U.S. Comptroller Appoints Chiropractor to Chair PCORI
Dynamic Chiropractic Staff
Christine Goertz, DC, PhD, has been appointed by the Comptroller of the United States to a three-year term as chair of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute's Board of Governors. The PCORI is the largest public research funder focusing primarily on clinical effectiveness research, and has "funded hundreds of studies that compare healthcare options to learn which works best, given patients' circumstances and preferences."
Dr. Goertz has served on the board in various capacities since the institute launched in 2010. The board includes 21 representatives of the patient, general consumer, clinical, insurance, research, employer, industry, policy and other health care sectors.
The PCORI is an independent, nonprofit, nongovernmental entity authorized as part of the 2010 Affordable Care Act to, according to the institute, "close the gap" that currently exists between the questions clinicians and their patients have when it comes to health care – and the research that can provide them with answers.
Dr. Goertz's distinguished career in chiropractic and health care includes service as vice chancellor of research and health policy at Palmer College of Chiropractic and as a program official at the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health at the National Institutes of Health.
While cervical disc pathology can unquestionably produce radiculopathy, many patients presenting with arm pain, paresthesia or perceived weakness do not exhibit the clinical behavior of true nerve-root compromise. In these cases, failure to differentiate the primary pain generator may lead to unnecessary spinal injections, nerve ablation procedures or surgical consultation despite limited likelihood of benefit.
The New Jersey Board of Chiropractic Examiners has made a precedential decision, concurring with the Association of New Jersey Chiropractors' (ANJC) position paper on chiropractic X-ray guidelines. In plain terms, the board ruled, consistent with the ANJC position, that insurance companies cannot use medical X-ray rules or recommendations, like those written by the American College of Radiology (ACR), to decide whether a chiropractor's X-ray was necessary.
For decades, chiropractors have been told the answer to more professional referrals is simple: educate medical doctors about chiropractic. There is some truth in that advice; but it is also incomplete. The modern challenge is not simply getting another healthcare professional to know that chiropractors exist. It is becoming the kind of clinician (and building the kind of professional relationship) that makes collaboration easy and sustainable.
