CCGPP Best Practices Document Must Become a Political Issue Quickly!

I N CASH YOU HAVE NOT HEARD, S. 1955, which would have had a potentially devastating effect on the profession of chiropractic, has been stopped in the senate! In the process of stopping it, some monumental organization occurred. A potentially devastating threat be­gan an alignment process, and the profession went under acute care. A profession which for years has been in the state of chronic dis­ease of disorganization and dis-unification, unified and organized! Doctors from different backgrounds— straights, mixers, philosophi­cal based, evidenced based, doctors from all techniques, doctors from all of the various schools—united! At least 20 or more State As­sociations participated in weekly teleconference calls to organize and effectively direct this acute unified force. National organizations, for the first time, had something on which they could agree and for which they could unify. The result was that a symptom went away— though none of us should think for a moment that an actual cure took place—as the adjust­ment was administered, but now the process of alignment needs to occur. Chiropractic must now continue in corrective care so that it may experience optimal health. Chiropractic, as a body, has been anything but in a state of optimal health. Our dis-or-ganization and lack of unity has lead to many misalignments, with little or no organized feedback and regulation. Our schools are not booming and many of them are in real conflict; our regulatory boards have had scandals and have given the field reason for upset; our na­tional organizations quibble; special interest groups and individuals within our profession have crossed over and aided the external envi­ronment to weaken us further. Yet, despite all of this, we are surviving—though perhaps less optimally than we can—and will continue to survive, if we live what the majority of us teach and demand that our leaders further the process of organization and unity so that we may begin corrective care. S. 1955 was a wake-up call and its best attri­bute was that it united us. We must now stay both united and organized in order to develop great internal body feedback and regulation, so that we can experience optimal health. We must, as a profession, continue to clean up—putting aside our individual interests for that which is for the greatest good of our profession as a whole, so that we are not always at the mercy of a hostile external environment. If you do not think the external environ­ment is hostile, realize that Medicare has interpreted that care beyond twelve visits may be fraudulent, and the National Insurance Crime Bureau has estimated that $100 billion dollars each year is paid in fraudulent medical bills (http:// www.statefann.com/media/insback.hhTi). I can think of no better place to strengthen both our intra-professional feedback and regulation than the Coun­cil on Chiropractic Guidelines and Practice Parameters (CCGPP) "Best Practices Document," a document not to be taken lightly as we all must live with it, and be judged by it. Most of us know that "Best Practice Documents," like the earlier Mercy Document, can cause further dis-unity and dis-organiza-tion to our body. In perhaps a month or so, the first chapter will be released, "The Low Back Best Practices Draft." This will be followed by drafts on the neck, extremi­ties, etc. You must individually read this document, which can be downloaded at the www.ccgpp.org. If you, like me, believe that this docu­ment does not fulfill its intent, then you must do something about it. It is not time to be emotional; it is time to be effective and our example is S. 1955. We must demand that our political leadership provide feedback and regulate what our body is allowed to put out as representing us as a whole. Do not sit back and think that this does not involve you, read the document and decide, and do it quickly. You matter and so does your opinion. If you do not like the CCGPP Low Back Document, immediately call your state and national political leaders and find out what they arc going to do about it? Do not let emotion enter in; instead, organize! Let's once again just be effective, and continue on our profession's corrective care program—if not for ourselves, for the benefit of the millions of patients that rely on our care. Jeffrey A Cronk, DC, is a licensee/ chi­ropractor since 1988, and is the presi­dent of National Injury Diagnostics. Dr. Cronk can be reached for questions or comment at 7I5-S33-S533 or e-mail at: in\fo(w,nalionalinjundiagnostics. com.\