November 2003

COCSA concerned about PACE’s benefits to associations

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – A presentation about a Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards (FCLB) program to approve providers of continuing education stirred up a flurry of questions and concerns and caused the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations (COCSA) to pass a resolution expressing its reservations about the value of the program to its member organizations.

PACE, an acronym for Providers of Continuing Education, is a program designed to advance the quality of continuing education for chiropractors, according to its designers. (See “Certified continuing education nearing availability,” ChiroEcoNewsflash, http://www.chiroeco.com/news/2003/may/certified-ceu.html.)

Dr. Laurel Cowie, chairperson of the PACE Education Task Force, a special committee empanelled to explain the logistical implementation of the PACE program, presented an overview of the program to COCSA members. She emphasized that the program is a win-win-win effort.

“Everyone wins,” she said, “doctors, patients and education providers.” She said that currently no oversight body reviews the content and quality of continuing education. Because each state has unique academic and quality requirements for CEs, colleges – which are major providers of continuing education – are frustrated and state boards are overwhelmed with the approval processes. PACE would solve these problems, she said.

According to PACE policies and procedures, a primary goal of the program, as its affects doctors of chiropractic, is to provide them with a dependable basis for selecting approved continuing education experiences. Another benefit is that participants will have their attendance at a PACE program registered in a central database, ACCUDOCS, maintained by the FCLB. The central attendance maintenance will reduce the load imposed on state licensing boards.

COCSA, however, challenged PACE’s claim of benefits for everyone. Delegates pointed out that the state associations were not among the winners æ and could come up losers

Among its concerns was the financial impact PACE would have upon associations that sponsor continuing education for their members as well as the potential loss of control over the content of continuing education programs in state association-sponsored events.

Cowie told the group that PACE is recommending a $500 application fee, a $1,000 annual recognition fee and a $50 course registration fee from each program provider to cover the cost of administration. An additional $10 per registrant would also be charged to offset the administration costs of posting attendance to the ALLDOCS database maintained by FCLB.

Cowie emphasized that even with state board approval of PACE, state boards would be able to approve other CE programs.

COCSA members were given a booklet detailing PACE’s policies and procedures, which were adopted in April by the FCLB board of directors and presented at the annual FCLB meeting held in Orlando.

In a cover letter to COCSA delegates in the booklet, Dr. Richard L. Cole, president of FCLB, stated, “As with any new professional service, there has been some initial confusion about what PACE is designed to do. We appreciate the opportunity to engage in dialogue with your member state associations, to correct any misconceptions and to continue to learn from your members how we might help PACE become a genuine asset to your own work.”

Cowie told COCSA that several amendments in the policies and procedures are pending and subject to change as the task force continues to gather input from stakeholders, including the associations.

Anticipating reaction from its members, the COCSA board of directors had prepared a resolution, which it presented to its voting delegates. The resolution, passed by a unanimous voice vote, reads:

Congress of Chiropractic State Association
Resolution on PACE

Whereas the concept of a centralized continuing education approval process has merit and potential for solving certain problems of continuing education certification, the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations (COCSA) has concerns about the impact such a system could have on our member associations including but not limited to:

• Financial impacts on programs and conventions;

• Loss of or reduced control over what is taught in state chiropractic association continuing education programs and conventions;

• Potential philosophical differences between PACE-approved courses and state associations and their programs and conventions.

In addition to these concerns, the Board of COCSA has concerns about:

• The individual state boards of examiners ceding their authority to approve continuing education credits to PACE, especially in the states who have combined medical/chiropractic boards;

• The individual state boards of examiners having the choice to approve non-PACE approved continuing education credits.

Be it resolved that the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations advise a rigorous review of potential impacts on member associations of implementation of acceptance of the FCLB’s PACE program of continuing education approval.

Be it further resolved we recommend that the FCLB not proceed any further with the implementation of PACE until all of the concerns of COCSA and its member associations are positively resolved.

Source: Editor Linda Segall covered the COCSA convention in Las Vegas.

Industry News from:
Chiropractic News from: