March 2002

Pennsylvania Company Now Allows DCs
to Perform Physicals

A large Pennsylvania employment agency has reversed its policy that banned doctors of chiropractic from performing physicals.

Gene Veno, executive vice president of the Pennsylvania Chiropractic Association, took action after recently learning that Philadelphia-based Staffing Plus, Inc., was not allowing doctors of chiropractic to perform physicals on their employees in that state.

"I got a call from a doctor of chiropractic saying he was unaware he could not perform a physical," Veno said. "Staffing Plus officials said they would not pay for a physical from a doctor of chiropractic, saying they were just following standards from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Organizations (JCAHO)."

Veno said he called the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) as soon as he heard about the company's policy, and ACA officials determined that JCAHO's standards did not explicitly state a doctor of chiropractic could or could not perform physicals.

"Based on that information," Veno said, "Staffing Plus changed their internal policy within 24 hours, allowing the doctor to perform the physical. This was a minor thing, but something that could have gotten out of hand."

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