Support Chiropractic Research!

Legislation

ICA Files Suit in New Mexico Court of Appeals Seeking A Stay on Illegal State Chiropractic Board Actions

By |January 19, 2012|Announcement, Expanded Practice, Legislation|

ICA Files Suit in New Mexico Court of Appeals Seeking A Stay on Illegal State Chiropractic Board Actions

The Chiro.Org Blog


Acting on behalf of concerned members in New Mexico and out of concern for the integrity and credibility of the chiropractic profession at large, on December 21, 2011 the International Chiropractors Association (ICA) filed an extensive memorandum in support of a motion to stay what is being held to be illegal actions on the part of that state’s Board of Chiropractic Examiners. In its memorandum of explanation, ICA’s attorneys argued that it was important for the court to carefully consider the urgent issues of the letter of the law and the protection of both the public and chiropractic practitioners and prevent the “New Mexico Board of Chiropractic Examiners from implementing its new rule establishing an advanced practice formulary to include dangerous drugs and drugs to be administered by injection…and implementing its new rules establishing a certain course of training to certify advanced practice chiropractic physicians to administer and prescribe dangerous drugs and drugs to be administered by injection” because such actions were outside their authority under the law.

On August 30, 2011, at an official rulemaking hearing and meeting, the New Mexico Chiropractic Board adopted new rules to greatly expand the chiropractic formulary to include certain dangerous drugs and drugs to be administered by injection that had not been approved by either the New Mexico Medical or Pharmacy Boards as specifically required by state law. At that same hearing, lawyers representing the State of New Mexico were very clear in their advice that the Board was acting outside their authority and should not proceed. The Chiropractic Board ignored those admonitions and acted to adopt a new formulary anyway.

ICA representatives were present at both the August and December Board meetings and, in concert with New Mexico DCs, urged the Board to act only within the rules established by statute but to no avail. At their meeting of December 13, 2011, the New Mexico Chiropractic Board denied all requests to stay the implementation of the new rules pending appeal. ICA received official documentation of the New Mexico Chiropractic Board’s official denial of a request to stay the controversial rules on January 5, 2012. Having exhausted all administrative remedies, ICA is seeking the protection of the courts in the face of the Board’s questionable actions. (more…)

Senate Bill Introduced to Expand Veterans’ Access to Chiropractic Care

By |June 9, 2011|Legislation, News|

Senate Bill Introduced to Expand Veterans’ Access to Chiropractic Care

The Chiro.Org Blog


SOURCE: The American Chiropractic Association

The ACA and the Association of Chiropractic Colleges (ACC) commend Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) for introducing legislation in the U.S. Senate designed to fully integrate chiropractic care as a covered service within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system.

The bill, S.1147, specifically requires the VA to have a doctor of chiropractic on staff at all of its major medical facilities by 2014. The legislation was introduced on June 6, and has been referred to the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs.

ACA believes that integrating the services provided by doctors of chiropractic into the VA health care system would be cost-effective and speed the recovery of many veterans returning from current operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. A February 2010 report from the Veterans Health Administration indicates that about half of all veterans returning from the Middle East and Southwest Asia who have sought VA health care were treated for symptoms associated with musculoskeletal ailments – the top complaint of those tracked for the report. (more…)

Chiropractic Physicians Meet with Congress

By |April 15, 2011|Legislation, News|

Chiropractic Physicians Meet with Congress

The Chiro.Org Blog


SOURCE:   ACA News


As health care reform implementation begins, making the case for chiropractic inclusion on the federal and state levels remains a priority.

Nearly 500 chiropractic physicians, students and supporters converged on the nation’s capital Feb. 14-15 as part of the American Chiropractic Association’s 2011 National Chiropractic Legislative Conference (NCLC) with the Chiropractic Summit. Those in attendance listened to speeches from government leaders, received advocacy training and urged elected officials to support pro-chiropractic measures that seek to provide patients, veterans and active-duty military personnel with greater access to the essential services provided by chiropractic physicians.

While last year’s conference focused on the first phase of health care reform, congressional debate surrounding the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), this year’s meeting concentrated on the next phase, implementation of the law.

Among the speakers this year, Iowa State Sen. Jack Hatch (D-Des Moines), a member of the White House Legislative Working Group on Health Care Reform, stressed that While the work being done on Capitol Hill to expand patient access to chiropractic care is vital to improving health care for all Americans, at this stage important work is also being done in every state capital. “This is both a challenge and an opportunity,” he said.

The meeting’s keynote speakers were Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Ret. Brig. Gen. Becky Halstead, spokesperson for the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress. Harkin, who was instrumental in the inclusion of the provider non-discrimination language in PPACA emphasized chiropractic’s role in transforming the U. S. health care delivery system. (more…)

Neck Pain Experienced By Air Force Pilots

By |March 9, 2011|Air Force Pilots, Legislation, Neck Pain, News|

Neck Pain Experienced By Air Force Pilots

The Chiro.Org Blog


SOURCE:   Military Medicine 2011 (Jan); 176 (1): 106–109


Netto K, Hampson G, Oppermann B, Carstairs G, Aisbett B.

School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences,
Deakin University,
221 Burwood Highway,
Burwood, Victoria 3125, Australia


This article is of particular interest because the Department of Defense was instructed during the Clinton Administration to start providing chiropractic care through the Department of Veterans Affairs to American servicemen, and even after all these years, chiropractic care is only available at 36 VA facilities across the country. This still leaves (at least) 100 major VA medical facilities without a chiropractic physician on staff. [1]

In this study, therapists at the School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences in Victoria, Australia designed an 18-question survey to determine type and effectiveness of various strategies used by Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) fast jet aircrew in self-referral and management of flight-related neck pain. [2]

They provided this questionnaire to 86 eligible RAAF aircrew to determine aircrew demographics, the incidence of flight-related neck pain, and their self-referral strategies to manage these neck complaints. The results are quite dramatic: (more…)