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Meet Dr. Vivi-Ann Fischer, Fulcrum's Chief Clinical Officer!

Dr. Vivi-Ann FischerDr. Fischer has over 40 years combined clinical and managed health care experience. She currently sits on the Northwestern Health Science University Board of Trustees and formally served as a member on the Board of Directors for the Minnesota Chiropractic Association. In 1988, Dr. Fischer founded Plymouth Grove Chiropractic, P.A. and previously practiced in Duluth, Minnesota. Dr. Fischer holds a Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Northwestern Health Science University and a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from the University of Minnesota.

Because I have always been fascinated with the complexity of body functions, I began my academic career in biochemistry. But it wasn’t long before I realized the laboratory wasn’t where I wanted to spend my career. I really enjoy working with people to help them maximize holistic health and wellness practices. I quickly gravitated to chiropractic medicine.

There has never been a more exciting time to enter the chiropractic profession and be recognized as delivering high-quality, patient-centered spine care. With the rising popularity and utilization of chiropractic care, it is important for doctors to be prepared for a new era of data and outcome collection. By continuously gathering patient treatment outcomes data, chiropractors contribute greatly to meeting the Triple Aim for low back pain: improving the health of the population; improving the patient experience, including quality; and improving the affordability of health care. Participating in national reporting systems demonstrates to the entire health care community that the chiropractic profession is serious about making improvements in care quality. In turn, the profession’s visibility and credibility in the health care system will be further advanced.

I have always been vocal about my support of pursuing conservative care first, whenever possible. Research shows that when chiropractic is the first line of care, patients experience quality functional improvement with fewer episodes of reoccurrence. This means more patients avoid surgery and narcotics.

I am very active with local and national health care thought leaders and we often discuss how our profession can best serve patients. Our discussions always come back to the goal of educating patients about conservative methods such as establishing healthy eating habits, restful and adequate sleep, proper posture, and adopting an appropriate exercise routine. The majority of chronic disease today is related to behavioral health — that opens a lot of doors for chiropractors to really make an impact and improve lives.

My position at Fulcrum enables me to be on the leading edge of health care change. It’s an exciting opportunity to participate in the development of health care plans that are designed to be more effective, collaborative and patient-centered. This approach ultimately leads to better outcomes for patients.

It’s also gratifying to serve in a supportive role for doctors in this ever-changing world of health care. ChiroCare provides quarterly “best practices” report cards, along with ongoing educational opportunities that enable our doctors to be the very best in the industry. With the assistance of our Advisory Committee, we are making a bigger impact on initiatives such as evaluating quality improvement strategies, offering provider and patient surveys, and improving clinical tools and administrative processes, among other things.