As 2010 comes to a close, it is important to look ahead to see what we can do as a profession to brighten the future of chiropractic. Among the many bits of information that have come across my computer monitor of late is a very interesting article by John Weeks of The Integrator Blog, "an organizer-writer in the emerging fields of complementary, alternative and integrative medicine since 1983."1 The article points out that the American Medical Association (AMA) has owned the current procedural terminology (CPT) codes for more than 40 years. The benefits of this ownership are probably much greater than you realize. Basically, they amount to the following:
The most important point to all this is what the AMA does with the $71 million of CPT-related income each year. The AMA typically spends between $15 million and $22 million in direct lobbying each year, something it refers to as "advocacy."Much of that lobbying is used to keep chiropractic and other non-medical professions in their place. Add to that "marketing and communications" spending that runs between $13 million and $27 million each year, and almost $50 million is spent each year to advance the AMA agenda.
Other probable uses for the money include the Scope of Practice Partnership (SOPP) campaign that began in 2006 and continues today.3 The Scope of Practice Partnership is designed to oppose any effort by any other health care profession to expand their scope into areas where the AMA doesn't want them.
Interestingly enough, the genesis of Weeks' article was a question from integrative nursing leader Mary Jo Kreitzer, RN, PhD, who founded and directs the Center for Spirituality and Healing at the University of Minnesota. What makes this interesting is that chiropractic is not the only profession looking at the unfair advantage the AMA has established with its continued ownership of the CPT codes. This battle could help us build some exciting alliances with a number of professions, particularly the nurses.
To close, I would like to offer the "recap" from Weeks' article, as it does an excellent job of presenting the important points. In the article, he refers to the various health care professions as "guilds":
As I look at our horizon, I can see no better opportunity for this profession to break the bonds of the AMA's hold on the chiropractic profession (and all other health care professions) than through their CPT codes.
References
Read more findings on my blog: http://blog.toyourhealth.com/wrblog/. You can also visit me on Facebook.
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."
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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?
