After months of committee meetings, the ACA House of Delegates approved a long-range plan at the organization's annual meeting in Kansas City, Missouri, August 28-30. Rick McMichael,DC, chairman of the planning committee, stated the objective: "The new ACA long range plan clarifies association goals to promote unity of action."
According to the plan's vision statement, the integration of doctors of chiropractic as decision makers will be directed to accomplish "positive outcomes for public health, primary care delivery and patient wellness."
The highlights of the plans include:
- broad patient access and use of full-scope chiropractic and parity reimbursement, with a focus on Medicare; Medicaid; ERISA; private insurance; Department of Defense (DOD) and Veteran's Administration (VA) health care;
- increase the participation of members in paid and voluntary state and national legislative positions, coalitions, agencies and organizations/associations; seek appointments of doctors of chiropractic to the Department of Health and Human Services; the VA; the DOD; the Indian Health Care System; the National Health Service Corp; congressional staff positions and other government agencies;
- achieve a membership of over 50 percent of the licensed DCs in the U.S. by 2010;
- work with other chiropractic organizations to share expertise and resources;
- educate the public about chiropractors as wellness experts through educational products, programs and services; double the amount of patients benefiting from chiropractic within seven years; and
- support research on the benefits of chiropractic care; promote careers to prospective chiropractic college students.
