The TEXAS chiropractic profession needs your help!!! The TMA (Texas Medical Association) has filed a lawsuit against TBCE (Texas Board of Chiropractic Examiners). TMA wants chiropractors to lose their ability to diagnose patients. This translates –> you will have to have a referral from a medical doctor to see a chiropractor IF you want to file your insurance benefits. From what we can tell, this will NOT affect patients that choose to pay out of pocket.
We don’t want to create undo alarm, but this is serious for a few reasons:
- Principle – there is no justification. Chiropractors are thoroughly trained to diagnose and treat the neuromusculoskeletal system. If you are a patient of chiropractic care, you have experienced just that. We have to be able to diagnose in order to know where to adjust, when to adjust, and of course when not to adjust.
- Some chiropractors are employed by practices that are 80-100% paid by third party payers. This would dramatically affect the amount of paperwork that would be required. This could potentially decrease the volume of patients that have access to treatment. This would undoubtedly increase the amount of time a patient would have to wait for treatment.
- Currently, medical doctors often don’t refer to chiropractors simply out of ignorance of what chiropractors do. It would be a disservice to the patient as well as healthcare if the majority of patient are filtered through the medical wheel before they even have a chance of seeking chiropractic care.
- For the LOVE!!!! Chiropractors are awesome!! They should be able to do what they love to do EVERYDAY without the intervention of a medical professional that may or may not know what the benefits of chiropractic care are. Maybe they had a bad experience with a chiropractOR and they don’t support the profession. Maybe they don’t “believe” in chiropractic. BELIEVE it or not, I’ve heard so many times that patients either don’t tell their MD that they see a chiropractor because they assume their disapproval, or tell them they do, only to be reprimanded for their choice 😦
Unfortunately, this is really happening. The Texas Chiropractic Association (http://www.chirotexas.org/) is fighting for us, & has appealed the initial ruling. Here is the latest update: http://www.chirotexas.org/index.php…
If you want to help keep chiropractic a direct entry service, and not be required to get a referral to receive care by a chiropractor, you can donate to TCA’s CDI (http://www.chirotexas.org/cdi) & send correspondence to our STATE senators and representatives. If you live in Ellis County, here is the contact information:
http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/County.aspx
To make life simple, I’ve created the documents for our District. If you want the word document so you can edit the legislator’s address, just email us at peaceoflifechiropractic@live.com.To send a letter to Texas State Senator Brian Birdwell click here. To send a letter to Texas State Representative John Wray click here.
Thank you so much for getting involved!! No matter the outcome, chiropractic care will remain awesome. The power that made the body will continue to heal the body. Nevertheless, we appreciate you helping us be heard & hopefully protect the scope of practice for chiropractors!!!!
In Loving Service – NO MATTER WHAT,
Dr. Taryn
Peace of Life Chiropractic 