ACA Delegates Approve Policies in Favor of Nationwide Scope of Practice Expansion

The ACA House of Delegates elected a new Board of Governors during their recent Annual Meeting. More importantly, the ACA approved several new policies which continue to affirm their mission to create a niche for chiropractic physicians in the allopathic healthcare system as primary health care physicians.  Policies adopted during the 2011 Annual Meeting include "Chiropractic Physicians Training as Primary Care Physicians" and "Scope of Practice" Policies. 

The ACA's policy on Scope of Practice clearly calls for expansion of scope nationwide, given the current breadth of training in diagnosis and treatment offered by some chiropractic college curriculums.  It states, "it is the ACA’s position that the scope of practice of chiropractic physicians and post-doctoral chiropractic specialties should be determined by the education and training provided within CCE accredited institutions and/or the education and training provided through post-graduate/post-doctoral courses and specialties. The ACA encourages individual states and U.S. Territories to establish uniform scopes of practice commensurate with contemporary education and training.”

The ACA HOD's actions do not come as a surprise following reports that the ACA's leadership was focused on promotion of the role of chiropractors as primary care physicians, and have come out in support of the recent changes the CCE has made to their educational standards. These changes include the removal of “without drugs and surgery”, a focus on chiropractors as primary care physicians, the removal of subluxation language and the inclusion of other types of degrees. Clearly the ACA is supporting the moves in chiropractic towards the inclusion of drugs and while their new policies do not explicitly state this, the policies do not take a stand “against” it and make it clear that the ACA supports “states rights” where several states have or are in the process of including drugs and injectibles into the scope of practice.  The Foundation urges States to consider the unique contribution that chiropractic has to health care.

Click HERE To Read the ACA Press Release