August 2005

RCS holds first training session on UC‑Irvine campus

Research & Clinical Science (RCS) held its first Outcomes Research training session on the campus of the University of California‑Irvine, June 11‑12, 2005. Fifteen doctors of chiropractic from across the country successfully completed the program and their offices officially qualified as RCS Authorized Research Sites.

The RCS training staff coached the group in all aspects of outcomes research, from volunteer recruitment to data collection via the company's Internet‑based system. They were also given a tablet PC ‑‑ a device that combines the advanced features of a computer with the ease of pen and paper ‑‑ pre‑programmed with data collection software developed specifically for the RCS program.

The doctors were shown how the computer generates the exclusive RCS "Vitality Wellness Index" report, which provides volunteers a graphic representation of numerous subjective and objective "wellness" factors. The report also allows them to compare their level of wellness to the "norm" of the larger population. The report is customizable to provide graphs for most commonly used chiropractic examinations and findings, including range of motion, palpation, EMG, subluxation degeneration, etc.

Robert Blanks, PhD, of Florida Atlantic University, who previously served as a professor in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology of UC‑Irvine's College of Medicine, presented information on the purpose and protocol of health outcomes research. Dr. Blanks ‑‑ co‑founder and president of RCS ‑‑ conducted the largest, multi‑center study in the history of chiropractic and has been published in numerous scientific journals.

Matthew McCoy, DC, editor of the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research and vice‑president of RCS, also helped train the doctors in data collection, writing a case report and the personal and professional benefits of being a scientific, evidence‑based research practitioner. Dr. McCoy is one of the co‑founders of RCS, along with Dr. Blanks and David A. Jackson, DC, who serves as its CEO.

Additional training was provided in office procedures to ensure that the program meshed seamlessly with the doctor's existing routines. Practical matters such as third party patient billing and accountability, billing codes and documentation, and transferring volunteers to patient status were reviewed in detail.

"This is a giant first step for chiropractic," stated Dr. Jackson. "In the months to come we will be collecting data from hundreds of thousands of volunteers and patients around the world. We'll be able to silence our critics who claim chiropractic isn't 'scientific.' And hundreds of DCs will have the opportunity to become more successful and prosperous as volunteers opt to become long‑term wellness patients."

Doctors who join RCS receive all the materials and equipment ‑‑ including a PC tablet computer and portable server ‑‑ needed to recruit volunteers and collect data. In addition to contributing to the research effort, they can significantly increase their practice volume since many volunteers, after learning about chiropractic through their research involvement, choose to receive chiropractic care as paying patients. It is estimated that most RCS Research Sites will generate between 10 and 25 new patients each month. The entire program can be leased for as little as $400/month.

For more information on the RCS program or for an application to become an RCS Authorized Research Site, contact RCS at 800‑909‑1354 or 480‑303‑1694 or visit www.rcsprogram.com.