West Hartford Group Charts a Possible Course for Chiropractic's Future

The West Hartford Group, incorporated in 2006, is "a think tank dedicated to the acquisition of social, cultural and professional authority for the chiropractic profession, where the doctor of chiropractic (i.e., chiropractic physician in some jurisdictions) serves within the mainstream health care delivery system as a patient-centered, evidence-based, non-surgical, primary spine care health care professional." The WHG Board of Directors recently approved the following resolution it suggests as "one possible future for the chiropractic profession."

Whereas fulfilling WHG's mission to promote the chiropractic profession as worthy of cultural authority in primary spine care;

Whereas reaffirming WHG's role as a chiropractic medicine think tank and arbiter of chiropractic policy;

Whereas noting our commitment to advance chiropractic medicine as an evidence based, patient-centered health care profession;

Whereas we are deeply concerned that the scope of practice for doctors of chiropractic has not kept pace with current knowledge or standards of care;

Whereas stressing our belief that education training barriers and arbitrary scope of practice limits for doctors of chiropractic undermines the need to expand the healthcare force;

Whereas understanding that this stagnation is a result of intra-professional conflicts, economic constraints on chiropractic colleges to be more selective regarding students, and limited clinical exposure to hospital rotations and residencies in near isolation from other healthcare providers;

Whereas recognizing that it is the duty of the profession and its leaders to earn credibility and legitimacy;

Resolved, that the West Hartford Group;

1. calls upon the profession to acknowledge the chiropractic vertebral subluxation complex theory as historical in value and not evidence-informed;
2. affirms the importance of holistic evaluation and care of the patient while considering the complex interactions between biological, psychological and social factors;
3. endorses expanding chiropractic school prerequisites and additionally require a BA or BS degree prior to matriculation;
4. recommends the adoption of a chiropractic admissions test as a measure of preparation for chiropractic school to be combined holistically with other student assessments;
5. supports expansion of all Doctor of Chiropractic Programs to require training in natural and conventional pharmacology;
6. strongly advises all Doctor of Chiropractic Programs to require clinical rotations with emphasis on neuromusculoskeletal medicine;
7. encourages the development of graduate chiropractic training with residency programs;
8. stresses the majority of the profession's resolve to continue advancing modern conservative treatment of human conditions based upon diagnosis and interprofessional collaboration;
9. does not support the routine use of X-ray without clinical suspicion of pathology including red flags or clinical suspicion that treatment would be potentially harmful to the patient. We do not support treatment techniques that rely on routine use of X-ray to determine where or how to treat a patient.

To learn more about the West Hartford Group, Inc., click here. Among its other values and goals, the WHG "believes it is important to the chiropractic profession to make proactive changes from within the system, rather than allowing others to force reactive changes [and is] firmly committed to chiropractors being paid a fair wage for our services, without undue and/or unfair influence from outside sources."