Linda Bevel, Executive Assistant, World Chiropractic Alliance
Sharp divisions within the chiropractic profession became evident on Thursday, Feb. 24, when the World Chiropractic Alliance (WCA) participated in a forum held by the Department of Veterans Affairs at VA Headquarters in Washington D.C. The VA invited the WCA and other groups to provide input into new guidelines for the utilization of chiropractic care in the VA health system. Development of these guidelines was mandated by the Veterans Millennium Health Care Act (H.R. 2116) signed into law by the President on November 30, 1999.
The WCA, one of several groups representing various factions of the profession, presented its views to VA officials about chiropractic’s role in health care. According to WCA President Dr. Terry A. Rondberg, chiropractic is not a “subset of medicine” and doctors of chiropractic should not be authorized to duplicate the work of medical practitioners. “Chiropractic is a very specialized form of health care, focusing on the adjustment of the spine to correct subluxations, thereby enhancing quality of life,” Dr. Rondberg explained. Subluxations, in a chiropractic context, refer to misalignments of vertebrae which can impede nerve function. Chiropractic was founded more than a century ago as a drug-free practice centered on the correction of these subluxations.
Offering an opposing view was the American Chiropractic Association (ACA), which has tried repeatedly in Washington to present chiropractic as a quasi-medical approach which can perform many of the diagnostic and treatment functions now performed only by medical doctors, although most chiropractic colleges do not provide adequate training in these areas.
Current federal government policy, as reflected in Medicare regulations, sides with the WCA. For more than 25 years, Medicare has recognized chiropractic as a health discipline involved specifically in the detection and correction of subluxations.
WCA representatives at the forum expressed concern that the use of chiropractors to perform medical duties would be a duplication of efforts, and costly for taxpayers. “The fundamental issues are simple,” stated Dr. Christopher Kent, chairman of the Council on Chiropractic Practice and a well-known authority on chiropractic. “We are a profession with a clearly defined mission. We, as a profession, must be driven by principles and not by politics.”
Kent observed that using chiropractors to perform medical tasks would be like asking surgeons to fill dental cavities. “Medical doctors, dentists and chiropractors have unique roles to play in the health care arena, with their own specialized education and expertise,” he emphasized. “Medical doctors should not act as doctors of dentistry, and doctors of chiropractic should not to do the work of M.D.s. These are professions with completely different objectives and skills and the VA utilization guidelines should reflect this.”
When asked about the cost implications of using doctors of chiropractic for medical purposes, Rondberg noted, “Unfortunately, what the ACA is proposing will be extremely expensive for the VA to implement. Further, it’s not in keeping with the current policy of the federal government on Chiropractic and has nothing to do with the historical development of chiropractic.” Dr. Kent stated, “American Veterans deserve the unique health enhancing benefits of Chiropractic care.”
planetc1.com-news @ 2:45 pm | Article ID: 952127142
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