If you’re a chiropractor in South Dakota and you believe patients benefit from ongoing regular chiropractic care, or you think that you know what an appropriate treatment plan might be for your patient, AND you want to offer your patient a prepayment plan, guess again. You’ll find yourself before your State Chiropractic Board for unethical behavior.
That’s what happened to Dr. Josh Biberdorf, who has a few clinics in that State and also is the president of the South Dakota state chiropractic organization. Here’s a great article: http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/state-board-reprimands-chiropractor-for-billing-practice/article_e3b0eb8e-2f4d-11e1-815e-0019bb2963f4.html.
This is yet another example of State Chiropractic Examining Boards going after local DC’s for practicing their business within their scope of practice. Wisconsin and Minnesota continue to do this.
This begs the question of what the role of the state chiropractic board is. They are created to protect the public – that’s what the State law says. But more and more it seems that the State Boards like to determine what chiropractic is – whether patients, the public or chiropractors agree.
This is bad for patients, bad for the public, bad for chiropractic. No other profession does this to itself.
When, we ask, are chiropractors going to stop going after one another? It seems the biggest crime a chiropractor can commit within his or her own profession is to be successful. If you are, some piss-ant DC is going to report you to the board.
It’s time for the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners to make a clear statement on this and ensure that local Boards are doing what they are supposed to – protect the public. Not protect unhappy chiropractors.
Great article Dave and I concur with your statements. Chiropractors need to come together not tear each other down. We have it hard enough as it is.
What are they clamping down on in wi and mn??
@Jamie, couldn’t agree more.
@Chester, MN just clarified their prepay plans and WI just cleared up discounts for care, so that is a plus. Howvere, it seems there is a tendancy for State Boards, with embedded immunity, to go after chiros they don’t like. There are two recent cases in MN/WI of this where the boards have dragged it out over disagreements on length of care issues.