Your first visit, explained
Most people want to know three things before they book: what happens, what it costs, and whether it’s right for them. Here are all three.
Not sure yet? Start with a phone call
If you’d like to talk before you book, ask for a free 10-minute phone call with Dr Richard Sawyer (Chiropractor). It’s a conversation, not a consultation: you tell him what’s going on, he tells you honestly whether it’s something we work with.
Terms, so there are no surprises: the call is free, there is no fee later that recovers it, no obligation to book, and it isn’t a diagnosis or treatment. Available to new patients; booked through the “Free phone pre-consult” option on the booking page or by calling the practice.
Visit 1: Initial consultation — allow 30 to 45 minutes
The investment for your initial consultation is $49. It includes the consultation and examination, on-site X-rays if clinically indicated, an adjustment at that visit if clinically indicated, and your second visit, the Planning Session, where we go through the findings. Any treatment on the Planning Session day is billed separately (see ongoing visits).
Our priority at the first visit is to understand you and why you’ve come. We go through your health history, what’s bothering you now, and what you want to get back to.
Then we assess: posture, movement, joint and muscle testing, neurological checks, and a hands-on examination of your spine. If it is clinically indicated, we take X-rays on site so we have the full picture. If it is appropriate, Dr Richard Sawyer (Chiropractor) will adjust you at this visit.
Visit 2: Planning session — allow 20 to 30 minutes
After reviewing everything from visit one, you come back for your planning session. We go through what we found, what we think is getting in the way, and what a plan of care would look like: adjustments, plus at-home work such as stretches, strengthening and, where useful, traction.
You decide from there. Any treatment on the Planning Session day, and all care after it, is billed separately, as below.
Ongoing visits
Regular adjustments take about 15 minutes, in an open-plan adjusting room alongside other practice members.
- On a scheduled plan of care: $60 to $80 per visit, depending on the plan.
- Single visits, booked as you need them: $99 per visit.
Care plans are worked out with you at the planning session and reviewed as you go. Nothing is prepaid, and you can stop at any time.
Fees and funding, in one place
- GP Chronic Condition Management Plan (GPCCMP, formerly CDM or EPC): accepted. You pay the usual fee and claim the Medicare rebate. GP care plans →
- DVA: Gold Card, or White Card with an accepted back condition, plus a D904 referral from your GP. With the paperwork in order, all of your care here is billed to DVA, the initial consultation included; without it, the first visit is charged at our usual $49. DVA →
- Private health extras: claimable with most funds; the amount depends on your cover. We don’t claim on site; a statement is emailed monthly for you to claim.
- Cancellations and running late: see our policies page. Appointments on a plan of care can be rescheduled online, at any hour.
What to bring
- Any GP care plan or DVA referral
- Previous X-rays or scans, or the reports
- Your Medicare, DVA and health fund cards
- Comfortable clothes you can move in
Questions
Do I need a referral?
No. Book directly. A GP plan or DVA referral only matters for how you claim.
Will I be adjusted on the first visit?
Often, if it is appropriate after the assessment. Sometimes we wait until the planning session so we can go through the findings first.
Are there side effects?
Like all treatments, chiropractic care can have side effects. The common ones are mild and short-lived, such as soreness after an adjustment. We discuss this with you before care starts.
How long will I need care?
That depends on what we find and what you want. The planning session is where we put a number on it, and we review it with you as you go.
Ready when you are.
Your initial consultation is $49 and includes the planning session.