WASHINGTON D.C. -- In what was unmistakably a call to leadership and excellence, the Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards (FCLB) held its 61st annual conference April 6-10.
After FCLB President Carroll Winkler, DC, called the conference to order, Richard Vincent, DC, past president of the FCLB, made opening remarks. Dr. Vincent was at times critical of the lack of initiative shown by the state boards and encouraged them to take a more active role.
The "4th Annual Joseph Janse Lecture" was delivered by Herbert Vear, DC. Dr. Vear's theme, "A Challenge to Excellence," was a message that was touched on by the subsequent speakers and set the tone for the conference.
One of the highlights of the conference was a presentation by Gerald Bechamps, MD, president-elect of the Federation of State Medical Boards. After his presentation, Dr. Bechamps took the opportunity to view CIN-BAD, the only on-line interactive database utilized by a health care licensing board. CIN-BAD currently links 44 of the chiropractic state boards.
Other presentations included:
- "Prosecuting Health Care Fraud: Licensing Board Participation," by assistant U.S. Attorney David Bosley of the southern district of Ohio.
- "Policies in Accreditation and Education Which Impact on Licensure," by Carl Cleveland III, DC, president of the Council on Chiropractic Education, and Meredith Gonyea, PhD, president of the Center for Studies in Health Policy.
- "Procedures for Conducting Disciplinary Hearings," by Karen Perrine, of the Virginia Board of Medicine, and Vance Kinlaw, Esq., attorney for the North Carolina Board of Chiropractic Examiners.
- "Professional Standards: The Impact on Licensure of the Council on Chiropractic Guidelines and Practice Parameters (CCGPP) and Other Guidelines," by Meredith Bakke, DC, FCLB appointee to CCGPP, and Donald Petersen Jr., secretary, CCGPP.
- "Making Language into Law," Paul Watson-Lambert, Esq., president, National Assoc. of Chiropractic Attorneys.
- "Considerations for Testing Disabled Applicants," Pamela Kurtz, director of administration, NBCE.
Other Highlights:
The Task Force on Pre-Chiropractic Entrance Exams expects to administer a pilot exam very soon. The Association of Chiropractic Colleges endorsed the concept unanimously earlier this year. The National Board of Chiropractic Examiners is developing the test as part of a feasibility study.
Chiropractic is the only major health care profession which does not assess applicant skills and potential. The exam will not focus on eliminating applicants but rather on skills assessment and an attempt to predict success in college and in practice.
The Panel on Coordinating Graduation Dates and Board Examinations has recommended to the FCLB that it be disbanded. The committee noted that this mission seems to be impossible considering the conflicts between statutes which mandate examination dates and academic/economic factors which control graduation dates.
The Task Force on Chiropractic Health Care Fraud has had two speaking engagements at FBI seminars for investigating agents, and personnel from the U.S. Justice Department, Medicare/Medicaid, and select insurance companies. The task force has already been consulted for advice in one case, and has committed to several additional educational programs sponsored by the FBI in 1994. The task force advises investigators how to properly coordinate efforts with licensing boards and interprets chiropractic credentials/technical terminology.
Several new developments from the CIN-BAD/Data Bank were revealed at the FCLB Congress. In addition to the list of disciplined doctors which have been on-line since last year, proposals are under investigation to add databases for doctors whose credentials are in good standing for (i) travel-to-treat limited licensure, (ii) instructors for chiropractic colleges, (iii) and instructors for continuing education programs.
During the business portion of the conference, the Federation passed the following resolutions:
- Urging boards to recognize doctors registered for limited or temporary licensure, for sporting events or other short-term needs. The resolution recognizes the rights and responsibilities of boards to impose such other criteria as may be required by state, regulation, rule or policy. Additional databases in CIN-BAD may include a travel-to-treat registry of doctors whose licenses are in good standing.
- Recommending that boards continue to investigate and pursue cases exposed by the media where doctors may have violated statute, rule, regulation or policy.
- Noted the importance of presenting ideas or requests for FCLB policy statements through the proper channels as determined by the FCLB Board of Directors. This new policy as adopted by the membership will preclude last-minute resolutions being introduced at the annual business meeting without the opportunity for members to review them carefully.
The 1994-95 FCLB Officers and Directors:
President - Dr. Carroll Winkler (North Dakota)
Vice President - Dr. Robert Vaughn (North Carolina)
Treasurer - Dr. Lawrence Gerstein (Missouri)
Immediate Past President - Dr. D. Brent Owens (Maryland/Florida)
District 1 - Dr. Tony Lammers (South Dakota)
District 2 - Dr. Peter Ferguson (Ohio)
District 3 - Dr. Vernon Temple (Vermont)
District 4 - Dr. Kenneth Cherry (Oklahoma)
District 5 - Dr. John Tierney (North Carolina)
