New Jersey chiropractor marketing that keeps a free exam free for 24 hours

New Jersey has a rule written for chiropractors who advertise something free. If an ad brings a patient in for a free exam, the next 24 hours are free too. The only exception is a signed waiver.

The board's advertising rule covers anyone who answers a free or reduced-fee ad. No service in the 24 hours after that visit may be charged. The way out is a waiver in the board's own words, for a patient who needs care right away. It names the doctor and states the dollar amount. The amount is written in before the patient signs, and the patient keeps a copy.

So the front desk needs a plan before the ad goes live:

• Same-day adjustments. If you usually treat on day one, either build that visit into the offer or keep the waiver printed at the desk.
• The fee goes in first. The waiver itself says the amount was filled in before the signature. A blank form signed and completed later does not match it.
• A copy for the patient. The form says the patient was given one. Scan the signed copy into the chart as well.
• The second visit. Book it for the next day unless a waiver is signed.

Price ads carry their own lines. An ad that names an exam fee must also give the cost of X-rays, with the words "if needed". If extra charges can follow, the ad prints the board's set sentence: "Additional charges may be incurred for related services which may be required in individual cases." That sentence cannot be used for care that usually needs those related services.

Most crash patients here arrive with personal injury protection, the medical part of a car policy. But some drivers chose to have their health plan pay first. The intake has to find out which before the first visit.

PIP pays medical bills whoever caused the crash. The state's insurance department says most New Jersey drivers buy $250,000 of PIP, more than drivers usually buy elsewhere. It also explains the health insurer option. A driver who picks it sends crash bills to the health plan first, and the car insurer pays second. That plan's deductibles, copays and precertification rules then apply.

The limit can be lower, too. Under the PIP options rule, a standard policy carries $250,000 unless the driver picks $150,000, $75,000, $50,000 or $15,000 in writing.

So the crash landing page and the phone script ask three things:

• The car insurer and claim number. The PIP claim starts there.
• The PIP limit, if the patient knows it. A $15,000 limit runs out far sooner than $250,000.
• Whether a health plan pays first. If so, check that plan's network and precertification rules before booking.

Medicare and Medicaid patients get one more note. The department says neither can be named as the primary payer for crash injuries. Either may still pay on a secondary basis, such as when care costs more than the PIP limit.

New Jersey insurers follow state treatment guidelines for common crash injuries. Early care needs no sign-off. Later care can, and missing that step costs the practice money.

The state calls the guidelines care paths. Under the care paths rule, they set the standard course of treatment for the injuries they list. At marked points along the way, the provider asks the insurer for a decision point review.

The first stretch is protected. The decision point review rule says no review or precertification step applies within 10 days of the crash, or to emergency care. When a request does go in, the insurer's plan must answer within three business days.

After that, a missed request is expensive. The co-payment rule allows an extra co-payment of up to 50 percent of the eligible charge. It covers care given from the day the request was due until the insurer has had its chance to reply.

What this means for marketing:

• Fast booking is worth saying. An ad can promise a quick first appointment, since the first 10 days need no sign-off. Keep it about scheduling, never about results.
• Count the days. The intake records the crash date, so the team knows when day 10 arrives.
• Keep each insurer's review contact on file. Every approved plan has to tell providers how to reach it.

Not legal advice; confirm with counsel before an intake or an ad leans on these rules.

New Jersey lets chiropractors use patient testimonials, within limits. It also expects you to keep every ad you run. One shared folder, set up once, covers most of it.

The board's advertising rule allows testimonials from people with real experience of your care. A patient can say how they felt. They cannot vouch for technical matters beyond their own knowledge. Any detail that identifies a patient needs their signed written permission in advance.

Each ad also names the practice with its address or phone number. It names at least one licensee responsible for the practice, too. A licensed chiropractic assistant mentioned in an ad goes by that title or "L.C.A."

Then the file. Keep a copy of every ad for three years, marked with when and where it ran. Keep a recording of every ad that ran on electronic media. The rule's list of electronic media includes radio, television, the telephone and the computer. So a video ad, a Google ad and a scripted sales call all belong in the folder.

Recall calls follow the state's telemarketing law as well. Under its 2005 amendment, a recall call that sells something may not ring after 9 at night or before 8 in the morning. Within its first 30 seconds, whoever is calling says who they are, which practice they call for and why.

The original Do Not Call act defines what counts as unsolicited. A call to an existing customer, or one made at a customer's written request, falls outside it. Whether a patient last seen years ago still counts as a customer is worth asking counsel.

Texts follow the federal consent rules, which our texting and AI answering playbook walks through.

Recording your own calls is legal here with one party's consent. A 2026 Assembly bill would require everyone's consent, but it has only been introduced.

The wider New Jersey picture, from media markets to the privacy law, is on our New Jersey page.