After "Kathleen" at Align contacted me to consider a softer review, I explained that my review was…read moresolid and that the caveat was for those considering agreeing to treatment: (1) Align checks your insurance, (2) is told what they'll cover (in minutes), (3) offers you a program limited by the minutes your insurance covers.
I did decide to freshen my review:
Kathleen,
I won't remove or soften my review. After talking with a couple of professionals at the time, I'll revise it down. I was extremely pissed at and disappointed with AWC. Several years have NOT changed my opinion.
I believed treatment would be structured around what I needed to help with lumbar and cervical pain.
As I recall, chiropractic manipulation sometimes took about a minute to adjust my neck, with NOTHING done to my back. The rolling table session was perhaps five minutes long (it felt great, but insurance covered only five minutes), and electrical stimulation was another five minutes. I had enrolled because I was in pain and expected a comprehensive treatment program.
After about five to seven weeks, my back felt worse, and my neck became more sensitive after the adjustments.
My impression then and my opinion today is that Align offers a "treatment" program for patients who rely solely on insurance. Simply, Align checks your insurance to see what it'll cover, then provides ONLY that, seemingly regardless of the ACTUAL BENEFIT. I received a minute of chiropractic care, five minutes on a wonderful rolling bed, and about five minutes of stim treatment.
I often walked out in under 20 minutes.
I realized my treatment seemed like a scam. It appeared I was being moved through a series of "billable only" services rather than receiving viable, meaningful care.
Those considering AWC who need to rely solely on their insurance should check THOROUGHLY, understand what you'll receive, and determine its actual clinical value. "Is the amount of treatment I'll get, based on what my insurance will pay for, actually going to be clinically beneficial?"
I've considered obtaining my billing and insurance records and pursuing the matter formally with my former insurer and, if appropriate, the relevant Illinois regulatory authorities. In particular, I would want it examined whether the billed services, their duration, and the treatment actually provided were at all... clinically appropriate and accurately represented.
Buyer beware.