January 2006

Nebraska state board opposes ACN actions

The Nebraska State Board of Chiropractic has become the latest group to oppose the discriminatory practices of certain chiropractic networks, according to the American Chiropractic Association (ACA).

In a Jan. 3 letter to the CEO of ACN Group, Inc., the Nebraska board states that ACN is inappropriately limiting care based on “arbitrary statistical models” rather than clinical necessity — resulting in substandard care to patients — and questions the possible conflict of interest between ACN and its parent company, United Healthcare.

The Nebraska Board is the second examining board to raise concerns with ACN. In June 2005, the Arkansas State Board of Chiropractic Examiners wrote a similar letter, expressing concerns that ACN was aggressively cutting insurance claims and denying treatment plans based on statistical models rather than medical information provided by doctors.

As the Nebraska and Arkansas boards address these concerns, ACA is continuing its campaign to address the unfair and inappropriate actions of ACN and other chiropractic networks.

State associations and chiropractic organizations across the country are also working to address these practices. The current list includes: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington.

Source: American Chiropractic Association, www.acatoday.com

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