Washington DC is witnessing a significant shift in its healthcare regulatory landscape. The proposed Health Occupations Revision General Amendment Act of 2023, if enacted on December 7, 2023, will bring about major changes, including consolidating various regulatory boards. This move, particularly the takeover of the Board of Chiropractic by the Board of Medicine, has stirred up concerns and debates within the chiropractic community.

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The Proposal: A Takeover by the Board of Medicine

The proposed legislation aims to update practice scopes and enhance administrative efficiency by merging several boards. Notably, the Board of Chiropractic, currently a standalone entity, is to be absorbed into the Board of Medicine. This change is in stark contrast to the practice in 47 other states where chiropractic boards maintain their autonomy.

Dr. Keita Vanterpool, Chair of the Washington DC Board of Chiropractic and a member of the Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards (FCLB), has reached out to the broader chiropractic community including strangely alerting Richard Brown the Secretary General of the World Federation of Chiropractic (WFC), Norman Ouzts, the Executive Director of the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE) and Wayne Wolfson from the National Chiropractic Mutual Insurance Company (NCMIC). Vanterpool is currently engaged in a lawsuit against the FCLB that stems from her not being given a "seat at the table" of the secretive Chiropractic Summit group.

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Implications for the Chiropractic Community

The Chiropractic Cartel and its efforts to expand chiropractic practice towards medicine, is now facing a paradox. The same community advocating for expansion is troubled by being placed under the medical board’s jurisdiction. In fact, in her e-mail, Vanterpool reminds Brown, Ouzts and Wolfson about how she has worked on the DC board and been successful in expanding the scope of chiropractic practice there. This merger could signify a loss of specialized focus and potentially overwhelm the board with the volume of complaints and cases, leading to burnout and risks to public protection.

Vanterpool emphasizes the potential risks this merger poses to public protection, diversity, equity, inclusion, and the efficiency of chiropractic regulation. Her proposal is for collaboration without merger, maintaining the autonomy of the chiropractic board while fostering interaction between different boards.

If the proposed legislation in Washington DC is enacted the chiropractic board will cease to exist as an independent entity. This takeover will transfer the regulatory authority and responsibilities of the chiropractic profession to the Board of Medicine. As a result, chiropractic matters will be overseen by a board, comprised mainly of medical doctors, physician assistants, one chiropractor, a podiatrist, consumer members, and a Department of Health designee. This change could potentially impact the specialized focus and autonomy previously enjoyed by the chiropractic board, integrating its functions into a broader medical regulatory framework.

The Larger Picture: The Chiropractic Cartel’s Dilemma

The Chiropractic Cartel, long advocating for an expanded scope of practice to include drugs, now finds itself at a crossroads. The regulatory board consolidation in several states, including DC, challenges their desire for independence within the healthcare system. Karma is a bitch and the mess they have made will affect all chiropractors negatively.