May 2006

NY assn. president urges use of CCP Guidelines

In an article written for his organization's newsletter, Peter H. Morgan, DC, president of the New York Chiropractic Council, urged all chiropractors in his state to "study and utilize the CCP guidelines in their practice."

According to Dr. Morgan, "the CCP Guidelines are the only Clinical Practice Guidelines that should be utilized by all Doctors of Chiropractic in New York State. They are the only guidelines congruent with the New York State Educational Law definition of Chiropractic."

Morgan prefaced his recommendation with a warning that NY chiropractors "have been put in a difficult position. There are some insurance carriers that are attempting to change the scope of Chiropractic in New York. They are trying to turn our profession into a therapy for neck and low back pain. And they say it requires only 6.2 visits. They have created their own computer generated guidelines, based upon the number of visits and conditions that they pay for. They have peer reviewers that seem to be trained to cut off every patient."

The article also explained that the CCP guidelines, which were updated last year, are "evidence‑based guidelines that protect the ability of D.C.s 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."

Morgan listed several solutions to the difficulties currently experienced in New York. He stated that NY chiropractors:

***  must study and utilize the CCP guidelines in practice;

***  must not participate with any insurance carrier that are not congruent with the CCP guidelines;

***  must utilize and quote the CCP guidelines in all their internal and external appeals; and

***  must do the internal and external appeals.

Additionally, Morgan stressed that every NY chiropractor and the NY State Board of Chiropractic must be educated about the CCP guidelines ‑‑ and that the Board be urged to adopt the guidelines as well.

The article concluded with a warning about the soon‑to‑b‑published Chiropractic Guidelines and Practice Parameters (CCGPP).

"I attended a lecture by one of the CCGPP doctors who is writing one of the chapters," Morgan explained. "I asked him if his chapter would address vertebral subluxations. His answer was no. My personal feeling is that this is going to be another Mercy document."