2019 Economic Impact Awards 1-5 Years in Operation Honoree: Loehr Chiropractic and Acupuncture LLC

When Steven Loehr decided it was time to start his own practice, he began a business that specialists in chiropractic and acupuncture could call home.

Loehr Chiropractic and Acupuncture LLC started in 2014. Although chiropractic offices seem commonplace in Springfield now, Loehr, who specializes in pregnancy and pediatric chiropractic techniques, says that wasn’t the case when he moved to the Queen City for a job in 2006.

“When I came to town, natural health, especially for pregnancy and pediatrics, was almost faux pas,” he says.

In the year after opening the practice, the providers at the clinic saw 731 new patients, had over 11,334 office visits and collected $494,500 in services. In 2018, four years after opening, the practice had 1,776 new patients, 30,240 office visits and brought in just over $2 million in services.

Loehr credits the jump in business to several factors, but partly to a change of mindset in the Springfield area when it comes to natural health.

“There have been a lot of relationships built in the medical community over the last 12 years,” he says in regard to how traditional doctors view chiropractic physicians. “People just have so much more knowledge about natural health now and are trying to eat right.”

Loehr Chiropractic isn’t just about basic back adjustments, Loehr says, as the practice focuses on multiple natural health areas.

“My mission has always been to have one practice full of specialty doctors,” he says. “In the chiropractic profession specifically, it’s very hard to have a clinic that has any kind of specialty, really. In our practice, we have six doctors, and we all have different specialties that range from functional movement, pediatrics, pregnancy, acupuncture and massage.”

In 2018, Loehr Chiropractic opened a location in Weaubleau, about 60 miles north of Springfield. In its first year, the Weaubleau office saw 347 patients, recorded 2,610 office visits and collected $119,500 in service revenue. Loehr grew up in Weaubleau.

“Twenty years ago, I promised myself I would open something up there,” he says. “I had injuries playing high school sports. I had to drive daily for physical therapy or for surgeries. I had to come to Springfield and it’s over an hour drive one way.”

Loehr says he believes the largest economic impact the practice provides is in how the business model can save clients money on potential health care costs.

He says returning services can cost someone up to $1,000, but he and his staff believe that a client could potentially end up paying for a surgery due to a disk injury that could cost as much as $5,500-$7,500.

“When people start looking at natural health, they can start looking at a high deductible insurance plan for themselves so that they aren’t having to pay so much on insurance each month,” he says. “That’s an area that we can make the most change and we can save millions every year in this community.”