Back in December 1989, when the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations first commissioned a conference to develop chiropractic practice guidelines, nobody quite realized the magnitude of the undertaking.
When the 35 doctors of chiropractic came together January 25-30, 1992 at the Mercy Retreat Center in the foothills just south of San Francisco, it was an historic assembly of the finest chiropractic had to offer. Their work, and the companies that supported the Mercy Conference, somehow managed to pull off this very complex undertaking.
Now, nearly three years later, the document that was envisioned by COCSA has been published by Aspen. The 222 page Guidelines for Chiropractic Quality Assurance and Practice Parameters are being mailed special 4th class from October 26 through December 1st to 49,004 doctors of chiropractic in the U.S. free of charge. Delivery is expected to take four to six weeks, particularly at this busiest of time for the post office.
If you do not receive your copy by January 30, 1993, proceed as follows:
If your an OUM client, call: (206) 453-5556
If your an NCMIC client, call: (515) 222-1736
If your not a client of either OUM or NCMIC, and receive MPI's Dynamic Chiropractic, call: (714) 960-6577
If you were not on the mailing lists of OUM, NCMIC, or MPI as of August 15, 1992, and want a copy of the Mercy Guidelines, you will need to purchase a copy from Aspen Publishing, Inc. (301) 417-7561 or (800) 638-8437.
Responses to the Mercy Guidelines
The generosity of NCMIC; Foot Levelers, Inc.; OUM; California Chiropractic Association; Leander Health Technologies; Activator Methods; MPI; Parker Chiropractic Resource Foundation; The Practice Resource Group; Synergy; and Visual Odyssey have made it possible to send a free copy of the Mercy Guidelines to every DC in the United States. Calls concerning the Mercy Guidelines cannot and will not be answered by these organizations. These organizations funded the dissemination of the document, they did not write the document.
If you have any input or opinion on the Mercy Guidelines, there is only one official means available for you to respond: Appendix C of the Mercy Guidelines, page 217, details how and where to send your responses.
When sports chiropractors first appeared at the Olympic Games in the 1980s, it was alongside individual athletes who had experienced the benefits of chiropractic care in their training and recovery processes at home. Fast forward to Paris 2024, where chiropractic care was available in the polyclinic for all athletes, and the attitude has now evolved to recognize that “every athlete deserves access to sports chiropractic."
It is estimated that 61% of patients with CTS avoid taking surgical options due to postoperative complications and costly surgical procedures. Chiropractic care offers a comprehensive and effective treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome, addressing the condition from multiple angles. Recent studies also have unveiled a game-changing adjunct to chiropractic treatments for CTS: nerve flossing.
Some doctors thrive in a personality-based clinic and have a loyal following no matter what services or equipment they offer, but for most chiropractic offices who are trying to grow and expand, new equipment purchases help us stay relevant and continue to service our client base in the best, most up-to-date manner possible. So, regarding equipment purchasing: should you lease, get a bank loan, or pay cash?
