Your Fears Are Unfounded
Dear Editor:
I was anxious and hopeful to read a different perspective as to why chiropractors should not prescribe medications in the two-part series by Dr. Sweere ["Prescribing Rights: Be Careful What You Wish For"; digital exclusive in the July and August issues]. But what I read was nothing more than what we have seen written before, i.e., Big Pharma bad, all medications bad, go to medical school if you want to prescribe, etc. The implication is chiropractors with prescriptive authority will overprescribe, mirror what currently occurs, and be a detriment to the public. This is insulting to our profession.
The key contradictory quote from part 2 is: "[E]ven if chiropractors were properly trained and authorized, such practices would be considered highly unethical, with justifiable accusations of professional interference commonplace." If one is properly trained and authorized, they have a duty to provide an opinion concerning what they are "properly trained" to do to a patient who is searching for a second opinion – just like what occurs now within the traditional medical profession.
What I don't see is an attempt to research the states where chiropractors currently prescribe and/or use prescriptive and non-prescriptive items. Are chiropractors in these states overprescribing and a threat to public safety? More than 100 chiropractors have had prescriptive authority in New Mexico since 2009, and DCs have had the ability to inject and provide IVs in Oklahoma since 1980. Here in Colorado, more than 1,000 chiropractors have had the authority to prescribe over-the-counter medications for years. DCs in other states also have the authority to use medications in one way or another. Dr. Sweere's fears are unfounded in these states. Chiropractors have judiciously utilized medications in line with their deeply rooted conservative-first approaches to health care.
The chiropractic world is not going to collapse if a few DCs have the ability to provide an occasional muscle relaxer or the ability to inject a trigger point. It hasn't in the states in which they have the authority. The fear mongering by the more conservative segments of our profession is getting old. They have no evidence to back up their charges of future mayhem and every day, DCs in states with expanded authority prove them wrong.
Michael Simone, DC
Fort Lupton, Colo.
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.
With estimates showing over 30 million Americans affected by peripheral neuropathy – and a significant portion underdiagnosed – it’s increasingly likely that chiropractors are already treating these patients. What’s missing is structured recognition, comprehensive management and targeted tools to slow progression, improve function and support systemic health.
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.
| Digital Exclusive