HealthSource of Aiken - Dr. Andrew Hopkins

Health Source of Aiken was very good and they did the work. They are prompt and on time. They explain everything before they do it. The front desk was the best, as soon as you walk in there they care that you are actually there. I'm a nurse and that's something I really appreciate.

I would first like to say that everyone at HealthSource was quite gracious to me on both visits. The people there are very nice, and the facility appears to have plenty of equipment with several kinds of therapy available. I would very much have liked to become a patient/client there.
Second, and quot;effectiveness of treatmentand quot; is the combined rating of both visits; effectiveness of Dr. Hopkins' treatment would have been A+. That is why I would and quot;use this provider again in the futureand quot;--if I could afford Dr. Hopkins' care.
My initial visit to HealthSource was prompted by purchase of a voucher on Daily Deals. Many years ago I was helped tremendously by a holistic chiropractor in another state, so I was excited to try a practitioner here at a great price for the first visit, which was to include x-rays, evaluation, adjustment and a 30-minute massage. I am on a very low fixed income, so cost is of utmost concern to me.
Dr. Hopkins adjusted everything but my eyebrows. Seriously, he adjusted me in ways no other chiropractor ever had, including the one who helped so much years ago. Physically at least, I walked out afterward feeling like a new person. And from the x-rays he not only identified the fact that I had suffered whiplash, but he also said it had happened and quot;at least 30 years ago, probably moreand quot; (it had been 35). So it's apparent that Dr. Hopkins is extremely knowledgeable and supremely competent. He just might be the best chiropractor anywhere.
The trouble was that the treatment plan he wrote carried a price tag of several thousand dollars beyond my insurance coverage. I explained that that was out of the question for me financially and asked what adjustments alone would cost per visit. The office manager, who is also Dr. Hopkins' wife, offered a payment plan but it was the totality of that large outlay which was prohibitive for me, not merely the timing of how it got paid. Dr. Hopkins would not agree to anything less than the entire treatment plan, however. I went away sorely disappointed, especially because of the dramatic benefits I'd already gotten from the adjustments, and absolutely convinced that I could have benefited profoundly from his care. I remain convinced of that.
Several months later an acquaintance recommended Dr. Hopkins to me and I explained what had happened and how terribly disappointed I continued to feel. She spoke to Dr. Hopkins' wife about my situation and I received a call with an invitation to come back and see their new associate, Dr. Forsyth, who and quot;was trying to build up his own patient baseand quot; and could be more flexible than Dr. Hopkins. So I went back.
Unfortunately, the adjustment I got from Dr. Forsyth was less beneficial than the one I'd gotten from Dr. Hopkins. Perhaps this was the result of high expectations on my part and/or his awareness of that earlier history if he knew about it; who knows. But this visit, too, culminated in a treatment plan which ran into four figures. Though a fraction the cost of the first one, it was still an awful lot. And I would have moved heaven and earth to come up with that lesser amount for care by Dr. Hopkins. However, there was nothing I could do (that wouldn't have been truly reckless and foolish) to come up with that larger original amount.
What bothers me most about the way things are done at HealthSource Aiken is their all-or-none approach. Not everyone can afford--or manage even with great hardship--the stupendously pricey treatment plans they present. I and many others desperately need and would greatly benefit from treatment we COULD afford if the doctors were willing to provide care at a basic level. It looks and feels like health care for those wealthy enough to easily pay the freight, and exploitation of some vulnerable people for whom the full-bore treatment plans require far too great financial sacrifice but who are frightened into doing literally whatever it takes to pay for them. (Dr. Hopkins told me I would be paralyzed and wheelchair-bound in two to five years if I didn't receive all the care outlined in the full treatment plan.)
When I was making the appointment for the second visit, I mentioned that for someone who is suffering basic care is better than no care at all, Dr. Hopkins' wife told me that he only wants to treat people who and quot;are willing to make the investment in themselvesand quot;. There's a difference between someone who won't pay for care because they'd rather buy new outfits or dine out twice a week, and someone who can only pay for those full treatment plans by emptying their savings. I don't believe it's right to even ask people to do that when their suffering can easily be relieved at a price they can actually afford.

As a chiropractor I think he is fine but as a business man he is on the verge of dreaming other ethicals. I felt very uncomfortable with some of the things that he was doing business wise and I felt like I was being hassled to take treatments that I didn't need. I was not pleased with his services. He is fine as a chiropractor and I would recommend him. I actually went to him for a long time as a chiropractor and I think he is an excellent chiropractor. I just don't approve with some of his business practices. My wife and I went in and he tried to sell us a series of treatments and also tried to sell us some extra stuff beside chiropractic care and I thought that it was inappropriate. So I will never go back. I have gone to him for three years and I thought as a chiropractor he was fine and he is an excellent chiropractor but it's just the other side of him that I don't care for. His staff was very helpful and good. I would not use him again.

I have suffered from TMJ and degeneration in the spinal columns within my neck for years. I also have a military joint injury that has given me troubles off and on. I was very excited to learn about this facility because it mixes chiropractic care with physical rehabilitation. Dr. Hopkins set me up with an 8 week treatment plan to not only do adjustments but also train my muscles to hold the adjustments and improve my overall health. I am about 5 weeks into the plan and have seen amazing results. I tend to ignore pain until it limits my functionality and was absolutely amazed the other day when I noticed for the 1st time in my memory that I could honestly say that I had zero pain or even discomfort anywhere in my body. The office and rehab staff members are wonderful. I always enjoy cutting-up with them while I am doing my exercises. My only complaint would be the bedside manner of Dr. Hopkins. He is not mean or awful by any means but his demeanor is more focused and less caring and inviting. He is exceptionally good at his job and has a vast knowledge of the systems within the body and how everything is interconnected. He simply does not convey an approachable demeanor. I don't think this is from a lack of concern for those around him but possibly due to simple personality conflicts as I was raised in the south where we have different view of an inviting bedside manner.

He has helped me immensely. He has a comprehensive staff of masseuse and physical therapists, so being able to come from an adjustment helps keep he pain down. He is really progressive, not just a and quot;bone cracker.and quot; He continually goes to school to keep up on leading edge treatments.I will continue to use him.