck or back pain, but often treats other peripheral symptoms that they did not know were connected to their physical pain.
When the bones in the back become misaligned, they can pinch the nerves in the spinal column, causing pain and interference with the brain's transmission of signals throughout the body. That results in diminished communication between the nerve and its connected body systems.
“We fix your back, but we also fix the nerve as well,” Vance said. “We take pressure off the nervous system, and that's when you notice other things getting better.”
While Vance will be busy in the office, he said he wants to promote his work within the community too.
During the Skaneateles Labor Day Race Weekend, Vance was busy promoting the benefits of chiropractic for athletes - in addition to the effects experienced by the average patient.
“A lot of athletes use chiropractors,” Vance said. “Athletes of all levels should use one. They help increase your range of motion and flexibility, and help reduce injuries.”
Given the level of activity within the area, Vance said he saw an opportunity to move into a small community where he could help people continue to enjoy an active, pain-free lifestyle.
“There is an active patient base here. I always see somebody out riding their bike or running whenever I drive through (Skaneateles),” Vance said. “A lot of inactive people who have chronic arthritis, they just want someone to fix them so they can go back to sitting on the couch and not hurt. This community has active people who care about their health, who want to stay active.”
If you go
What: Dr. Vance's Family Chiropractic
When: Tentative opening date Sept. 28
Where: 1398 Coach Road, Skaneateles
Info: Visit www.vancechirocenter.com, e-mail info@VanceChiroCenter.com or call 685-2070
Staff writer Nate Robson can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or nathan.robson@lee.net
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justforgetit wrote on Sep 15, 2009 8:40 PM: