Results of Gallup's latest poll on honesty and ethics by profession are in, and for the eighth consecutive year, nurses top the list by a definitive margin. However, while 84% consider nurses' ethics "very high" or "high," only 36% feel the same way about chiropractors.
The poll, conducted Dec. 8-10, 2006, rated 23 occupations, including seven health care professions, with regard to their honesty and ethics. Poll respondents could choose from one of four options when assessing each profession's honesty/ethics: "very high," "high," "average" and "very low/low."
The majority of the health professions surveyed ranked high on the list: Druggists or pharmacists came in second, with 73% of respondents rating them "very high" or "high," followed by veterinarians (71%), medical doctors (69%), and dentists (62%). Among non-health-related occupations, engineers received the best ethics rating (61%), followed by college teachers (58%), clergy (58%) and policemen (54%).
Poll results are based on telephone interviews with 1,009 U.S. adults, with a maximum margin of sampling error of ± 3 percentage points.
Recent laws in New Jersey and California represent a disturbing trend that will negatively impact a practice’s ability to collect monies from patients, as well as expose them to significant penalties if the practice does not follow the mandatory guidelines to a T. Please be aware that a similar law may be coming to your state. The time to act is before the law is passed.
Each year, ICD-10-CM is updated on Oct. 1. For 2026, there are 74,179 total codes, with 487 additions, 28 deletions and 38 revisions. Code changes are based on date of service, not the claim submission date. Services performed on/after Oct. 1 must use the new codes. While no changes affect the common spinal or extraspinal codes most frequently used by DCs, several updates may still affect your claims – particularly for comorbidities, referred pain, or trauma cases.
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Southern California University of Health Sciences has entered into an agreement with Pacific College of Health and Science whereby PCHS’ San Diego and Chicago campuses – including students, faculty, staff, and academic programs – will join SCU effective May 2026, pending regulatory approval. Founded in 1986 as Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, PCHS is not only the largest acupuncture / herbal medicine school in the U.S., but also offers integrative health curriculum in holistic nursing and massage therapy.
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