In a long and detailed letter written to Rod Lacy, the President of the First Chiropractic Physician Association of America (FCPAA), a leader from the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) lays out the recommended strategy to move scope expansion forward throughout the country.
Pointing out that even though the ACA has not issued a statement promoting scope expansion this ACA leader states:
“. . . it (ACA) has modified documents to make it clear it supports a state’s ability to pass laws allowing chiropractic physicians to practice anything they are trained to do.”
He goes on to reveal that the ACA has:
“. . . sunsetted its Master Plan, which contained a lot of restrictive language dating back to 1963. This may seem like a small thing to those who aren't familiar with the document but it signaled a major shift in the ACA and took many years to accomplish with many discussions to convince the minority in leadership it was the right thing to do. I know some would like the ACA to boldly proclaim that the profession must pursue more expansion of scope now. Many in the ACA would also like the organization to do that too.”
This ACA leader goes on to explain that the ACA leadership believes a better strategy is to “win the minds” of the minority within the ACA that are holding them back.
As part of the tactics to support such a strategy the ACA leader urges Lacy to get all 3000 members of the FCPAA to join the ACA and help push for scope changes. He urges Lacy to understand how big a voice his 3000 members would have in the ACA by writing:
- “Only then will you have an even larger voice of expansion at the national level.”
- “Think of how powerful your voice would be if 3000 FCPAA members make their unified voices heard and what changes are possible.”
- “A block of 3000 voters can be powerful and could be a game changer in this profession. It would further minimize/marginalize the small minority who wants to hold us all back.”
This ACA leader goes on to discuss the Summit Statement on drugs and how it finally forced the International Chiropractors Association (ICA) to admit “that we are not a drugless profession.”
The ACA leader further addresses the ICA while urging FCPAA members to join the ACA because they will be “respected and have their opinions heard” adding:
“Try to find such respectful dialog within the ICA or some radical, dogmatically lead state associations. The action the ACA took will stop the Master Plan document from being used by the ICA and their supporters in states where DC's are trying to expand their scope. And they have used the ACA Master Plan successfully in countless states to "prove" the ACA opposes scope expansion. This can no longer be done.”
The identity of the ACA leader is not revealed in the letter sent out by Lacy and the FCPAA.
Attempts at expanding the chiropractic scope of practice is happening in several states including: Georgia, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Washington, New York, Colorado and according to Bill Doggett the past Chairman of the Board of Chiropractic in New Mexico there are 19 states pursuing such expansion.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAIL ON STATES ATTEMPTING TO EXPAND SCOPE
