Dr Steven Barnett graduated from Brooklyn College in January 1976. It was while playing basketball there that he discovered the benefits of chiropractic care. After graduating he attended Palmer Chiropractic College in Davenport Iowa. Dr Barnett graduated Palmer in 1979 and moved to Atlanta Georgia to begin his career in chiropractic. He opened his office in Stone Mountain Georgia in 1979 and ran a very large practice for three decades. He retired in 2009 after injuring his wrist in a boating accident. After three weeks he discovered retirement was not a good fit.
Dr Barnett started The Chiropractic Referral Network to facilitate chiropractic referral to a hospital setting for advanced imaging and specialty services. 'I realized that free standing imaging centers were points of destination. They simply did not have patients to give and their equipment was usually inferior in quality. On the other hand the hospital usually represents the gold stand when it comes to advanced imaging. They certainly have patients to refer in the way of specialty providers and hospital based primary care physicians". Dr Barnett was hired by Dekalb Medical center in Decatur Georgia to begin a chiropractic initiative. He was named Director of Chiropractic Relations for the hospitals two campuses in 2009.
The program has proved to be enormously successful and has spread throughout the metropolitan Atlanta area and beyond. In addition to Dekalb Dr Barnett is the Director of Chiropractic Relations at Premier Neurosurgical Institute In Marietta,the office of Dr V. Chitale a vascular Neurosurgeon. He was recently hired by North Fulton Regional Hospital to begin the chiropractic initiative there. 'The program is accelerating rapidly with more hospitals and physician practices inquiring on a daily basis". I believe that our program is a game changer and will truly change the landscape of health care. Due to the fact that we are the foot soldiers for the treatment of back pain and a primary portal of entry, the medical profession is finally starting to notice. We have raised their chiropractic IQ". Policy and politics is going the way of the straight legged sit ups" I believe that half of all chiropractic patients will come from medical referrals with in the next few years", says Barnett. Our intimate relationship with pain management physicians and neurosurgeons will result in better care for our patients. In the days of increased benchmarking co management and validation of chiropractic patients may be pivotal in getting paid for services rendered. Its a winning formula for all the physicians and the best management for our patients. Our motto is "if its good for the patients .......its good for the program"
I hope you find the information in this website useful and welcome all questions
Dr Joe Ragone graduated from National University of Health Sciences in 2002. He practiced for 8 years until he was struck by a truck while biking. Not being able to continue practicing he began a new career in the medical device field. Quickly, he found that the relationships he had with medical providers while practicing were not common place in his new field. He began working to bridge the gap and help each provider understand how the other can be of benefit. During that time he met Dr Barnett and has been working to grow the network.
Karen Marsh is the executive assistant for Dr Barnett. They have a history that dates back for more than thirty years.Karen has been a patient since she was 11 years old. Her sister was the office manager for the Barnett Chiropractic Offices P. C. for 17 years. When she left to raise her children Karen took over and worked as the office manager and insurance liaison for 12 years.She managed a staff of nine assistants.When Dr Barnett retired from private practice Karen went with him to start the management program. Her intimate knowledge of chiropractic and office procedure has helped her in the day to day contact with chiropractors and their office staff. Karen coordinates and facilitates the interactions between the hospital clinical staff and the chiropractors in the field. Due to the growth of the network Karen's job has become 24/7. "Karen is my Radar O'Reilly. She usually answers the question before I ask it".
"Watching the network grow from the first chiropractor to the 500th has been a truly amazing experience"The program is continually growing and changing shape" Having the ability to help so many chiropractors and their patients has been very rewarding".
" I look forward to our program growing beyond the State of Georgia and hope to meet each and every one of you".