May 2005

NY Chiropractic Council adopts CCP guidelines

The New York Chiropractic Council announced on Feb 17, 2005 that its Board of Directors voted to adopt the Chiropractic Clinical Practice Guidelines, "Vertebral Subluxation in Chiropractic Practice."

The Board of Directors said they adopted guidelines since they were the only ones congruent with the New York State Educational Law definition of Chiropractic.

According to state statute, chiropractic is defined in New York as "detecting and correcting by manual or mechanical means structural imbalance, distortion, or subluxations in the human body for the purpose of removing nerve interference and the effects thereof, where such interference is the result of or related to distortion, misalignment or subluxation of or in the vertebral column."

The CCP guidelines were developed to protect the right of the chiropractic consumer ‑‑ including children and asymptomatic patients ‑‑ to obtain chiropractic. They are evidence‑based guidelines that protect the ability of DCs to use analytical and diagnostic procedures necessary to characterize the vertebral subluxation and its effects. Parameters for corrective procedures are based upon objective evidence of subluxation correction, not merely temporary symptomatic relief. They are the only chiropractic guidelines listed in the National Guideline Clearinghouse (NGC).

The adoption of the CCP Guidelines and position statements were introduced to the board as a proposal on behalf of the New York Chiropractic Council. Many of the New York Chiropractic board members feel that adoption of the guidelines will help to reform IME and peer‑review injustices. The tenets outlined in the CCP guidelines provide the opportunity for consistency in peer review based on fair standards.

Peter Morgan, DC, vice president of the Council stated: "The board's position is now that the New York Chiropractic Council has adopted the CCP guidelines we can approach the New York State Board of Chiropractic and encourage them to adopt the CCP Guidelines. We can now begin to educate and influence the legislators; we can now permanently define and establish our profession, what we do, and what we offer to the consumer."