It's in the Contract
The December 6, 1993 issue of the American Medical News features the article, "Illinois Blues: If you sign a contract, you follow guidelines." The quotes below from the article are indicative of the position insurance carriers are beginning to take regarding practice guidelines.
"Practice guidelines just gained a new foothold that could eventually propel them into a bigger role in the workaday world of most physicians. "In what it calls the first such move by an insurer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois will make adherence to clinical practice guidelines a part of its contract with physicians.
"'Spelling out our expectations in the contract reinforces that we are serious about guidelines and believe that they will reduce variations in practice and help control costs,' said Arnold Widen, MD, vice president and corporate medical director."
Dr. Widen further stated: "Ultimately, we want to get to the point where all utilization management is based on practice guidelines."
The day is probably coming when all health care providers will be expected to abide by some kind of practice guidelines.
This brings the issue of chiropractic guidelines into a much sharper focus. The upcoming review by the Council on Chiropractic Guidelines and Practice Parameters (CCGPP) of the Mercy Guidelines becomes even more important for the profession.
