Florida Functional Neurology Group

Hello, my name is Alexander C. Frank, DC, DACNB. I am the sole owner of Florida Functional Neurology Group {FFNG}. I am a chiropractic physician, with board certification in chiropractic neurology, as well as a Fellowship in electrodiagnostic specialties. After chiropractic college, I spent 2 years interning with one of the top chiropractic neurologists in the world. I have been in sole practice since 2017. I hired my first staff member a certified chiropractic physician assistant in March of 2023. In August I brought in a front desk staff person. FFNG is currently located inside an executive suite building. FFNG occupies 4 rooms adding up to approximately 600 sq. feet. I am looking to move my business to a 2400 sq ft facility to better serve this population. 

 

I am expanding my chiropractic and functional neurology practice into an Integrative Medicine Advanced & Neurological Rehabilitation clinic. The expansion will include adding a medical neurologist, as well as a family nurse practitioner to our team, in addition to necessary support staff such as an office/business manager, medical assistants, physical therapists, etc. The services would be advanced chiropractic care, medical neurological care, anti-aging, as well as advanced neurological & rehabilitation services. The advanced neurological rehabilitation will consist of traditional physical therapy but will focus heavily on vestibular (balance/dizziness/posture) issues, as well as dysautonomia, and other conditions poorly addressed by today’s managed-care system. My typical patient has been to “every physician and specialist” and has been told that the source of their health issue is undetermined. What I typically find is that the individual has been ineffectively evaluated for THEIR health needs. Additionally, we have patients who understand investing in their health is the best route to stay young and functional to live the life they’ve earned. 

 

As a firefighter, I had to assess a situation rapidly and “size up” what was needed to successfully resolve the issue. I view my patients with a similar perspective: what type of fire am I fighting, what type of retardant will extinguish it, and what volume of that retardant will put it out”. Water on a grease or electrical fire is going to have a poor outcome. So is trying to put out a garage fire with a garden hose. Just because you are putting water on the fire doesn’t mean you’re doing your job. In that regard, I have many patients for whom the managed-care system has allowed their "toaster fires" to progress into “kitchen, then apartment, and finally into tower infernos”. The alarms have been ringing for a while, but all that was done was to silence the alarm, not to determine its source and resolve the issue. Patients are then told to “learn to live with It”, especially when that practitioner no longer has interventions that can help. The delay in applying the correct intervention can lead to damage that might not be able to be fully repaired. 

 

The Villages’ residents, as well as myself, are unsatisfied with the quality of medical care, especially neurological and rehabilitative, offered in The Villages, FL. The Villages is the largest retirement community in the United States. It is an active community with over 50 golf courses, 300+ pickleball courts, and more. We want our patients to live their lives to their fullest, without the overuse of drugs, endless amounts of supplements, etc. I consistently see patients not thoroughly evaluated for their complaints, allowing small issues to manifest into chronic and/or debilitating ones. Most concerning is that they are rarely informed about additional services or interventions that are available for their conditions. Additionally, other companies, typically run by non-medical owners, have established ‘anti-aging clinics” from a pure profit motive, not treating the whole person, just the part they sell. 

 

I utilize comprehensive evaluations to determine the root cause of my patients’ issues.  Advanced technologies such as our Neurolign Video Ocular Gaze system help to correlate examination findings as well as more specifically locate areas of dysfunction. Again, this allows me to tailor a treatment plan specific to that patient. The Villages Health System does not utilize Video Ocular Gaze testing even though research has shown that abnormal eye movements [e.g. field sobriety test] are correlated with over 200 diseases and medical conditions. Why aren’t we preventing fires or catching them in their early stages when the technology exists? Expanding my business by bringing on a medical neurologist and moving to a larger location will enable me to help those with dysfunctions, be it pain, imbalance, dizziness, neurodegeneration, immune issues, etc., to live a life they and their physician did not think was possible. 

 

Having a medical neurologist on staff will change how patients have access to my clinic and me. Currently, patients have to self-pay for their initial examination, which can be a barrier.  Medicare does not pay chiropractic physicians for performing examinations, though Medicare requires an examination to establish a diagnosis for billing.  Additionally, I am not in-network with any managed care programs such as Blue Cross Blue Shield. I have not joined any managed-care programs (except Medicare Part B as required by law) because I feel it is my job to direct my patient’s care, and not what a system has said should be done. If I felt that the managed care systems would allow me to provide the appropriate care for patients, I would have joined. But they do not, and I, therefore, cannot be a party to what I see as “C-level work” or “just good enough”. For example, I have had to perform peer-to-peer reviews about dizziness patients, with an insurance company’s medical physician who had no vestibular (i.e. dizziness) training. Adding a medical practitioner would enable patients to have greater access to the quality care that I provide via the managed-care portal. I would also be able to manage our patients’ physical therapy routines. Currently, managed-care patients must perform physical therapy at a PT clinic for those services to be covered, or they must self-pay at my office. My recommendations generally conflict with the recommendations of their physical therapist, which further impedes the patient’s healing and recovery. 

 

My goal is to deliver quality care so our patients can live the life they have earned...not just exist.