Texas Chiropractic Association: Force All Chiropractors to Practice to Fullest Extent of Education

In their latest attempt at expanding the scope of practice into medical care the Texas Chiropractic Association’s legislative goals include forcing every chiropractor to practice to the level of their education. Since all chiropractors are trained by institutions accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE) which has a monopoly on chiropractic education, this means all chiropractors would be required to take on the roles and responsibilities of primary care physicians.

The Texas Chiropractic Association’s goal reads:

“Support legislation which requires Chiropractors to practice up to the level of their education. Texas currently limits substantially the practice of Chiropractors to a small subset of what a Chiropractor is taught and trained to do.”  

All chiropractic programs in the United States are accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE) and as such must train chiropractors as primary care providers in order to be accredited.  The CCE is part of the so called “Chiropractic Cartel” and the Chiropractic Summit Group which are made up of various schools, trade organizations and regulatory bodies seeking the expansion of chiropractic scope of practice to include the practice of primary care and in some cases drug prescriptive rights.

The TCA’s latest effort also includes legislation to allow chiropractors to perform comprehensive physical examinations on school bus drivers.

The TCA is also pushing legislation to place chiropractors on “Concussion Oversight Teams” in children’s schools.

The TCA is pushing this legislation despite concerns regarding whether or not chiropractors are actually trained to perform such exams in a comprehensive manner and whether the scope currently allows it or not. Both of these bills involve the safety of children either directly or indirectly including the evaluation of cardiovascular and brain function.  

According to the Texas Chiropractic Association chiropractic education and training is equal to the education of osteopaths and medical physicians.

“On par with the Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Osteopathy degree programs, chiropractic physicians are educated in nationally accredited four-year doctoral graduate school programs with over 4,200 hours of scientific, laboratory, and clinical internship instruction and practice.”

The TCA was supported by the First Chiropractic Physicians Association of America in their quest to expand the scope.

Not all chiropractors in Texas agree with this Agenda.

According to Matthew Mix DC, President of the Chiropractic Society of Texas (CST):  

The Chiropractic Society of Texas stands against scope expansion to the profession of chiropractic.

The CST believes that the continued attempt at expanding our scope will:

1. Continue to garner attacks by other professions. (Currently the TMA lawsuits)

2. Decrease chiropractic's utilization rate. (Approx. 4.12% ref. Health Research and Education)

3. Lessen the importance of the Vertebral Subluxation to an individual's health. (Evidenced by utilization rate)

The CST went on to state:

At present, there are two major House Bills pending in Texas. These bills are important, as they continue the ongoing attempts at chiropractic scope expansion within Texas.

1. Oppose H.B. 1174 Specifically, allowing chiropractors to assess individuals for their “mental capability” to "operate a school bus safely" is not within the practice of chiropractic, and infringes on the medical profession, thus broadening our scope of chiropractic. This bill, if approved, will become an Act, and take effect September 1, 2015.

2. Oppose H.B. 1231 This will broaden the scope of chiropractic to include concussion screening responsibilities within athletic programs at schools. We agree that a child suffering a possible concussion should be checked for the presence of Vertebral Subluxation. However, this bill would charge chiropractors to screen for concussions on the field. Screening an individual for anything other than Vertebral Subluxations will broaden the scope of chiropractic. This bill, if approved, will become an Act, and take effect September 1, 2015.

As it has been in the past, the Texas Medical Association is also opposed to the TMA’s scope expansion efforts.

'Chiropractors should not be involved in pre-participation sports physicals,' said Keller pediatrician Jason Terk, MD, who served on the TMA subcommittee as chair of the TMA Council on Science and Public Health. 'They simply do not have that skill.'

The TMA has circulated a pamphlet outlining their concerns about the bills.

The Texas Chiropractic Association is no doubt emboldened by the American Chiropractic Associations continued push for scope expansion. This includes the ACA’s “Ideal Practice Act Language” which accompanied its establishment of a College of Pharmacology  

The Texas Chiropractic Association has been mired in legislative and legal battles for several years related to its attempts to expand the chiropractic scope of practice.